Udawalawe National Park
Udawalawe National Park
4.5
National Parks • Nature & Wildlife Areas
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12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Monday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Tuesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Wednesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Thursday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Friday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Saturday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Sunday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
About
This park is home to several hundred elephants and other rare plants and wildlife.
Suggested duration
More than 3 hours
Features animals
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Improve this listingAdmission tickets
from $61.00
All you need to step foot in the door.
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Top ways to experience Udawalawe National Park
The area
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Attractions
3 within 6 miles
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
3,470 reviews
Excellent
2,349
Very good
807
Average
200
Poor
73
Terrible
41
Andreas
Milan, Italy9 contributions
Great tour through the park seeing many animals including leopard crossing our road. Nice afternoon tour till sunset Abend worthwhile to revisit
Written March 19, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Odyssey752478
2 contributions
Mar 2023
I could expect to see more animals. But lovely lovely morning trip. When you are going on 6 am trip, I do recommend to take warm blanket or sweather with you , due to wind is quite cold before sunset.
Written March 16, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Anna S
3 contributions
Jan 2023 • Friends
Udalawalawe Park with the group of 15 people.
Our safari was organised by Lahiru,our lovely guide.
Lahiru is very knowledgeable and kind. He showed us many different kind of animals and birds and shared his knowledge about them. He also took us away from other jeeps around different parts of the park which made our safari very interesting and special.
We were able to meet many elephants, some of them walked by so near ,you could almost touch them. It was an amazing experience.
If you are planning to visit Udawalawe Park don't forget to contact Lahiru for the memorable safari. His phone number is:+94762726799
Thank you very much Lahiru and friends for the wonderful
experience.
Our safari was organised by Lahiru,our lovely guide.
Lahiru is very knowledgeable and kind. He showed us many different kind of animals and birds and shared his knowledge about them. He also took us away from other jeeps around different parts of the park which made our safari very interesting and special.
We were able to meet many elephants, some of them walked by so near ,you could almost touch them. It was an amazing experience.
If you are planning to visit Udawalawe Park don't forget to contact Lahiru for the memorable safari. His phone number is:+94762726799
Thank you very much Lahiru and friends for the wonderful
experience.
Written March 8, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
andruwe2020
Europe1 contribution
Mar 2023
When I went to visit the Udawalawa National Park, they blocked the road at a place where Udawalawa safari vehicles were and forced me to pay 300 dollars for the safari. I got rid of them and went to my accommodation and then they provided a car for a very reasonable price. Don't be fooled by those who block the road as you go
Written March 3, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Charlie
Cheltenham, UK6 contributions
Feb 2023 • Friends
We had the most amazing couple of days in Uduwalawe in February, mostly because of our amazing guide Lahiru!! We managed to see Elephants, Monkeys, Crocodiles, Buffalo, Peacocks and even Golden Jackals, Land Monitors, Chameleons, Eagles, Kites and much more! He was so good at finding lots of different animals and wanted to make the Safari as amazing as possible, even letting us use his binoculars! He also helped us find accommodation for the tour at Wild River Side, which was very clean and comfortable and the host made lovely food!
We would 100% recommended Lahiru for a tour as he is extremely knowledgeable, kind, funny and helpful!
Lahiru’s number is +94762726799
We would 100% recommended Lahiru for a tour as he is extremely knowledgeable, kind, funny and helpful!
Lahiru’s number is +94762726799
Written February 16, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Steph
Winchcombe, UK3 contributions
Feb 2023 • Friends
We had a safari with Lahiru (+94 76 272 6799 - WhatsApp) as a group of friends and can’t recommend it enough! We saw so many animals and he really took us away from the other jeeps and off the beaten path to find them, making it feel so much more special! He even helped us take amazing photos of the animals as we only had iPhone cameras.
We were picked up and dropped us off as part of the service, there was a driver as well as Lahiru as a guide which was a lot better than just having a driver as he was able to spot animals and wildlife better.
We all had such a wonderful day and would recommend a safari at Uduwalawa National Park to anyone :) (especially with Lahiru!!)
We were picked up and dropped us off as part of the service, there was a driver as well as Lahiru as a guide which was a lot better than just having a driver as he was able to spot animals and wildlife better.
