The Ultimate Guide to Enjoy Your Udawalawe National Park Trip
One of the most sought-after things in a tour is an experience that brings fresh energy and perspective to the tourists after the tour is completed. When it comes to achieving those 2 aspects within yourself, hardly anything can compete with a tour of nature.
Nature breaks the mundane city image we all have in our minds while also allowing us to breathe in the fresh air that is so absent in cities and towns. When it comes to enjoying nature's beauty, there are several places in the world that can provide you with such an enriching experience.
However, hardly anything competes with the island nation of Sri Lanka when it comes to a nature tour. Among the best places to visit in Sri Lanka for a trip in nature, the Udawalawe National Park is one of the best. So, let us take a look at the ultimate guide to enjoy your Udawalawe National Park trip.
How to Reach Udawalawe National Park
Before we delve deeper into the Udawalawe National Park, let's look at how you can arrive in this paradise of Sri Lanka's wildlife. This national park is a large 30,821-hectare natural reserve located between the borders of Uva and Sabaragamuwa provinces. This puts Udawalawe National Park approximately 103 miles away from Colombo.
Luckily, despite this, there are plenty of options for tourists to visit Udawalawe National Park from Colombo, which include:
Domestic Flights
The Dickwella Airport is the closest airport to the Udawalawe National Park. From here, it will take around an hour to reach the national park. For tourists who arrive in Colombo, you can board a plane that can take you to this airport, making it the fastest travel method for reaching Udawalawe National Park from Colombo.
Be mindful of the fact that this is also the most expensive method to cover the distance, but it does come with the benefit of being able to see the large area of the reserve from a high altitude which can be a very memorable view.
Bus Travel
For tourists who don't mind the use of local public transport, traveling via bus is also a great option that can save a lot of money. The bus trip takes around 5-6 hours to finish the journey and can be easily booked before you even arrive in Colombo. If you choose to take a bus, then choose the bus that is traveling to Monaragala. This particular bus makes a stop at the Udawalawe junction.
Travel via Cabs or Tuk-Tuk
The final option you have for traveling to Udawalawe National Park is to book a cab or board a tuk-tuk. Tuk-tuks are easy to hire as they are available in large numbers in Colombo. For cabs, you will have to book them beforehand so that you do not need to search for an available cab.
What is the Best Time to Visit Udawalawe National Park?
When it comes to the most suitable time of the year to visit the Udawalawe National Park, there is no specific time of the year that is best suited to visiting this natural reserve. The wildlife species remain in the reserve throughout the year and nothing changes in your travel experience between different weather conditions of the year.
The only noteworthy thing about the time of year you can visit Udawalawe National Park is that during the winter season, the water levels in the reserve are lower which is the signal for elephants to start the mating process.
Due to this, large herds of elephants can be seen roaming around during this time of the year, making this the best time to visit the Udawalawe National Park for those who wish to see a large herd of elephants.
Wild Animals Living Within the Udawalawe National Park
Udawalawe National Park is home to several endangered species whose habitats are either lost or are shrinking due to the extension of human civilization. There are plenty of wild animals in this reserve with the most famous of these being the spotted deer, leopards, wild cattle, and peacocks.
However, there are also many insects like butterflies and reptiles like lizards which also reside within the boundaries of this natural reserve. The rarest wild animal in this place is the leopard since there are only around 10-12 leopards in the entire reserve. Despite this though, they are not the most popular animal in the area.
The most popular wild animal in this area is the elephant. There are around 600-700 of them in this area, making it a certainty that you will see them throughout the year.
Even if you have a better chance of seeing them in the winter due to their mating season, Sri Lanka is the only country in the world that provides a guarantee for sightseeing elephants during all safari adventures. This ensures that everyone will see at least one elephant in each of these safari adventures in Sri Lanka.
How to Best Enjoy a Trip In the Udawalawe National Park?
Udawalawe Safari Adventure
Tourists have 3 main ways they can enjoy their time in the Udawalawe National Park out of which the best option is to go on a safari adventure of the Udawalawe National Park. This safari adventure lasts up to 1 day but can be extended to 2 days. During this adventure, you will be able to see almost every wildlife animal that is preserved within this national park.
Multiple companies offer a safari package inside the Udawalawe National Park, so choose carefully according to your needs and the value of the package compared to the other available options.
Walk Alongside Elephants Udawalawe National Park Elephant Trail
Other activities in this place include walking along the elephant trail of Udawalawe National Park. Along this trail, you can walk alongside the elephants from the safety of these fences and spend a long time with them. This trail also leads to the grazing grounds for elephants where you can see baby elephants more clearly in the herd.
There are elephant-proof fences installed along some of the borders of the Udawalawe National Park to prevent elephant invasions in nearby villages and prevent domestic cattle from venturing deep into this place.
Learn How Injured Elephants are Cared for at Elephant Transit Home
Your final option is to spend some time in the elephant transit home. This is a place that is dedicated to helping raise those elephants that cannot survive in the wild without help. Here, tourists can observe how wildlife health experts treat injuries and sickness within elephants and how elephants are raised to become capable of surviving in the wild.
The staff here generally treat around 20-30 teenage elephants at once and these elephants are fed up to 4 times in one day. Before being released into the wild, these elephants are also fitted with trackers so that they can be monitored further to ensure that they are capable of living alone in the wild.
Sri Lanka is one of the most naturally diverse countries in the world. Due to the diverse landscape of the island nation, it is capable of supporting a vast array of flora and fauna.
While there are several excellent tourist destinations in Sri Lanka that allow tourists to enjoy the nature preserved within Sri Lanka, the Udawalawe National Park is one of the best ways to appreciate the natural wildlife of Sri Lanka. This large natural reserve is one of the best places to spend time with the Asian elephants which this place is dedicated to preserving and repopulating.
It also houses several other wildlife species including mammals, reptiles, birds, and insects. So, if you wish to visit the Udawalawe National Park, start by applying for your Sri Lanka tourist e-visa early on and book all your reservations in advance since there are very few places for rest near the Udawalawe National Park.
Check Eligibility for Sri Lanka eTA and apply for Sri Lanka eTA 72 hours in advance of your flight. Citizens of many countries including Australian citizens, Polish citizens, Hungarian citizens, Irish citizens and Romanian citizens can apply online for Sri Lanka eTA.