Udawalawa Travel Guides (Updated September 2026)

The booking experience was very smooth, and the guide also was explaining everything and had good knowledge.

I booked a tour with Lahiru Prasad, I got his contact from the official park website (+94 76 272 6799). It was easy to get in touch with him via Whatsapp. The tour itself was just amazing. We got picked up at our hotel at 5:30 am and were one of the first jeeps in the park. It didnt take us long to spot our first elephant and it was such a great experience. Throughout the tour Lahiru pointed out animals to us and made sure we got to see lots of elephants without getting to close to the animals instead he stopped a distance away and let them come towards us if they choose to. He provided us with lots of insights about elephants but also other animals and the nature in general. We were highly satisfied and would recommend booking the tour with him to anyone. Thanks again Lahiru 🙏

We had the most amazing experience. Kanishka was super friendly and handled everything for us. The day of the safari our driver, Asanka, went above and beyond to make sure we had the best time. This was a highlight of our trip. Highly recommended.

Guaranteed to see elephants! We saw 6 elephants, lots of peacocks, green bee eater, storks, great egrets and many other birds, spotted deers, water buffalos, mongoose, lizard and some crocodiles.Our guide (naturalist) was well experienced, sent to us huge information about park and animals. The driver was perfect for this off road trip.

Excellent trip, easy to organise and a personal experience. We saw a lot of different animals and they clearly knew where the best places to see them. Would definitely recommend and use again. Thanks a lot!

As part of our holiday in Sri Lanka this year we visited the reserve at Udawalawe. Our driver collected us punctually from our hotel at 5:30am, and we had a brilliant morning on our jeep safari. He made sure that we met up with families of elephants, pointed out a huge variety of spectacular birds, perching in the trees and wading in the lakes. We saw basking crocodiles and water buffaloes the turquoise flashes of king fishers and green bee eaters . We were extremely well satisfied with our experience,

Fantastic car, driver and experience from start to finish. Our visit to the park was much very relaxed and done at a calm and enjoyable pace. When we came across the elephants our driver held back from some of the crowds and we appreciated that approach to these beautiful animals. He knew just where to park up so as to observe them and almost predict where they would move towards. We saw a number of different birds and reptiles too that the driver talked to us about along the way, and was in no hurry to move on, which allowed us to take everything in. Thank you.

We did a morning safari here and it was amazing. We had the best guide (Lahiru Prasad) who was very knowledge about the park, and all the animals, and made sure we saw a huge variety of wildlife. Highly recommend doing a safari with him here! You can contact him on ‪+94 76 272 6799

This was such a magical experience for our whole family! To see elephants at sunset was one of the highlights of our entire trip. The guide and driver were both really experienced and answered all the questions we had about birds, wildlife and of course, elephants!My daughter kept a tally and we saw 30 elephants in 6 or 8 distinct groups. In addition to elephants, we saw numerous green bee eaters, kingfishers, storks, egrets, hawks and eagles. We watched as a crocodile caught fish and an eagle ate lizards from a tree. There were mongoose, hares and tons of adorable monkeys.We learned a lot about how old the elephants are and about their lives, as well as understanding more about how climate change is affecting their water supply and population.

I booked a private safari for 12 people as part of a company gathering with a team of different nationalities and ages.Ashan was very responsive throughout the easy booking process and made my life much easier!The team really enjoyed the tour and loved seeing the elephants but all of the different animals they wouldn't have spotted on their own.Great experience all round

Our driver also acted as guide and combined both roles brilliantly. Through his experiences eyes, logs became crocodiles, while herds of buffalo and families of elephants plus solitary males were approached almost within touching distance. Add in the monkeys, exotic birds, tortoises, etc and the 3 hours spent on safari flew by. Highly recommended.

Saw tons of elephants! The tour guide knew soo much! We feel so blessed to have seen so Much! The people really know their stuff!

Overall really good. We saw a range of animals (elephant, crocodile, mongoose, monitor lizard, wild water buffalo etc). The driver was flexible and seemed to know his stuff.The only downside is that the opportunity to hire an "extra" guide was sprung on us at the park entrance which we didn't do but might have if we had been given information in advance.

For us who have never done a safari in Africa, we enjoyed this nearly 3 hour walk in Udawalawe Park. Many elephants, including adorable babies, some crocodiles seen from afar, buffaloes, some deer, many peacocks, birds that the guide, with his sharp vision, sees from afar.

Lahiru was a fantastic guide—knowledgeable, attentive, and especially great at spotting and identifying a wide variety of birds. The highlight, of course, was the elephants—we saw plenty of them in their natural habitat. The babies!! So cute! We also spotted other wildlife, including lizards, water buffalo, and deer. Highly recommend this safari for anyone looking to explore Sri Lanka’s incredible wildlife! We just contacted him on WhatsApp the day before and thankfully he had some availability! +94 71 483 6490

We were a group of 4 girls who really enjoyed our experience with Lahiru. I booked via WA (‪+94 76 272 6799‬), got quick response to book and details on meeting point. He is super responsible guide and will be on time and maximize your experience to make his customers happy! We were transiting to another city and Lahiru helped to store the bags securely during the safari and helped to get transport after it ended! He is knowledgeable and very professional, highly recommend!