Our top picks for wildlife day trips from Anuradhapura to nearby national parks for elephant sightings, leopard safaris, and birdwatching.

Wildlife Safaris in Anuradhapura: The Best Day Trips for Elephants, Leopards & Birds

Wildlife Safaris in Anuradhapura

One of the best national parks to spot elephants

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Kaudulla National Park

A handpicked shortlist of Kaudulla National Park experiences, chosen for one thing: some of the best elephant spotting in Sri Lanka.

Kaudulla National Park Experiences: The Best for Elephant Spotting

Kaudulla National Park Experiences

05.30 am: Main Entrance of Minneriya National Park or Habarana Junction. 06.00 am: Begin your game drive at Minneriya National Park or Kaudulla National Park. 02.00 pm: Finishing time of your Safari

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View the famous elephants in both the National Parks and spot the park’s diverse wildlife, including deer, wild buffalo, wild pigs, grey langers, purple-faced leaf monkeys, porcupines and assorted birds.

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This comprehensive tour covers both Kaudulla National Park and Minneriya National Park in a day. Leave early morning and return by afternoon. It is ideal for photographers & animal lovers. Explore more time with wild Elephants, animals & birds!

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Wildlife Safaris

Cover both Kaudulla and Minneriya National Parks in one private jeep safari, with more time for wild elephants, birds and wildlife. Ideal for photographers.

1-Day Private Kaudulla & Minneriya Jeep Safari

This comprehensive tour covers both Kaudulla National Park and Minneriya National Park in a day. Leave early morning and return by afternoon. It is ideal for photographers &amp; animal lovers. Explore more time with wild Elephants, animals &amp; birds!

Asanka was amazing! He was very friendly and knowlegeable. His love for his job really showed. He stopped whenever he saw any animals or lizards or birds - such a keen eye! We stayed for the sunset and he gave us more time than we paid for. It was a memorable trip. I wish him well!

Kaudulla Evening Jeep Safari

Asanka was amazing! He was very friendly and knowlegeable. His love for his job really showed. He stopped whenever he saw any animals or lizards or birds - such a keen eye! We stayed for the sunset and he gave us more time than we paid for. It was a memorable trip. I wish him well!

We booked a safari trip through our hotel in Sigiriya and Asanka was our guide.

He really was fantastic throughout the trip and very knowledgeable/ caring for the animals and the environment. Asanka took us to Kaudulla national park and we saw many animals there including elephants, giant squirrel, Buffalo, crocodiles and a variety of birds just to name a few.

I’d highly recommend Asanka to anyone wishing to do a safari trip as he’s highly knowledgable, very respectful and a genuinely nice guy to spend half a day with!

We booked a safari trip through our hotel in Sigiriya and Asanka was our guide.

He really was fantastic throughout the trip and very knowledgeable/ caring for the animals and the environment. Asanka took us to Kaudulla national park and we saw many animals there including elephants, giant squirrel, Buffalo, crocodiles and a variety of birds just to name a few.

I’d highly recommend Asanka to anyone wishing to do a safari trip as he’s highly knowledgable, very respectful and a genuinely nice guy to spend half a day with!

Wow. Reviews don’t lie. Asanka was the best of the best when it comes to safari in Sigiriya area. We are so glad we chose to visit Kaudulla park with him. He was so communicative and easy to plan with via what’s app. We selected our timing needs and he gave us a very fair price. He picked us up the following day and we joined with one other traveler for our safari. He was so knowledgeable and had a fantastic eye for spotting all sorts of animals - crocodiles, 2 various types of eagles, peacocks, roosters, iguanas, monkeys, it was amazing. In terms of the elephants he was so respectful with the animals which was a relief because many drivers were so inconsiderate- driving fast and close to the elephants where you could tell the animals were fearful. He always got us as close as possible but with consideration for the animals- very slow and cautiously. When they were walking and migrating he stayed back instead of zooming close like all these other rude drivers because he told us if we stay they will walk right in front of us- and they did!!!!!! Magical. He knows is stuff and has a heart of gold. Highly highly recommended. Thank you Asanka!!

Wow. Reviews don’t lie. Asanka was the best of the best when it comes to safari in Sigiriya area. We are so glad we chose to visit Kaudulla park with him. He was so communicative and easy to plan with via what’s app. We selected our timing needs and he gave us a very fair price. He picked us up the following day and we joined with one other traveler for our safari. He was so knowledgeable and had a fantastic eye for spotting all sorts of animals - crocodiles, 2 various types of eagles, peacocks, roosters, iguanas, monkeys, it was amazing. In terms of the elephants he was so respectful with the animals which was a relief because many drivers were so inconsiderate- driving fast and close to the elephants where you could tell the animals were fearful. He always got us as close as possible but with consideration for the animals- very slow and cautiously. When they were walking and migrating he stayed back instead of zooming close like all these other rude drivers because he told us if we stay they will walk right in front of us- and they did!!!!!! Magical. He knows is stuff and has a heart of gold. Highly highly recommended. Thank you Asanka!!

