Sri Lanka is nature’s best-kept secret when it comes to wildlife. While most of us would associate animal safaris with Africa but Sri Lanka does boast of some great safaris in the spectacular national parks spread across the island. Sri Lanka has the highest density of wild Asian elephants worldwide and each national park has its own set of frequently spotted animals and birds. If you are considering the southern part of Sri Lanka and want to enjoy watching elephants in the wild without too many tourists around, then Udawalawe National Park is where you should be heading.
Being the third most visited national park in Sri Lanka, Udawalawe National Park is located about 200 kilometers from Colombo. The park was initially constructed as a refuge for elephants who were displaced when the Udawalawe reservoir was constructed. It is believed that about 300-400 elephants live in and around this National Park making it one of the best parks to observe herds of elephants. The park is also home to many endemic species of birds and the reservoir attracts a lot of migratory birds and migratory birds.
The heart of this national park is the reservoir that not only creates a beautiful backdrop along with the distant mountains but is also the meeting point for the animals and birds, early morning and in the evening. Rustic dusty tracks from the entrance led us to the sudden calming view of the reservoir as we were driven in our mighty safari jeep. The unsteady roads are surrounded by bushes and trees and are perfect hiding spots to avoid the heat of the day.
We saw quite a few peacocks, snakes, eagles along the road before spotted our first herd of the day. An elephant family with two large animals and two baby ones just crossed the road in front of us to reach a small puddle of water. While we were awed by their magnanimity and beauty, they seemed to be quite indifferent to us, carrying on with their usual business. Realizing the sheer fact that we were surrounded by such large and some very dangerous animals suddenly made the journey even more thrilling.
Our next stop was the reservoir where we saw a group of crocodiles basking in the sun. A treasure trove of wildlife wonders, we could see flocks of cormorants, the Spot-billed Pelican, Asian open-bill, Black-headed Ibis and Eurasian spoonbill in and around the water. There were a variety of eagles flying overhead the large herd of water buffalos that was grazing near the waterbody. The sight looked right out of an animal documentary except that we did not get to see any leopard chases. We were, however, lucky to see another herd of elephants coming out of the nearby bushes to drink water at the lake.
The safari in Udawalawe National Park is short and sweet. The best time to visit is early morning or early evening when you should be able to see herds of animals coming out to the reservoir. Apart from elephants, the park is also famous for leopards, deer, jackals, wild boars and monkeys.
I love elephants so much, my dream is to see them in real life one day! Thank you for sharing!
WOW! Those elephants are gorgeous!
Yes, they are…
It’s really nice destination. Thank you for the virtual visit.
Ben – http://www.nutrition-newage.com
Most welcome
Wow, so beautiful! Hope to have the chance to visit one day. I have never been on a safari.
I am sure you will love the safari.
I am happy to know that elephants here can freely move around and not in the cage. This is an awesome adventure.
Yes it is
This looks like a great adventure to have with your family. I would have loves to see the Elephants as they are such majestic and smart creatures.
Yes, kids love all the safari animals.
Wow! I’ve always wanted to visit Sri Lanka. Truly we will discover beauty when we travel. We live in a beautiful place! Captivating photos!
Thank you! Where do you live?
I love elephants and would love to visit Sri Lanka. It is on our bucket list, hopefully one day.
Go for it!
Thank you so much for letting us live vicariously, at least this way I didn’t have to encounter the snakes on the road, Yikes!!! The photos are absolutely amazing, what a family vacation to remember.
Thank you for your thoughts.
I am hoping to take a trip to Sri Lanka after I graduate! Maybe showing my boyfriend these pictures of elephants will help convince him- he’s a sucker for animals
Wow! I am sure you will have a lot of fun.
It must be wonderful safari experience for you in Sri Lanka.
Yes Indu, it was…
Sri Lanka amazes me with its beautiful and lush green forests, clean and orderly roads and spirituality.
It truly is fascinating.
That sounds like an awesome adventure! My friend is Sri Lankan so she seriously needs to take me here when we travel.
I hope you travel soon with your friend.
I love this kind of adventure how I wish I have an opportunity to visit in Sri Lanka great photos of you.
Thank you!
It is so refreshing to see a family exploring all the wonderful places in the world.
Thank you so much.
So beautiful! Animals are so precious, wish I could go someday!
I hope so too.
I’d love to visit Sri Lanka!
Go for it
I love such off best experiences! Thank you for sharing
You are most welcome
This looks truly magnificent! What an amazing experience you must have had!
Yes we did.
I’ve been to Sri LAnka but didn’t get a chance to go here! Hopefully on my next visit.
Yes you must visit
I have a friend who traveled to Sri Lanka last year for three years! Looking at your pics and post I can’t wait to go there!
I hope you visit soon.
This looks like an amazing experience. Will definitely add it on my list when i visit Sri Lanka. 🙂
Great!
