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Sri-LankaDescription and is it worth a visit
Udawalawe (also Uda Walawe, Uda Walawe National Park) – this is one of the best national parks in Sri Lanka, where you can see wild animals in their natural habitat, unless, of course, you meet them just somewhere on the roads of central Sri Lanka. This is the third most popular National Park in Sri Lanka, and definitely one of the best in terms of price and experience.
There are about 600 elephants here, and all of them live permanently only in the park, since it is fenced. In addition to elephants, if you are lucky, you can see 12 species of amphibians, 33 species of reptiles, 210 birds (many of them migratory, and appear only between November and April) and 135 species of butterflies. Almost every tourist here will be able to see crocodiles, snakes, bison, Leopards, sambar deer, peacocks, and of course many monkeys. The longer the tour of the park you choose, the more likely you are to see animals. There is also a temporary elephant shelter, where they are kept after injuries received in the outside world, and after treatment they are sent to the park. Admission to the shelter is paid extra, and is usually included in the guided visit program, although you can opt out.
Udawalawe National Park is visited only by vehicles, usually off-road vehicles. Drivers with SUVs" on duty" at the entrance to the park, the prices are all the same, although you can bargain a little. You can also come in your rented Jeep. Next, you need to pay for the entrance for each person, for the group and for the car, plus a tax of 12%. Accompanying a guide is included in the entrance fee, but in order to be really interesting with a guide, it makes sense to look for a guide in advance by appointment, or negotiate on the spot for an additional fee. You can visit the park in the form of a standard excursion of 3-4 hours, or you can stay for the whole day. Most tourists come here in organized groups from the cities of central Sri Lanka (Ella, Nuwara-Eliya, Kandy, etc.) or from coastal resorts in the form of a one-day excursion with the road, but if you wish, you can come yourself to the city of Udawalawe, spend the night, and early in the morning go to the park. Hotels in Udvavalava can be found and booked through the search form:
🌐 Website: http://www.udawalawenationalpark.com/
🕐 Working hours
Daily from 06:00 to 18:00, the best time to visit is early in the morning from 6 to 10 hours, or in the evening after 16 hours.
💵Entrance fee / ticket price
The cost of the visit consists of the entrance fee (15 dollars adult, 8 – children 6-12 years); service fee from the group/Jeep 8 dollars; fee for the entry of vehicles – 250 rupees (see currency of Sri Lanka, exchange rate). Plus, you need to add the cost of renting a jeep at the entrance to the park from 3500 to 5000 per car for 6-8 places. You can save money if you collect a group of 6-8 people in advance and rent one jeep, then the visit will eventually cost 3400 rupees per person (about $ 23). Alternatively, you can come and wait for fellow travelers to rent a jeep before entering the park. In organized sightseeing tours from the resorts, everything is already included in the price, but just in case when buying tours, it turns out that you will have to pay extra for something.
🚶 How to get there
The park is located in the southern part of Sri Lanka in the province of Uva (Badulla) (see Udawalawe entrance on Sri Lanka map). From the beach resorts of Sri Lanka it is best to get here with an organized excursion, since it is difficult to get there on your own by public transport. Such excursions take one day, and most of this time will be on the road. Excursions to the resorts are offered in travel agencies and hotels.
If you decide to go to the park yourself by bus, then you should not expect to get there and return in one day. The best option is to drive, spend the night in a hotel nearby, visit the park early in the morning, and in the afternoon go back. From Galle and the resorts of the South (Mirissa, Dikwella, Tangale, Weligama) you can get there by direct bus number Galle-Udawalave, or with a transfer via Matara. If you go through Matara, then from Matara you need a bus to Embilipitiya, which leaves about twice an hour. In Embilipitiya you need to take another bus or take a tukttuk.
From Colombo, you can get directly by bus number 98 (goes almost to the entrance to the park), or by bus number 122, which goes to the Udawalawe Junction bus stop three kilometers from the entrance to the park. From other cities and resorts you need to get with transfers through the cities of Embilipitiya or Ratnapura, whichever is closer.