If you’re a fan of wildlife spectacles, you’ll love spending time at Kaudulla National Park in Sri Lanka. The park is one of the best places to watch elephants, leopards, wild boar, sambar deer, and rare birds in their natural habitats.
Read on to learn more about this national park, including when to visit and the cost of exploration.
About Kaudulla National Park
Kaudulla National Park is one of 26 national parks in Sri Lanka. Under the management of the Department of Wildlife Conservation, the park receives thousands of visitors every year. Its vast landscape, an evergreen forest that stretches to about 6,900 hectares (69 square kilometres), became an established national park on April 1, 2002.
The first quarter of each year sees most of this grassland submerged in water. However, for the majority of the year, Kaudulla National Park is a dry forest. The combination of fresh vegetation and natural water attracts various herbivores, especially elephants and deer.
Kaudulla National Park is most famous for its elephant safari. The Kadulla Reservoir (or Tank), located in the park, happens to host herds of about 350 elephants when they migrate to and from nearby parks. This spectacle is one of the largest gatherings of Asian elephants in the world. Kaudulla is also known for the 160 species of birds in the area, making it an Important Bird Area (certified by BirdLife International).
The entire park is a haven for 319 species of fauna, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, and butterflies. Its ample vegetation also features chena land and grassland with lots of fauna.
The following are some of the common animals in Kaudulla National Park:
- Asian elephants
- Sambar deer
- Spot-billed pelican
- Gray slender loris
- Albino axis deer
- Red-lipped lizard
- Sloth bear
- Slender-wood frog
- Lesser adjutant bird
Location
Located in Sri Lanka’s North Central Province, Kaudulla is about 197 kilometres away from Colombo, the country’s judicial capital city. The park is in the Polonnaruwa district of the province, and its nearest town is Habarana, which is 22 kilometres from its entrance.
You can take a direct bus from Colombo to Habarana and then switch to a taxi or tuk-tuk on the way to the main park entrance. The more expensive alternative is to rent a vehicle or taxi that will take you to the park by travelling a fair distance down the Colombo-Trincomalee main road.
Best Time to Visit
The ideal time to visit Kaudulla National Park is from July to November. During this period, you’re likely to see the elephants at peak population thanks to the dry season, which draws them to the reservoir. The elephants are constantly migrating from nearby Minneriya National Park but tend to leave Kaudulla by December. So, while you can see them in Kaudulla all year, their population peaks around October. We recommend that you schedule your elephant safari for the afternoon because the elephants visit the tank to eat and drink around that time.
Safari Price
Kaudulla National Park offers multiple safari options at various price ranges. Your total expenditure will depend on the safari tour service you use. Most safari prices range from $30 to $190 per adult and last 2-12 hours depending on your package.
Factors that affect safari price include:
- Vehicle used (commonly a jeep)
- Pickup and drop-off distance
- Time and length of the tour (Morning, afternoon, evening, half day, or full day)
- Number of adults and children in your party
- Number of parks visited
- Whether food and drinks are included
- Whether entrance fees are included
Entrance Fee
Although entrance ticket fees are often included in a tour, this is not always the case. The prices are not fixed, but here’s a close estimate:
- Foreigner (adult): $20-25
- Foreigner (6-12-year-old child): $10-15
- Foreigners group fee (vehicle): $10
- Sri Lankan (adult): LKR 150
- Sri Lankan (6-12-year-old child): LKR 100
- Sri Lankan (student): LKR 20
- Sri Lankan group (vehicle): LKR 400
- Vehicle entrance fee: LKR 300
Please note that you may need to pay an additional 15-18% VAT for each ticket. Fees are waived for all children below 6.
Opening Time
The park is open for approximately 12 hours every day of the year, including public holidays.
- Open Time: 6 AM
Close Time: 6 PM.
Editorial Staff at Ceylon Empire Travels are Specialist in Sri Lanka Travel.