We met him in the streets around Sigiriya and after talking for a while we realized he was the type of guide that we look for. Respectful for the nature and environment, passionate about what he does and thoughtful as he tries to avoid crowds at any cost.
 He picked us up (group of 4) 13.00 sharp, and we stayed in the park, literally until the last minute (we went out 17.59, as he would have a penalty of no-admission for 7 days if he gets out after 18.00).
 The first hour we were the only jeep of a road, looking for lizards, deers, sgiant squirrels, gray langurs, macaques, eagles, etc.
 Then he went near the Kaudulla lake were we saw a couple of males together and then a heard of around 100 females and cubs. We were completely alone and then 2 more jeeps joined us (of the 230 that were at that time inside the park, Asanka has an app to check that).
 After spending some good time there, he warned us that the next spot may be crowded, as it is where the big heard are and where all the jeep rush into to see them.
 It was a lucky day for us, as we saw a heard of 300 elephants, in different families, with around 10 other jeeps.
 We suggested some friends to go and the very next day they saw a small family of maybe 20-30 elephants, surrounded by the same amount of jeeps.
 It’s nature and every day is different.
 Guide-wise, we would totally recommend him!!

We met him in the streets around Sigiriya and after talking for a while we realized he was the type of guide that we look for. Respectful for the nature and environment, passionate about what he does and thoughtful as he tries to avoid crowds at any cost.
He picked us up (group of 4) 13.00 sharp, and we stayed in the park, literally until the last minute (we went out 17.59, as he would have a penalty of no-admission for 7 days if he gets out after 18.00).
The first hour we were the only jeep of a road, looking for lizards, deers, sgiant squirrels, gray langurs, macaques, eagles, etc.
Then he went near the Kaudulla lake were we saw a couple of males together and then a heard of around 100 females and cubs. We were completely alone and then 2 more jeeps joined us (of the 230 that were at that time inside the park, Asanka has an app to check that).
After spending some good time there, he warned us that the next spot may be crowded, as it is where the big heard are and where all the jeep rush into to see them.
It was a lucky day for us, as we saw a heard of 300 elephants, in different families, with around 10 other jeeps.
We suggested some friends to go and the very next day they saw a small family of maybe 20-30 elephants, surrounded by the same amount of jeeps.
It’s nature and every day is different.
Guide-wise, we would totally recommend him!!

We have had a splendid tour with Asanka at Kaudulla National Park. From the beginning you could feel that he was also enthusiastic to go look for animals.

What an unique experience we had when we were at 5 metre distance of a big male Tusker! Just the elephant and our jeep - truly amazing.

Remarkable qualities of Asanka:
 - while driving he is very capable of spotting animals
 - passionate and has his own thought of what a safari should be like
 - a cheerful and happy person, easy-going!
 - takes his time and wanta you to be happy with his tour

Asanka, keep up the great work!!

We have had a splendid tour with Asanka at Kaudulla National Park. From the beginning you could feel that he was also enthusiastic to go look for animals.

What an unique experience we had when we were at 5 metre distance of a big male Tusker! Just the elephant and our jeep - truly amazing.

Remarkable qualities of Asanka:
- while driving he is very capable of spotting animals
- passionate and has his own thought of what a safari should be like
- a cheerful and happy person, easy-going!
- takes his time and wanta you to be happy with his tour

Asanka, keep up the great work!!

We had an absolutely brilliant time touring the ancient city of Polonnaruwa and a wildlife tour of Kaudulla national park for half a day each. Asanka was able to customise our tour based on what we wanted to see, and picked us up and dropped off at our hotel in Sigiriya. Asanka was an amazing tour guide, he was particularly concerned with being sustainable and minimising impact on the animals in the national park. The importance of this can’t be understated, and you will understand when you see the herds of jeeps. We saw so many elephants and Asanka had a keen sense of where the elephants would be, he’d park and we’d wait before the elephants would saunter on by with very few others nearby. Highlight of our trip by far!

We had an absolutely brilliant time touring the ancient city of Polonnaruwa and a wildlife tour of Kaudulla national park for half a day each. Asanka was able to customise our tour based on what we wanted to see, and picked us up and dropped off at our hotel in Sigiriya. Asanka was an amazing tour guide, he was particularly concerned with being sustainable and minimising impact on the animals in the national park. The importance of this can’t be understated, and you will understand when you see the herds of jeeps. We saw so many elephants and Asanka had a keen sense of where the elephants would be, he’d park and we’d wait before the elephants would saunter on by with very few others nearby. Highlight of our trip by far!

