The 5 best National Parks in Sri Lanka to see Elephants
The 5 best National Parks in Sri Lanka to see Elephants
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Sri Lanka has 22 National Parks and a Safari experience is definitely a must do in Sri Lanka! Elephants have special significance for Sri Lankan people, but there are a few things you should keep in mind before booking a Safari!
You should look for an uncrowded National Park, where the elephants are truly treated well. Tour companies might tell you to go to the most popular Pinnawala National Park – but you definitely shouldn´t support what happens there! It is the main tourist attraction and they are pretending to help the elephants, but in truth, it is really heartbreaking! The elephants get chained in a river, they are scared because they are beaten with sticks by the staff. The Orphanage even do not release elephants into the wild again – it isn´t a Sanctuary at all!! Please do not support this cruelty! Please do not ride on the elephant’s neck – it isn´t natural! Elephants are wild animals!
What do you really want to see? WILD ELEPHANTS!
We want to show you 5 wonderful National Parks, where you can actually see wild elephants in their natural habitat, playing around with their children, eating and relaxing. It is the most wonderful thing to see elephants acting wild!
These wonderful 5 National Parks don´t offer elephant rides at all, and the Safari Jeeps don´t hassle the elephants:
1. Elephants on the road
We even saw elephants on the way to the National Park next to the street! Keep an eye on the fields and roadsides! In the early morning and late evening, there is a very high chance to see elephants without being in a National Park. Around midday, they often hide in the trees. They aren´t locked up in the National Parks – so they are simply everywhere in Sri Lanka.
2. A Safari in Kaudulla National Park
Kaudulla NP is our favorite National Park! It hosts more than 300 wild elephants and you will most likely see herds of 30 animals, playing and eating next to each other. Normally there are a lot of little cute baby elephants together with their families. The most special thing about this National Park is the big lake in the middle, all the elephants like to stay there.
Kaudulla National Park is located next to the more known Minneriya National Park. It is also located near Sigiriya and you can easily combine it with climbing Sigiriya or Pidurangala Rock and experience a Safari as one of the most special things on your 2 to 3-weeks route through Sri Lanka.
They offer a 4 hour morning and afternoon Safari additional the pick-up and the drop-off. Your private guide will pick you up with the private Safari Jeep at your hotel in Sigiriya, Habarana or Dambulla.
Due to the rain falls the elephants sometimes can´t find their way through Kaudulla National Park around December and January. Then you will find them in Hurulu Eco Forest. Ask your hotel where to find the elephants or book with @mindfultravel! We did both Safaris to Hurulu Eco Forest and Kaudulla National Park and it was one of the best experiences we had. Also, the National Parks around Sigiriya have open Jeeps, where you can stand on the back area of the car without the folding roof and see elephants with a 360° view. The Jeeps in the Southern National Parks often have a fixed roof.
4-5 hour Safari, private Jeep and driver: 6000 LKR (33$) + 750 LKR entrance fee at the National Park
3. Minneria or Hurulu Eco Camp
Minneriya is a little bit more touristic than Kaudulla National Park – but it is also a wonderful National Park and it will give you a unique experience! There are so many animals to see: buffalos, parrots, deer, crocodiles, monkeys and many many elephants!
Hurulu Eco Camp is a little secret tip – only the locals know about this place. We´ve been to this National Park around December/January and the guys told us, that there are more elephants than in Kaudulla National Park due to heavy rain falls. And they were right, we saw around 30 elephants in Hurulu Eco Park. It was our first Safari seeing wild elephants and it blew our mind! Standing on the car deck with a 360° view is such an amazing feeling! Because it isn´t a well-known place, we had the National Park with around 5 other cars for ourselves.
4-5 hour Safari, private Jeep and driver: 5000 LKR (28$) + 2700 LKR entrance fee at the National Park
4. Visit the amazing Udawalawe National Park or the Elephant Transit Home
Udawalawe National Park is another wonderful place to see wild elephants and we absolutely loved this place! It is the perfect destination halfway when you go from Ella to the South Coast and one of our favorite National Parks. Hundreds of elephants roam free all year long and our amazing driver and guide were tasked with keeping an eye out for birds, elephants, crocodiles
6-hour Safari starting at 5:30 am, private Jeep and driver: 6000 LKR (33$) + 2900 LKR entrance fee at the National Park
Udawalawe Elephant Transit Home and where to stay
There is also a cute Elephant Transit Home in Udawalawe. Orphaned or sick elephants are fed and cared until they are strong enough to be returned to the wild. The center allows you to visit at the feeding times of 06:00, 09:00, 12:00, 15:00 and 18:00. There is also a little museum about elephants.
When we visited Udawalawe National Park we stayed in the wonderful Makulu Camp over the night. It is located in the middle of paradise: surrounded by palm trees and a jungle river, we had a tent area for ourselves. A very unique experience, especially when we got dinner with a lot of torches or went canoeing on the river!
5.Yala National Park – closest to the South Coast
We tried a final Safari in Yala National Park. Although we already explored the less crowded Kaudulla and Udawalawe National Park, the Yala National Park is the second largest park on the island and has the highest density of leopards anywhere in the world. Unfortunately, we couldn´t spot one.
Nevertheless, Yala National Park is a good National Park close to the South Coast to catch a glimpse of an elusive spotted leopard or see elephants, bears, deer, monkeys, mongoose, wild boar, water buffalo, peacocks and many other beautiful species in their natural habitat. It is located directly at the coast and covers a large area of 980 m2.
Where to book a Safari? And when?
You can book the Safaris on the day before because there are enough Jeeps and guides in every area. Ask our friend Amar from @mindfultravel to organize you a Safari in one of the National Parks or ask the hotel you are staying in. Pick-up and Drop-off will be at your hotel. Most Safaris start early in the morning around
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