How to plan your visit to the park. You must have an entrance ticket and a vehicle with a driver or guide. It is not allowed to enter the park by your car, you need a specially equipped safari car.
Udawalawe Park entrance fee
The ticket prices are set by the Department of wildlife conservation (DWC) of Sri Lanka and revised year to year. Entrance fee include the park admission fee per person, jeep entrance fee, and group service fee
Udawalawe is a Category I National Reserve and as for now, the price is a $29 entrance fee (incl. 15% VAT) per person + 14$ group fee per car. (Last time revised on Aug.22)
Below you may find a table with fees per group. Note that the maximum jeep capacity is 6 persons.
Persons | Price, USD |
1 | 43 |
2 | 72 |
3 | 101 |
4 | 130 |
5 | 159 |
6 | 188 |
Note that it is special prices for children 6-12 y.o. (15$ + VAT) and SAARC citizens ($20 + VAT). The child under 6 years is not charged.
It is no need to buy tickets in advance, the number of tickets is enough for everyone. You may ask your guide to buy the tickets for you at the entrance. USD and rupees are accepted as well.
As for now, the online ticket service is under development.
Jeep and guide
It is no official guide service by the park, but you may find licensed and professional guides on TripAdvisor, Google Maps, or other services.
Lahiru Prasad | +94 76 272 6799 | > 100 rewiews | ||||
Udawalawe chaam | +94 77 278 3223 | > 100 rewiews |
Regular jeep (max 6 persons) price is around 40-60$ for a half-day tour. The guides listed below accept cash payments after the end of the trip and never ask for prepayment. There are a lot of offers with card prepayment on TripAdvisor, Viator, etc., but usually, it is more expensive and you may face troubles with money return if something goes wrong.
It is strongly recommended to contact your guide in advance for a few days before your visit as a minimum. It is possible to find a guide in Udawalawa town at the last minute but it may not be comfortable and not guaranteed.
What to have with you?
Don’t forget to take enough water and protect yourself with sun protection. Nothing more, grab your camera and you are ready to go.
Please note that it is prohibited to feed the animals in the park. It may be really dangerous.
See also:
How to get to the Udawalawe Park