Our safari experience at Kaudulla National Park was exceptional. We saw over 200 elephants in their natural habitat. Asunka was really respectful of the animals ensuring they were not disturbed by our Jeep. He knew the park very well and always moved away when an area was over crowded by tourists. We stayed until close and were the last ones to leave. Very special moment being the only ones in the park watching the sun go down over the elephants.
 Couldn’t recommend any higher!

Our safari experience at Kaudulla National Park was exceptional. We saw over 200 elephants in their natural habitat. Asunka was really respectful of the animals ensuring they were not disturbed by our Jeep. He knew the park very well and always moved away when an area was over crowded by tourists. We stayed until close and were the last ones to leave. Very special moment being the only ones in the park watching the sun go down over the elephants.
Couldn’t recommend any higher!

While our short stay in Sigiriya we spontaniously decided for a safari in one of the nearby national parks. We were really lucky our host booked a safari with Asanka, as we had a great day with him. He really goes above and beyond for you to see as many different animals around using his unbelievable talent on spotting them (e.g. chameleon, birds, crocodile). His detailed knowledge on the animals gives you a lot of interesting information as well.
 Furthermore, and most important for us, Asanka is able to show you different amazing spots for great pictures of the elephants without disturbing them on their way and in their natural behaviour. Asanka is interested in offering safaris in a sustainable way to allow safaris for many future generations. This simply made us feel grateful even more.

We highly recommend a safari with Asanka for everyone!

While our short stay in Sigiriya we spontaniously decided for a safari in one of the nearby national parks. We were really lucky our host booked a safari with Asanka, as we had a great day with him. He really goes above and beyond for you to see as many different animals around using his unbelievable talent on spotting them (e.g. chameleon, birds, crocodile). His detailed knowledge on the animals gives you a lot of interesting information as well.
Furthermore, and most important for us, Asanka is able to show you different amazing spots for great pictures of the elephants without disturbing them on their way and in their natural behaviour. Asanka is interested in offering safaris in a sustainable way to allow safaris for many future generations. This simply made us feel grateful even more.

We highly recommend a safari with Asanka for everyone!

We were really lucky that our hotel booked a safari with Asanka for us. We went to kaudulla national park since the elephant herds migrate between kaudulla and minneriya national park. We didn't expect such an in depth experience on our safari. Asanka didn't just show us the elephants of the national park, but all kinds of wildlife we never would have spotted without him, including water lizards, kingfishers, monkeys and so on. he also knows his stuff about the animals and taught us a lot. Asanka really took a lot of time to make sure we got a good look at the elephant herd and all the other animals. he also told us a lot about his little village near Sigiriya, showed us some Sri Lankan street food and just managed to provide a great experience. We highly recommend booking a safari with him, if you want a real wildlife experience rather than just racing from elephant to elephant taking some pictures.

We were really lucky that our hotel booked a safari with Asanka for us. We went to kaudulla national park since the elephant herds migrate between kaudulla and minneriya national park. We didn't expect such an in depth experience on our safari. Asanka didn't just show us the elephants of the national park, but all kinds of wildlife we never would have spotted without him, including water lizards, kingfishers, monkeys and so on. he also knows his stuff about the animals and taught us a lot. Asanka really took a lot of time to make sure we got a good look at the elephant herd and all the other animals. he also told us a lot about his little village near Sigiriya, showed us some Sri Lankan street food and just managed to provide a great experience. We highly recommend booking a safari with him, if you want a real wildlife experience rather than just racing from elephant to elephant taking some pictures.

Asankas safari was amazing. He knew all the right locations to get amazing glimpses at the nature around us. His trusty Mitsubishi was better than all the rest of the trucks who were stuck in the mud. I highly recommend his Safari to couples who might want to do a safari alone. Your chances of seeing Bull elephants and leopards up close is very likely.

Asankas safari was amazing. He knew all the right locations to get amazing glimpses at the nature around us. His trusty Mitsubishi was better than all the rest of the trucks who were stuck in the mud. I highly recommend his Safari to couples who might want to do a safari alone. Your chances of seeing Bull elephants and leopards up close is very likely.

We had a very nice afternoon safari with Asanka, lot’s of elephants in sight and a knowledgeable and passionately guided tour. Respecting the elephants, not driving too close and also doing his best to avoid the massive crowds of jeeps - giving us plenty of opportunities to watch the elephants in their calm natural surroundings. A very enjoyable safari!

