About this experience
Renowned for elephant sightings throughout the year, Udawalawe National Park rarely disappoints. On this private safari an English-speaking naturalist rides in the jeep with you, while an experienced driver-tracker guides you from the main gate into the park's open savanna grasslands — a landscape where the Sri Lankan elephant shares the plains with golden jackal, spotted deer, wild water buffalo, hare, mongoose and bandicoot.
Along the wetland edges you'll watch for crocodiles and a wealth of birdlife, from sea, fishing and crested serpent eagles to the Sri Lanka grey hornbill, spot-billed pelican, green bee-eater and crested tree swift. The drive leads to the banks of the Udawalawe Reservoir, framed by distant mountains, where crocodiles bask, birds of prey fish and herds of elephants come down to drink and rest.
