Udawalawe National Park, established in 1972 around the Udawalawe Reservoir in Sabaragamuwa and Uva provinces, is Sri Lanka’s most reliable destination for elephant watching. The park supports a permanent resident population of approximately 500 to 700 Asian elephants â one of the largest concentrations in South Asia â and sightings of large herds, including young calves, are consistent throughout the year. The wide open grasslands and reservoir margins, created when the Walawe River was dammed, provide unobstructed viewing conditions quite unlike the dense forest habitats of other Sri Lankan parks.
Jeep safaris at Udawalawe typically run two to three hours along the network of tracks around the reservoir and grassland. Regular sightings beyond elephants include water buffalo, spotted deer, toque macaques, mugger crocodiles, fish eagles, painted storks, and several kingfisher species. The adjacent Elephant Transit Home, operated by Sri Lanka’s Department of Wildlife Conservation, rehabilitates orphaned elephant calves with a programme aimed at eventual release back to the wild.
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