Udawalawe

The location most closely resembles an African game park. Elephant sightings are virtually guaranteed in this national park, which is strategically located between the southern highlands and the south coast. It is centred around Udawalawe reservoir, and while it is approximately a third the size (at around 300sqkm) and less well-known than Yala, it can be somewhat quieter and packs a punch in general. It was established in 1972 as Sri Lanka’s fifth national park and is available all year for safaris, including during the dry season of September and October. Another local site with high ethical credentials is the Elephant Transit Home. According to wildlife estimates, there are about 500 elephants in the park, and they frequently roam in groups of up to 100. Mongooses, bandicoots, foxes, water monitor lizards, and crocodiles keep them company, as do buffalo, deer, and sloth bears. The environment is diverse, with marshes, scrublands, woodlands, steep terrain, and open grasslands.

In the knowledge that you are supporting an ethical commitment to improving orphaned elephant calves’ prospects of surviving in the wild, you can donate to a rehabilitation centre for orphaned elephant calves. The Elephant Transit Home’s primary goal is to rehabilitate orphaned elephant calves before releasing them. There are usually 40 to 60 orphaned elephants, and visitors may see them being fed from the safety of an 8m-away from a viewing platform. The elephants are never restrained but are free to roam – and play! – as they choose. Human contact is limited to enhance their chances of survival when released back into the wild. No touching, washing, or posing for photos is permitted.