Elephants are truly spectacular creatures. I have never heard of Udawalawe National Park, so thank you for the introduction and informative information. I also never heard ofKlook so again thank you.
I am glad you liked it. Thanks!
I had never really thought about doing a safari in Sri Lanka. That looks like such an amazing experience!
It is a great experience. You must try it.
This place looks absolutely stunning! I always support parks or sanctuaries that let animals roam around freely and don’t forcibly include them in any profit-making activities like elephant riding. Thank you for sharing, it was a lovely read.
Thank you for reading. Happy you liked it.
This really sounds like a fantastic place to discover Sri Lanka’s wildlife away from the beaten path. It would be really cool to see the herds of animals coming out to the reservoir in the early morning! I hope we can visit this park when we travel to Colombo.
You must Alex. I am sure you will love it there.
Sri Lanka has always been in my travel bucket. It’s a beautiful country.
Yes it is!
Truly an incredible experience! What an amazing sight to see…thank you for sharing!
Most welcome
Reading a lot of blogs regarding different places to travel in Sri Lanka changed a lot my perspectives about the place. I would love to visit this country one day and see these beautiful wildlife animals.
I would love to hear more about your adventures.
This looks like so much fun. I especially love the pictures of the elephants. Will be on my travel bucket list now.
That sounds great!
wow, this looks like an amazing experience! My kids would love to see all these awesome animals.
I am sure as kids love such adventures.
Wow to be so close with nature has to be a truly amazing experience. I can’t say that I would be comfortable LOL but I would at least give this a try.
You won’t know unless you give it a try…
As had many friend from Sri Lanka telling me how beautiful this country is and by the way you described this particular trip, this a place where I that has a priority on my list
I am sure you will love your visit there.
Wow! I wouldn’t have guessed this would have been an option there. To see elephants so close looks like such an amazing experience! Def pinning this for later.
Thank you so much!
Putrajini, this is really an awesome experience. I always think of my nephew whenever I read a post like this. He loves animals, and I love that they let these animals roam around freely and not in cages or straps around their neck. I hope we could visit this place someday.
It indeed is amazing seeing animals in their natural habitat.
wow, this looks like a great place to check out while on vacation! I’d love to see it
I am sure you will enjoy it.
WOW this is magical. The elephants are so majestic!
They are…
I can’t wait to go on a safari one day. What a beautiful view.
Go for it!
What an amazing place!! I had no idea that Sri Lanka had so many great places to see wildlife. I’d love to see an Asian elephant in the wild. Thanks for sharing!
Watching the elephants was definitely the highlight of our trip
I had no idea Udawalawe National Park was the third most visited national park in Sri Lanka. Thank you for sharing
Glad you liked the post.
I have never been there but this Udawalwe National Park is so beautiful. You were able to see and learn from those animals and I am sure my kids would love to see this.
You must plan a trip with your kids soon.
I have always wanted to visit Sri Lanka as I heard so many great stories about this country. My sister in law just went last year and told us about how many mountain they have conquered. They love the experience so much. Udawalawe National Park is somewhere I would love to visit as I like to see wild animals.
I hope you visit Sri Lanka soon,
Safaris are so amazing, aren’t they? I went on one in Kenya — I am jealous that your kids got to participate!.
Your pictures are amazing!
Thanks for sharing!
Hehe! Thank you so much. Glad you liked the pictures.
This seriously looks like a DREAM!! I would LOVE to visit the Udawalawe National Park!
I hope you do soon.
This post really make me want to go on a safari! I would love to see elephants in the wild and Sri Lanka looks like a fabulous place to do it! Thanks so much for sharing
Safaris are always special. I am sure you will love it out there.
This is incredible! I was considering going to Sri Lanka during my upcoming travels and you just sold me on it! I had no idea there were so many elephants there. I must see it for myself! lol
A holiday in Sri Lanka sounds perfect. Would love to hear about your experience there….
Yikes! Snakes along the road! But what an absolutely amazing place to visit! A friend is going soon so I’ll suggest this National Park – Sri Lanka is top of my list! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks! Glad I could help with the planning.
I am always biased when it comes to nature reserves and safari parks as I believe we have the best in South Africa; however your article about the Udawalawe National Park in Sri Lanka has definitely made me appreciate that our world is filled with beauty! I love the look of the mountains in the background!
South Africa indeed has one of the best safari parks but I loved Sri Lanka’s national parks too.
Beautiful photos. Srilanka looks amazing, would love to go there someday. It’s so nice to see the elephants roaming freely instead of being in chains to entertain tourists
I agree. Wild animals should be free to roam around in their natural habitat.
What an amazing experience. I’ve done a lot of things and traveled to a lot of places, but a safari is still not checked off of my bucket list. I’d love to go on this tour.
Oh then you must try it out!
Wow! I can only imagine that this was an amazing experience – to be so close to these animals, so humbling! Thank you for sharing your beautiful photos! 🙂
It is a must have experience. Glad you liked the post,