The island is a paradise for all nature lovers. Sri Lanka is usually associated with its symbol -the elephant. This giant mammal plays important role even in the current culture. Every year the most majestic and impressive “tusker” – an elephant male – leads the religious ceremony and procession in Kandy. Often becoming a holy symbol deserving serious respect. In Kandy, close to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth, there is a little museum for the memory of the famous Raja The Elephant (tip: the visit not the must). Plenty of national parks provide with many occasions to get closer to this animal.

We have visited the National Park in Udawalawe. The park is conveniently located in the southern part of Sri Lanka. It is relatively easy and common to visit the park on the way from Tea Country down to the southern beaches. The distance from Elle to Udawalawe is around 100km which means roughly 3 hours drive. Then another 60km and we reach Tangalle at the seaside. More inspiration on what to do in Elle: Sri Lanka|Tea Country: Hiking Around Elle

Udawalawe is one of the biggest national parks in Sri Lanka. It is a home for more than 500 elephants which is probably the biggest in the country. Having a big water tank it guarantees a lot of opportunities to see the animals during either the morning or evening safari. Like in other places the usual safaris start either early morning (6am) or evening (2:30pm). Normally the tour takes around 3 hours and everybody is expected to leave the park before 6pm.

How does it work? The critical requirement is to have a jeep. Seems not a big deal. There are number of cars available at the main entrance. Whenever you arrive you will be immediately approached by a guy offering you a jeep. Look carefully at the vehicle. You really need a 4×4 strong car, avoid some Asian weak constructions as they will not be able to drive on some more challenging road stretches. We have witnessed such a car stuck in the mud when it tried to cross the road in a difficult place. Lost time as you need to wait in the car until some other vehicles would help to get out. 

The cars normally accommodates 6 persons so it is not a bad idea to share. We were not successful and had the jeep only for ourselves. Negotiate hard on price and mind this does not include the tip for the driver. The tip may not be a correct word as it looks the drivers are not paid by the jeeps owners so what you pay them is in fact their earnings. The usual price for a jeep is 3500Rs. Do not worry this is just the beginning of your spending.

As soon as you board the car you drive to the main entrance gate where you will have the pleasure to discover the complex pricing model of the entrance fee. The price consists of a ticket for each person, fee for a vehicle, service charge and Vat on top of that. But as they are very much service oriented and time efficient the cashier displays a simple table with total price depending on a number of people in the group. For example, 2 persons 7000Rs. As soon as you get the printaout of your ticket you will discover the price is well rounded up so you don’t really need to bother with sophisticated mathematics (in our case that was more or less 10%). But, surprise! you will get a guide for free. If you are lucky (we were to some extent) the guy would speak English and the first thing you hear is that he is a volunteer (which means please accrue for another tip).

The safari itself is a nice experience. No question whether you see elephants. The question is how many. Normally you can get very close to the animals. Of course and fortunately nobody is allowed to leave the car. Anyway we are not in a zoo but in the home of wild and dangerous animals. As elephants are being met very often after 3 hours your excitement will definitely decrease.

At the water tank there are herds of bathing buffaloes, hundreds of bored birds and a number of lovely crocodiles. The last ones are not the most dynamic creatures so watching them is comparable to the contemplation of big stones.

Indeed the 3 hours safari is a lovely experience and time flies quickly. We had the afternoon tour and ended up just before the sunset. We can’t complain at all as there was plenty of animals and relatively not so many jeeps. Our driver was not the Formula 1 star so the drive itself was quite comfortable considering the muddy off-road conditions. Despite high season (we were there in February) there was relatively low traffic. Reading commentaries about safaris I think we were quite lucky. Indeed we had been afraid to take part in the rally of crazy jeep drivers trying to win the best photo spot among twenty other cars queening in front of the bathing elephant family. Every time we spot an animal we had enough time for watching and of course taking pictures. Quite a relaxing adventure:-)

It is very regular that people stay overnight close to the park – there are plenty of accommodation choices – and take the morning tour. We decided to combine the visit on our way from Elle down to Tangalle. If you are short with time this is a good combination. It is still possible to arrange that with public transport (buses) but having a private car seems by far more convenient. And gives opportunity to visit some interesting places on the way.

First and easy step is the Ravana Falls. The impressive waterfall just few kilometers away from Elle. It is just next to the road so why not to stop. But being serious, you will not spend there more than 10 minutes no matter how devoted waterfalls fan you are.

The second place – Buduruwagala Raja Maha Viharaya – is much more difficult and simply it is not feasible to reach it with public bus. Buduruwagala is a rock temple famous for its impressive and one of the highest Buddha carving. Several beautiful sculptures are carved in the isolated rock located in some remote place surrounded by lakes and lovely landscapes. This is an active worship place so relevant respect is obviously required. On the way to the temple there are many rice fields that create really lovely scenery and makes the trip less tiring.

The distance in time from Elle to the park is max 4 hours including the stops. No need to depart before 9. Also the traffic on this stretch is rather low so the drive is smooth. Arriving to Udawalawe around 1pm will give you enough time to arrange your safari and to enjoy lunch before that. 

The second part of the trip – from Udawalawe to Tangalle – is a bit more tiring despite only 60km to go. The traffic is definitely higher especially that it will be evening already. Allow 2 hours. 

It is not very difficult to arrange transportation for this trip. In Elle you will find a lot of transport services. Do not worry if they say you need to book and pay in advance. The supply much exceeds demand for transport services. Evening before is the best time for bargaining. The price for a private car on this trip should never be more than 10000Rs including of course waiting for you during the safari. The tip for the driver is up to your discretion but is highly appreciated.