We all had such a wonderful day and would recommend a safari at Uduwalawa National Park to anyone :) (especially with Lahiru!!)
Written February 16, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Anthani
Udawalawe National Park, Sri Lanka4 contributions
Feb 2023 • Family
Loved the safari. My partner and I saw many animals - elephants, water buffalos, peacocks, all kinds of birds, and many more! We were even lucky to get a peak at a jungle cat.
Our driver vishwa (vishwasafari )was experienced guide and gave us much trivia on animals and knew exactly what to do when elephants charged (or fake charged) at the jeep. Make sure to get a good driver, otherwise it mat ruin the experience!
Reasonable price 4 hours safari tour 12000lkr
His number 0768780764
Whatapp
Our driver vishwa (vishwasafari )was experienced guide and gave us much trivia on animals and knew exactly what to do when elephants charged (or fake charged) at the jeep. Make sure to get a good driver, otherwise it mat ruin the experience!
Reasonable price 4 hours safari tour 12000lkr
His number 0768780764
Whatapp
Written February 15, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Janet O-S
Todmorden, UK42 contributions
Well worth a visit if you are in Sri Lanka. Saw an amazing variety of wildlife- elephants, crocodiles, deer, all sorts of beautiful birds.
Lahiru Prashad was an excellent guide. Saw things well before anyone else, took us to interesting parts off the beaten track- even took my camera and took better shots than me!
He can be contacted on +94 76 272 6799 on WhatsApp.
Lahiru Prashad was an excellent guide. Saw things well before anyone else, took us to interesting parts off the beaten track- even took my camera and took better shots than me!
He can be contacted on +94 76 272 6799 on WhatsApp.
Written February 15, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Lisa B
2 contributions
Jan 2023 • Friends
We had the best time of our lives thanks to Lahiru, our guide. Lahiru arranged a pick up for us from Hiriketiya in an air conditioned, new car. From the moment of collection this was a day to remember, with the taxi driver stopping off to show us great sites on route or get the best photos.
Once at the park, Lahiru (who is just so easy to get along with, kind, funny, knowledgeable) we were skilfully navigated around, taking the best tracks to maximise our time there and see the most animals and birds.
The trip far exceeded my expectations thanks to the knowledge and determination to make this a day to remember from Lahiru.
At the end of the day we were dropped back to our accommodation. All for a great price (including the entrance fee).
Call Lahiru on +94 76 272 6799 - you will be glad you did.
Once at the park, Lahiru (who is just so easy to get along with, kind, funny, knowledgeable) we were skilfully navigated around, taking the best tracks to maximise our time there and see the most animals and birds.
The trip far exceeded my expectations thanks to the knowledge and determination to make this a day to remember from Lahiru.
At the end of the day we were dropped back to our accommodation. All for a great price (including the entrance fee).
Call Lahiru on +94 76 272 6799 - you will be glad you did.
Written February 14, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
adikeshavan
Indore, India103 contributions
Feb 2023 • Couples
Hi, i am from india and we as a couple travelled to Sri Lanka in Feb 2023, among other destinations we were looking forward to Yala and Udawalawe safari, and after much research, i could zero in on Vishal travels....i could tell you in safari you need a good experienced driver, guide and luck to spot wild animals. I had all the three this time and thanks to Vishal travels , the experience was by far the best i had come across in Sri Lanka. I was staying in Tissa, hence we took a morning safari to Yala at 6:15 am, arranged by Vishal Travels and we did watch plenty of animals including the majestic Leopard walking right across us at a distance of 6 ft!!!! The driver and guide had a great eye for animals and we spotted countless birds and animals. We were dropped back to our hotel by 11 am and we were to be picked at sharp 1 pm from hotel in a cute ac car to be brought to Udawalawe safari, it takes an hour to reach Udawalawe. Mr. Vishal himself took us in the Udawalawe safari, where he took us on various parts of jungle and he was very well aware of the different routes. His knowledge on birds and elephant were amazing , considering he is just 23 years old and he was driving cum sharing info on the animals. We took lot to time looking at the elephant herd, and he patiently explained our " thousand of question" with a smile and we were so satisfied..... You might find lot of safari's there, but key is experienced driver and willingness to go early clearance xtra mile for customer satisfaction. There may be many in Tissa, i chose to go with him and just sharing my personal experience. Leaving his number here , incase someone wants to contact him....+94 71 686 5652..happy journey....
