About this experience
Udawalawe National Park is open savannah country — wide grassland plains broken by scrub, rocky outcrops and the broad reservoir banks where elephants, wild water buffalo and spotted deer come down to drink. Your driver-tracker reads the terrain, cutting the engine when something moves in the treeline and positioning the jeep quietly on the red-dirt tracks. Elephants are the park's centrepiece, and you are likely to find them out in the open on the grassland — large, unhurried and close. Jackals and mongoose work the edges of the plains; crocodiles bask along the waterline. Look up and the skies reward patience too: crested serpent eagles, fishing eagles and the unmistakable Sri Lanka grey hornbill are all regulars above the canopy.
Your jeep is private — the whole vehicle is yours for one to six guests, shared with nobody outside your party. Choose a three-, six-, or nine-hour safari to match your schedule. At booking you decide on tickets: select "Jeep With Tickets" and park entrance fees are included; select "Jeep With No Tickets" and you purchase them at the gate yourself. If you want a deeper read on what you encounter, add an optional naturalist guide on top of your jeep booking. Free pickup and drop-off is available from any location within five kilometres of the park gate. Your driver is also your tracker throughout — Lakpura handles the rest.
