About this experience
This private trip leaves the hills of Ella at midday and heads down to Udawalawe National Park, which lies just south of the Central Highlands, for a three-hour jeep safari. A chauffeur picks you up at your hotel in Ella, drives you there in an air-conditioned vehicle and returns you to the same hotel afterwards, so the outing belongs to your party alone.
Udawalawe was established as a national park on 30 June 1972 and is managed by Sri Lanka's Department of Wildlife Conservation. It was created as a refuge for wildlife displaced by the building of the Udawalawe Reservoir and to protect the reservoir's catchment. Its 30,821 hectares take in marshes, rivers, forest and wide grassland around the water, with the escarpment of the highlands rising behind.
The park is famed for its Sri Lankan elephants and its water birds, and it is also home to water buffalo, deer, crocodiles and a great many other birds, reptiles and butterflies. Nothing in a wild place runs to a timetable, so no particular animal can be promised; the safari is about working the tracks slowly, stopping at the water and seeing what the afternoon offers.
Inside the park you move into a safari jeep whose English-speaking driver also acts as your tracker, while your own chauffeur waits with the vehicle for the drive back to Ella. Food and drinks, expenses of a personal nature and gratuities are not included, so bring what you need for the day.
The minimum age for this tour is seven. It is not recommended for travellers with back problems or heart conditions, or for pregnant travellers. The tour is not wheelchair or stroller accessible, infants may not sit on laps, infant seats are unavailable and pets cannot be accommodated.