Written February 14, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
tuskersBristol
bristol6 contributions
I had a heart attack 10yrs ago is it OK to do jeep safari
Pigeon Island Tours
Nilaveli, Sri Lanka11 contributions
Requirement moderate physical fitness
Scott C
Coventry, UK153 contributions
Any ideas where I can find cost of tickets, and duration as not sure how long we will need to spend there
Lahiru Prasad
Udawalawa, Sri Lanka4 contributions
If you find a safari operator he will explain you how many hours and how much he charge because most of the safari operators have different price. Because they do with guide or without guiding there is many safari options on the TripAdvisor list you can choose one of them. Please follow the recommendations from the people then you will find the expert
Emmalondon89
Hatfield, UK69 contributions
Hi all
how much is the entrance fee to the park for adults? have googled but struggling to find
em
Chris K
Singapore, Singapore131 contributions
Hi,
We book thru a group package for 9 days in Sri lanka and this was included. You can actually book when you are at the area as many freelance driver.
Oleg D
Ukhta, Russia
Здравствуйте! Сообщите пожалуйста как попасть на кормление слоников в парке?
Laurs_ox
Oxford, UK4 contributions
Hello, we would like to do safari here. We are planning to stay in Mirissa before and Ella afterwards. Would you recommend staying very close to Udawalawe or could
We travel from Ella.
Faye J
126 contributions
It depends how early you want to get into the park, Mirissa is at least 3 hours drive if not more from Udawalawe. We got into the park for 6am for the best time of day to go on safari.
We stayed 5 mins drive from the park entrance at the Centuria wild hotel and it was amazing.
Pigeon Island Tours
Nilaveli, Sri Lanka11 contributions
Hi everyone who like get budget Safari Tour In Udawalawa National Park jeep safari With Amazing Experience not only that Yala minneriya Willpatthu Kaudulla Wasgamuwa bundala Kumana Hurulu Eco Park Jeep Safari & Pigeon Island Snorkelling Corral Island Snorkeling Wheal & Dolphin Watching
Paul
5 contributions
I'm planing to do a safari in udawalawe national park on next week Can enyone reccomond good safari operator or person with experience english speaking drivers. I heard most of safari drivers just doing driving among other jeep and not explain anything
Pigeon Island Tours
Nilaveli, Sri Lanka11 contributions
Sorry for the late
Udawalawe National Park - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go
Frequently Asked Questions about Udawalawe National Park
- Udawalawe National Park is open:
- Sun - Sat 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
- Udawalawe National Park admission prices can vary. Entrance tickets currently cost $61.00, while a popular guided tour starts around $5.00 per person. See all 146 Udawalawe National Park tickets and tours on Tripadvisor
- Udawalawe National Park can be crowded, so we recommend booking e-tickets ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel at least 24 hours before the start date of your tour for a full refund. See all 146 Udawalawe National Park tickets and tours on Tripadvisor
- According to Tripadvisor travelers, these are the best ways to experience Udawalawe National Park:
- Udawalawe National Park Entrance Ticket (From $61.00)
- Udawalawe National Park Private Safari (From $25.00)
- Udawalawe National Park Safari trip from Galle/Mirissa/Ella (From $150.00)
- Udawalawe National Park Private Safari (From $24.50)
- Private Half Day Tour: Udawalawe National Park with Elephant Transit Home Visit (From $98.00)
- Hotels near Udawalawe National Park:
- (0.01 mi) Udawalawa Eco Lodge
- (0.26 mi) Ruhunu Safari Camping Uda Walawe
- (4.48 mi) Jungle Paradise
- (6.99 mi) Nature House
- (1.80 mi) Private Organic House
- Restaurants near Udawalawe National Park:
- (8.33 mi) Ice Burge Family Restaurant
- (4.32 mi) Kitchen Garden By Amba Kola
- (3.03 mi) Restaurant & Hotel Niwahana
- (8.30 mi) Common Rose Restaurant
- (6.60 mi) Hungry Monkey