Udawalawe
Welcome to Udawalawe
The insider's travel guide to UdawalaweSri Lanka’s finest national park is home to herds of elephants, wild buffalo, crocodiles and leopards.
The park’s light vegetation makes it easier to spot the animals, with the 200 Asian elephants that call the Udawalawe home the main attraction.
The Udawalawe atlas
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With Sri Lanka’s largest wild elephant population, Udawalawe National Park is a quieter alternative to the frequently overcrowded Yala National Park. (It is also the only national park in the country where an elephant sighting is virtually assured). Just south of the Central Highlands, the park is a four-hour drive from Colombo. Eco-conscious travellers with an appetite for adventure will enjoy staying at Banyan Camp. Just outside Udawalawe’s perimeter, the lodge is built of natural materials, uses recycled furniture and eschews air-conditioning. This isn’t your average resort, so it would be prudent to expect a few surprises. The best time to visit Udawalawe is in the dry season between May and September.
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Begin your trip in cultural Colombo, exploring the city’s markets and multi-ethnic history, before travelling to Sri Lanka’s cultural triangle to see the temples of Polonnaruwa and the iconic Sigiriya Rock Fortress. Next, travel onto Kandy and visit the Sacred Tooth Relic Temple before heading into the tea country at Haputale and going elephant watching at Udawalawe National Park. End your trip on the beaches of the deep south in Tangalle, before travelling back to Colombo for your departure.
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Wild elephant spotting in Udawalawe National Park
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