Udawalawe Elephant Safari

Udawalawe National Park is Sri Lanka's premier destination for wild elephant sightings, home to a resident population of approximately 500 elephants that gather daily around the vast Udawalawe Reservoir. Safari jeeps circle the park at dawn and dusk, and encounters with large elephant herds — including babies and juveniles — are virtually guaranteed year-round.

The park also shelters water buffalo, sambar deer, mugger crocodiles, painted storks, and over 180 bird species in its open grassland and tank ecosystem.

Shorta Tours arranges Udawalawe Elephant Safari as part of a tailored private itinerary, providing expert guides, comfortable private transfers, and hand-picked operators to ensure a seamless and truly memorable experience.

Udawalawe National Park was created in 1972, partly to protect the watershed of the Udawalawe Reservoir — a major irrigation project completed in 1968. The reservoir's construction displaced farming communities but created a vast aquatic habitat that transformed the region's ecology, drawing elephants and waterbirds in extraordinary numbers.

The adjacent Elephant Transit Home, established in 1995 by the Department of Wildlife Conservation, cares for orphaned calves before releasing them back into the wild.

Today, Udawalawe Elephant Safari remains one of the highlights of visiting southern Sri Lanka, drawing guests from around the world who seek its unique combination of history, nature, and authentic Sri Lankan character.

Entry requires a national park ticket and a DWLC-licensed jeep; vehicles without trackers are not admitted. Dawn drives offer the best elephant sightings before heat builds.

Shorta Tours provides knowledgeable tracker-naturalists, inclusive jeep hire, and the option to combine the national park with a morning visit to the Elephant Transit Home.

Essential items to pack: Neutral clothing, sunscreen, binoculars, camera with zoom lens, hat, water, insect repellent..