Udawalawe National Park

Udawalawe was created around a reservoir built in the 1960s, and the open country that resulted, grassland and scattered scrub rather than thick forest, is why it has become the most dependable place in Sri Lanka to watch elephants: several hundred live here, they are easy to see across the open ground, and a blank day is rare. Herds with calves feed along the tank margins, and large solitary bulls wander the tracks. The park also holds water buffalo, spotted deer, crocodiles, jackals and an exceptional range of raptors and water birds, and leopards exist though they are seldom seen. On the edge of the park, the Elephant Transit Home raises orphaned calves for release back into the wild rather than keeping them, and its feeding times are open to visitors, which is a far better thing to support than any riding or bathing attraction.

What you actually see

• Elephant herds - families with calves feeding around the reservoir margins.
• The reservoir and tank - the water where buffalo, crocodiles and birds gather.
• Birds of prey - the exceptional raptor watching over the open grassland.
• The Elephant Transit Home - orphaned calves raised for release, seen at feeding times.

When to go

Elephants are present year-round, which is the park's great advantage; the drier months concentrate animals near water and make tracks easier. Early morning and late afternoon drives are cooler and far better for sightings than the middle of the day. The park is much less crowded than Yala.

Honest expectations

It is open, hot and dusty, and the landscape is grassland rather than dramatic jungle, so those hoping for a scenic backdrop may find it plain. Jeep drivers sometimes crowd a sighting, and it is worth asking yours to hang back and switch off the engine. Skip any place offering elephant rides or bathing anywhere in the country; the transit home, which does not allow contact, is the ethical alternative.

Nearby

The south coast beaches are two hours away; Ella and the hill country lie to the northeast.