Jeep Safari in the Udawalawe National Park

I love to travel on a whim. That is exactly how I arranged my jeep safari in Udawalawe National Park. Before travelling to Sri Lanka, I had done some research on the National Parks. However, I find that at times it is best just to get to the destination with an idea in mind but no expectations.

I had struggled to choose between Yala and Udawalawe National Parks. Yala is renowned for its density of leopard per hectare and is unique in that it is located next to the ocean. Udawalawe is smaller and more known for its elephant population.

Coming from Africa, I am a bit spoilt when it comes to safaris (we don’t even call them safaris, we call them game drives). I have had the privilege of experiencing sightings, no other humans within a 20 mile radius. I had heard that Yala had become so popular in recent years with tourists that you could spot a pack of jeeps hoarding around a sighting more easily than any animals.

This in mind, as well as the desire to see the Asian elephant in its natural habitat, I chose Udawalawe. Fortunately, arranging a jeep safari into the Udawalawe National Park is a breeze. Most hotels and guest houses are connected with a friend of a friend who can arrange something.

My bags had hardly hit the floor of the room before a safari had been arranged for the following morning. The the criteria I used in deciding whether we should go with this company consisted of: 1. I couldn’t be bothered to look further because I had a deep thirst for a cold Lion Lager by this stage and 2. This guest house relies on positive reviews to attract further guests, so they know that I know that I will review based on both the place and the safari experience I get.

The best time to go on a safari in Udawalawe National Park is early in the morning or at dusk. At these times, the sun paints the world in a warm glow and it is cool enough for the wildlife to come out to play in plain sight. Our jeep fetched us before the sun was even willing to get up but the fresh rush of air, as we sped toward our goal, was as alerting as a glass of cold water in your face.

Permits paid, we slowly proceeded to our first sighting…an Asian elephant. The mist was roaming around freely and tried to play a game of hide and seek in the early rays. But it is difficult to hide a ton of grey matter behind a curtain of water droplets. Eventually the sun added a tone of colour, breaking the grey haze to magically conjure up pink ears followed by an over-sized barrel chest and an inquisitive nose searching out succulent plants.

To my surprise, this docile version of its African counterpart, is far smaller and definitely less intimidating. That typical character is still there. A bit of cheeky and a bit of nonchalant. They roam from greenery to greenery, occasionally frolicking in the water or giving themselves a massage on whatever tree they choose as their victim that day.

30 minutes into the drive through Udawalawe and after seeing my 10^th peacock, it finally dawned on me that peacocks are as common in Sri Lanka as the impala is in Africa. Now all the peacock embellished souvenirs were starting to make sense. Our guide/driver made sure we saw everything from the iguana warming itself in the sun, to magnificent sightings of pygmy kingfishers and parrots.

Sadly, it seems the curse of Yala has also reached Udawalawe National Park. Even more common than the peacock is the ever present safari jeep. There were between 5-10 jeeps at every sighting, sometimes a few more. Mostly they are polite and will make way for the next group to see. The drivers spend a fair amount of time on their cellphones. Probably hearing from their mates where to head to next. An observation I made was that most jeeps, which can hold up to 8, only had 2 people. This means more money for operators but makes the experience crowded. This may need to be addressed in the future or Udawalawe runs the risk of losing its charm.

The jeep story aside, the safari was a great experience and one worth putting time aside on a trip to Sri Lanka.

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We stayed at The Heritage Walawa Resort. A small 5 room guesthouse between Udawalawe Junction and Udawalawe village. The rooms are clean, there is good wifi and hot water. Cost of our stay (January 2017) was approximately $15 for 2, including breakfast after the safari. They were able to arrange our jeep safari for us. It takes about 20 minutes in the jeep to get from the guesthouse to the National Park entrance. Click here to book the guesthouse or see latest prices.

For information on expected costs for a jeep and park entrance fees, please take a look at this link.

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