Udawalawe Elephant Transit Home
Sabaragamuwa Province
Photo by Z thomas via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
About Udawalawe Elephant Transit Home
The Elephant Transit Home on the shore of the Udawalawe reservoir is conservation done right - and one of the most heartening wildlife experiences in Sri Lanka. Founded in 1995 by the Department of Wildlife Conservation, 'Ath Athuru Sevana' rescues orphaned wild calves with a single goal: return them to the wild. Human contact is kept to a strict minimum; the elephants live as a wild-learning herd, and at around five years old they are released into Udawalawe National Park - hundreds so far, many now leading wild lives with calves of their own. Visitors take part only as witnesses: from a viewing platform at the scheduled feeding times (roughly every three hours through the day), you watch the milk-drunk stampede of tiny trunks and flapping ears - close enough to melt, far enough to keep them wild. Entry fees and the foster-parent scheme fund the milk. Pair it with a park safari to meet the graduates.
Top Activities
- ✓Feeding-time viewing from the platform
- ✓Learning the rescue-and-release story
- ✓Foster-parent scheme sign-ups
- ✓Combine with Udawalawe safaris
- ✓Reservoir birdwatching
Nearby Attractions
Closest Places in This Guide
Straight-line distances; allow considerably longer by road, especially in the hills.
Travel Tips
Arrive 20 minutes before a feeding session for a front-rail spot.
This is watching, not touching - that distance is exactly the point.
Combine a morning park safari with the midday feeding.
Quick Info
Best Time
Year-round; feeding sessions from 9am
Weather
Hot and open; the platform is shaded.
Estimated Daily Budget
6.4433°N, 80.8353°E
Open in Google Maps →Ready to Visit?
Add Udawalawe Elephant Transit Home to your trip and let AI create your personalised itinerary.