Udawalawe National Park is a national park on the boundary of Ratnapura district & Sabaragamuwa and Uva Provinces in Sri Lanka. The park was created to provide a sanctuary for wild animals displaced by the construction of the Udawalawe Reservoir on the Walawe River, as well as to protect the catchment of the reservoir.

The reserve covers 30,821 hectares (119.00 sq mi) of land area and was established on 30 June 1972.

Before the designation of the national park, the area was used for shifting cultivation (chena farming). The farmers were gradually removed once the national park was declared. The park is 165 kilometres (103 mi) from Colombo. Udawalawe is an important habitat for water birds and Sri Lankan elephants. It is a popular tourist destination and the third-most visited park in the country.

Best time to visit Udawalawe National Park

The best time to go on a safari in Udawalawe is between December and March and May to September. This is the dry season when there will be less scrub and it’s easier to see elephants.

How to Reach?

You can choose easy way to reach Udawalawe National Park. Distance from Colombo to Udawalawe National Park is 257km.

Udawalawe National Park Map

You can get more information about Udawalawe National Park from Udawalawe National Park map. You can get know Hotels, hospitals, roads and many more.

How much Udawalawe National Park Ticket price?

If mention Udawalawe National Park is a very low fee is charged. You can visit here and enjoying with reasonable price.

What You Can Do Here?

If you visit in Udawalawe National Park, there are lots of things to do for your enjoying. You can get jeep safari, watching birds, and elephants, take photos camping and many more.

Here is a long list of major things to do in Udawalawe National Park . Which the first time travelers can visit and experience.

Udawalawe National Park safari

Taking an Udawalawe National Park safari with kids was the highlight of our Sri Lanka holiday with the kids and one of our top recommendations for things to do in Sri Lanka with kids.

Udawalawe national park is a one of the greatest among all the national parks in Sri Lanka. This is an important protected area that is a home to a considerable flora and fauna and also it is an important habitat for water birds and Sri Lankan elephants.

With around 500 resident elephants, an Udawalawe National Park safari is a great choice for a Sri Lankan safari if your kids love elephants.

Udawalawe NP has the largest population of Asian elephants of all of the national parks in Sri Lanka. They come for the abundant supply of water and soon an Udawalawe National Park safari; elephant sightings are all but guaranteed.

You can choose between full-day safaris or half-day safaris in Udawalawe. Half day Udawalawe safaris are probably enough if you have young children as they last about 3 hours.

Visit Udawalawe Dam

The Udawalawe Dam is a large irrigation dam in Udawalawe, in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka. The dam consists of an embankment section and a gravity section, combining the total dam length to approximately 3.9 km (2.4 mi). The dam is also used for hydroelectric power generation, powering three 2 MW units, commissioned in April 1969.

The water level of the reservoir is controlled by the five tainter gate spillways located at the eastern end of the dam, with two additional spillways located more towards to the centre of the dam. The reservoir measures approximately 8.6 km (5.3 mi) in length, with a maximum perpendicular width of 7 km (4.3 mi).

Bird Watching

Udawalawe is also a good birdwatching site. Endemics such as Sri Lanka spurfowl, red-faced malkoha, Sri Lanka grey hornbill, brown-capped babbler, and Sri Lanka junglefowl are among of the breeding resident birds. White wagtail and black-capped kingfisher are rare migrants. A variety of water birds visit the reservoir, including cormorants, the spot-billed pelican, Asian openbill, painted stork, black-headed ibis and Eurasian spoonbill.

The open parkland attracts birds of prey such as white-bellied sea eagle, crested serpent-eagle, grey-headed fish eagle, booted eagle, and changeable hawk-eagle. Landbirds are in abundance, and include Indian roller, Indian peafowl, Malabar pied hornbill and pied cuckoo.

Take Photos

You can take lots of pictures of animals. And there are beautiful surroundings.

Where you can accommodation in Udawalawe National Park?

Udawalawe National Park Hotels

If you visit in Udawalawe National Park, you can find large number of hotels, bungalows and resorts with modern amenities on reasonable price. There is calm & beautiful area. So you can enjoy your vacation freely.