Sri Lanka
Why Udawalawe safari rather than another? It is really necessary to inform you well before making a safari because unfortunately many are not ethical and the condition of the animals is not good.
The place
Udawalawe is located in southern Sri Lanka.
The park is natural and the animals are free. It is for this main reason that we chose this one. We didn't want a park where the animals would be in semi-freedom, and everything staged.
What animals can you expect to see at Udawalawe national park?
Udawalawe is best known for its elephants. We were lucky to see many of them and very closely. They are not shy of cars and we can witness very pretty scenes especially with the little elephants, where funny scenes happens like for example, the arrival of a dog that absolutely did not please an elephant, which decided to charge it several times!
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Buffaloes, rare birds, crocodiles ...
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When to go
There are 2 possibilities: sunrise or sunset. I highly recommend the sunrise. Being already very popular with tourists, you will have (a little) fewer people in the morning, the light will be magnificent and the animals very present and active.
The best months to visit this region are January and February. We were there in December, considered the rainy season we were lucky with the weather!
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Where to book your safari? And how much does that cost ?
There are many agencies in the city of Uda Walawa (note : a letter changes but it is the difference between the city and the national park) but as everywhere they will inflate the prices and risk of tourist scams.
Most accommodations offer their own tours and it is possible to negotiate with them. The advantage is that for meeting point, you will leave directly from home.
For the price count around 55 € for 2 people, price of the park entrance + jeep. (Jeep that you will share) the duration is approximately 3h. It is a cost but it is worth it, even more for the respect that there is towards these animals!
Where to stay?
Yonan river face hotel.
It was incredible! Everything was new, you have a small detached house with chairs on the terrace. The included breakfast is super good.
The +: the owner is kind, he was always very attentive, tea or coffee for free all day. He lent us bikes for free to ride around town
The +++ it has a private lake on the property and a small boat that we could take for free to stroll on the lake
15 € per night for 2 with breakfast
How to get to Udawalawe?
From Matara take a bus to Embilipitiya then another bus to Udawalawe.
Ask at the station which is the next bus and on which platform.
The 2 bus journeys together cost less than € 3 per person.