Top 7 Elephant Safaris in Sri Lanka

1.Udawalawe National Park: Elephant Safari with Expert Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 641 reviews · 4 - 10 hours · from $30Our pick

Explore Udawalawe National Park by private 4x4 Jeep with guides such as Gimhana, Udith, Jayashan, or Gayan. Choose a 4-hour safari or extend to 10 hours for lunch and water. Expect elephants, crocodiles, buffalo, deer, jackals, birds, and a guide who can help you avoid crowded routes.

“We had an excellent time with our guide Gimhana. Compared to another safari we did in Wilpattu, our experience was so much more relaxed. We did the four hour safari and Gimhana was excellent at pointing out different animal species, and getting into good positions for photos while being respectful of the animals’ space. We found him very considerate; making sure we were ready to move on from a stop before going etc. We also saw lots and lots of elephants, which all seemed very happy to get close up to the jeep!”

Check availability →Read our full review

2.From Sigiriya: Minneriya National Park Elephant Safari

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 365 reviews · 4 hours · from $33

Travel from Sigiriya, Habarana, or Dambulla in a safari jeep with an English-speaking guide such as Shan, Janith, Prasad, or Thilina. Spend four hours seeking elephant herds, buffalo, deer, monkeys, crocodiles, reptiles, and birds. Your guide may switch parks when the herds move.

“saw loads of elephants. our guide went to great lengths to make sure we had a great experience. thank you”

Check availability →Read our full review

3.Private Jeep Safari at Minneriya National Park to Visit Elephants

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 338 reviews · from $36Top rated

Travel by private jeep from Sigiriya with a local driver-guide such as Bhashi, Pradeep, or Kamal. Depending on weather and elephant movements, you may visit Minneriya, Kaudulla, or Hurulu Eco-Park. Expect three to four hours of wildlife viewing, with elephants, birds, deer, buffalo, and more.

“Our guide was great! Very friendly and knowledgeable about the animals. He was also flexible with pick up and drop off being two different places.”

Check availability →Read our full review

4.Udawalawe: National Park Safari & Elephant Transit Home Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 183 reviews · 4 hours · from $21Best value

Join an English-speaking guide such as Pathum, Koshala, Mahesh, or Prasad for a four-hour Udawalawe safari. Ride a 4x4 jeep, look for elephants, crocodiles, buffalo, deer, birds, and possibly a leopard, then visit Elephant Transit Home during feeding hours. Park and transit-home fees are extra.

“The Safari with Koshala was really great! We saw two baby elephants and a lot of younger elephants. Koshala drove to the spots that were not so crowded, and it was a really good experience. Thank you very much for the great tour. I would definitely recommend this tour with Koshala.”

Check availability →Read our full review

5.Minneriya National Park Elephant Jeep Safari Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 68 reviews · from $46

Travel by private jeep from Anuradhapura to Minneriya, Hurulu Eco Park, or Kaudulla, depending on weather and elephant movements. An English-speaking driver guides your 3-hour safari through scrub, forest, wetlands, and Minneriya Wewa. Park entry is extra, and bottled water is included.

“We saw several herds of elephants in the wild . It was a great experience and well conducted trip. Professional guide and driver”

Check availability →Read our full review

6.Kaudulla National Park Private Elephant & Wildlife Safari

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 33 reviews · 4 hours · from $32

Travel by private safari jeep from Sigiriya, Habarana, or Dambulla into Kaudulla National Park. Your English-speaking guide, including guides such as Shan, Dhoshan, or Naliya, helps you find elephants, deer, wild boars, eagles, and kingfishers while respecting the animals’ space.

“Rather than Kaudulla we went to Hurulu as recent rains meant the elephants had travelled. We were incredibly lucky and saw nearly every Elephant in the park — more than 20. First we saw a lone male, at one point we saw 10 together. Our guide was amazing and so considerate of these lovely animals. He has great knowledge of elephant body language, when they were unfussed and when they would like peace. Often it was just our jeep with the Eles. If it looked like more than two other parties or a large party were around, we didn’t stay. He was great at finding them in the vast park.…”

Check availability →Read our full review

7.Minneriya National Park Wild Elephant Safari – Private

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 27 reviews · 4 hours · from $27

Join an English-speaking driver for a private 4x4 safari in Minneriya National Park. Over three to four hours, you may see elephant herds, babies, buffalo, monkeys, deer, crocodiles, peacocks, and birds near the tank. Pickup, water, fuel, and insurance are included, but park admission costs extra.

“Our guide was fantastic, very friendly and great at showing us the elephants. We saw them up close, very, very close! Thank you so much 🙏🏼 to him! notre guide a été super tres souriant au top pour nous montrer les éléphants et on en a vu de pres très très près merci infiniment 🙏🏼 a lui”

Check availability →Read our full review