The 14 Udawalawe Tours That Earn Their Price

1.National Park Safari & Elephant Transit Home Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 183 reviews · 4 hours · from $21Our pick

Spend four hours exploring Udawalawe National Park in a 4x4 jeep, with hotel pickup in the Udawalawe area. Guides such as Pathum, Koshala, Mahesh, and Prasad are praised for spotting wildlife and avoiding crowded routes. Finish at the Elephant Transit Home during feeding time.

“Amazing safari in Udawalawe! We saw so many elephants and had the best views thanks to our driver Pathum. He knows the park so well and took us to the perfect spots. Super happy with the experience!”

Check availability →Read our full review

3.Udawalawa National Park Safari Tour with Experienced Guides

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 122 reviews · 3 hours · from $19

Meet your driver at your Udawalawe hotel or the park entrance, then spend three hours in a safari jeep with up to seven passengers. Guides such as Pathum, Koshala, and Prasad are praised for sharp animal spotting and clear explanations. The $19 price excludes the park fee and food.

“We had a amazing 3-hour safari. Communication via Whatsapp and pickup at a spot near the entrance to the park was quite smooth and easy. Our driver was very nice and the guide explained a lot of interesting things about the animals and the park. We saw lot of elephants without even standing next to a lot of other Jeeps. So it was a nice experience and we would definitely recommend it!”

Check availability →Read our full review

5.Udawalawe National Park Wildlife Safari Tours

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 78 reviews · from $40

Join Kottawatta Safari Tours for a private Udawalawe National Park jeep safari of about four to four and a half hours. Your guide-driver, including experienced local guides such as Taranga, focuses on elephants, birdlife, conservation, and safe wildlife viewing. Pickup and bottled water are included, while park admission costs extra.

“The safari was an amazing experience with beautiful nature and incredible wildlife. Everything was well organized and truly enjoyable.”

Check availability →Read our full review

6.Udawalawa National Park: Private Safari

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 61 reviews · 3 hours · from $25

Take a private 4x4 safari through Udawalawe National Park for three hours of elephant watching, bird-spotting, and wildlife tracking. Your English-speaking driver and tracker may be Asanka, Ashan, or another member of the local team. Pickup is included within 5 km of the park gate, while entry fees are extra.

“Amazing tour, very very knowledgeable guide and great spotter, saw so many different animals. I can only recommend a tour with him to anyone and would love to do one with him in the future again. 5/5!!”

Check availability →Read our full review

7.Udawalawe Safari Tour from Hambantota Port (Shore Excursion)

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 57 reviews · 5 hours · from $67

Travel from Hambantota Port with a local guide such as Ishan, Yasanka, or Mado for an Udawalawe jeep safari and Elephant Transit Home visit. Expect elephants, birds, crocodiles, deer, water buffalo, snacks, drinks, binoculars, and port return service. Park admission costs extra.

“Fantastic, must do activity. There is luck to what animals you see but the tour guide we had (ISHAN) was fantastic and had a phenomenally sharp eye, spotting animals we would have driven straight past if it was left to us. He was also very well educated on the animal species too.”

Check availability →Read our full review

8.Safari with Sheran Udawalawe National Park

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 50 reviews · from $22

Join Sheran for a private four-hour 4x4 safari in Udawalawe National Park, a prime place to see Sri Lankan elephants. He drives and guides your group, supplies binoculars, bird books, water, and snacks, and can arrange pickup. Park entry costs extra.

“We had a great Safari with sheran. We can highly recommend him. Very friendly, showed us a lot of elephants and explained a lot about the animals :)”

Check availability →Read our full review

9.National park safari & Elephant Transit Home Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 50 reviews · 4 - 10 hours · from $29

Join Gimhana, an English-speaking guide with 10 years of experience, for a 4x4 safari in Udawalawe National Park. Expect elephants, deer, crocodiles, birds, monkeys and more, with time to watch and photograph wildlife. The jeep carries up to six people and finishes at the Elephant Transit Home.

“I absolutely loved this tour! Gimhana was an amazing tour guide. He was very attentive, kind, and provided me with information about the animals we encountered. Also, he even gave me water and cookies :) I truly recommend this tour and I myself would do it again!”

Check availability →Read our full review

10.Shuttle to Tangalle/Mirissa/Galle & Udawalawa Safari

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 46 reviews · 7 hours · from $43

Leave Ella early, trade your air-conditioned vehicle for an open safari jeep, and spend three hours in Udawalawe National Park before continuing to Tangalle, Mirissa, Galle, Hikkaduwa, or nearby beach towns. Guides such as Koshala, Pathum, and Prasad have been praised for spotting elephants and smaller wildlife.

“Pathum, guiden var flink til både å kjøre og å se dyrene ute i skogen. Fikk sett mange elefanter og aper! Nasjonalparken er veldig verdt inngangspengenez Synes skysser var veldig bra, men litt dyr, i tillegg måtte vi betale 15 $ ekstra for å bli kjørt til Hikkaduwa.”

Check availability →Read our full review

13.Hambantota Port: Udawalawe Safari Tour & Transit Home Visit

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 17 reviews · 4 hours · from $51

From Hambantota Port, you’ll ride to Udawalawe for a guided jeep safari, then watch rescued elephants at feeding time. Guides such as Pathum and drivers including Danith, Trshad, and Mutu have earned strong praise for clear explanations and careful driving. The $51 price excludes park and service fees.

“Activity was great but to many hidden costs. If we had known the full extent of the charges we could have prepared better with our cash”

Check availability →Read our full review

14.National Park Safari & Elephant Transit Home Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 16 reviews · 4 hours · from $15Best value

Join an English-speaking guide such as Pathum or Koshala for a four-hour Udawalawe safari in a 4x4 jeep, then visit Elephant Transit Home during feeding time. Hotel pickup is included around Udawalawe, with space for up to six people and park entry paid separately.

“Great experience, many elephants etc, thank you to our guide and driver Koshala”

Check availability →Read our full review