We had a very nice afternoon safari with Asanka, lot’s of elephants in sight and a knowledgeable and passionately guided tour. Respecting the elephants, not driving too close and also doing his best to avoid the massive crowds of jeeps - giving us plenty of opportunities to watch the elephants in their calm natural surroundings. A very enjoyable safari!

Today we had the most amazing safari with Asanka ! He was so passionate about his job and the conservation of the elephants. He taught us all about the Asian Elephant’s behaviours, habitat, and their surrounding wildlife. We had a real adventure seeing what Sigiriya had to offer. We felt lucky to have such a knowledgable and caring guide who had eyes like a hawk, and took time to ensure we had the best possible safari.
 We finished the tour by watching the sunset behind the hillside, with a herd of elephants nursing their young. What more can you ask for !?

Today we had the most amazing safari with Asanka ! He was so passionate about his job and the conservation of the elephants. He taught us all about the Asian Elephant’s behaviours, habitat, and their surrounding wildlife. We had a real adventure seeing what Sigiriya had to offer. We felt lucky to have such a knowledgable and caring guide who had eyes like a hawk, and took time to ensure we had the best possible safari.
We finished the tour by watching the sunset behind the hillside, with a herd of elephants nursing their young. What more can you ask for !?

Asaaankaaaa... thank you so much we had an amazing safari tour with you...! We stayed at the sigiriya hotel and they organized him for us and he was the perfect person to show us around! He is so passionate about the elefants and the nature. We booked him aswell to go to other trips and we want to highly recomend him to everyone..see you soon again �

Asaaankaaaa... thank you so much we had an amazing safari tour with you...! We stayed at the sigiriya hotel and they organized him for us and he was the perfect person to show us around! He is so passionate about the elefants and the nature. We booked him aswell to go to other trips and we want to highly recomend him to everyone..see you soon again �

We were staying at jetwing vil ulyana in Sigiria and we met Asanka when we were walking down the road. We did all our excursions and exploration of the area with him and it was amazing. He is a great guy, passionate about the nature, wildlife and the country that he loves. We miss you my friend.

We were staying at jetwing vil ulyana in Sigiria and we met Asanka when we were walking down the road. We did all our excursions and exploration of the area with him and it was amazing. He is a great guy, passionate about the nature, wildlife and the country that he loves. We miss you my friend.

Safari with Asanka was great! He knows so many things about animal wildlife he answered kindly all our questions and give us the best safari experience in Sri Lanka 👍😊

Safari with Asanka was great! He knows so many things about animal wildlife he answered kindly all our questions and give us the best safari experience in Sri Lanka 👍😊

We had a great day with Asanka, going to Polonaruwa and a national park. He is a great guide and knows alot about the park and the animals.

We had a great day with Asanka, going to Polonaruwa and a national park. He is a great guide and knows alot about the park and the animals.

Our fantastic guest house (Shady mango villa) in Sigiriya organized our safari with Asanka. He is the most passionate guide, very kind and funny, and you can really see he loves and knows perfectly this job even if he has done it only for the last 6 months (or maybe because he is not fed up with it!). We stayed in Minneriya until sunset and were the last ones to leave, just at park closing, so we were alone in the park for the last hour while the other cars spent just 1 or 2 hours there. We definitely loved this experience, many thanks Asanka and please keep doing this job for next travellers ��

Our fantastic guest house (Shady mango villa) in Sigiriya organized our safari with Asanka. He is the most passionate guide, very kind and funny, and you can really see he loves and knows perfectly this job even if he has done it only for the last 6 months (or maybe because he is not fed up with it!). We stayed in Minneriya until sunset and were the last ones to leave, just at park closing, so we were alone in the park for the last hour while the other cars spent just 1 or 2 hours there. We definitely loved this experience, many thanks Asanka and please keep doing this job for next travellers ��

Asanka is the most passionate guide, very kind and funny, and you can really see he loves and knows his job perfectly. He is well informed about the Asian Elephant’s behaviour, habitat, and their surrounding wildlife. Respecting the elephants, he does not drive too close and also tries his best to avoid the massive crowd of jeeps.

Safari with Asanka

Asanka is the most passionate guide, very kind and funny, and you can really see he loves and knows his job perfectly.  He is well informed about the Asian Elephant’s behaviour, habitat, and their surrounding wildlife.  Respecting the elephants, he does not drive too close and also tries his best to avoid the massive crowd of jeeps. 

1-Day Private Kaudulla & Minneriya Jeep Safari

What You’ll be Doing

What’s Included

Where we'll meet

Start Point

End Point

Start & Ends

Suitability / Accessibility

Cancellation & other policies

Cancellation

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