Uda Walawe is the best park in Sri Lanka to watch and photograph wild elephants. Located next to the vast Uda Walawe reservoir, only a short drive from the South Coast, the park covers an area of over 30,000 hectares and consists of a mixture of scrubland and teak forest. The lack of forest in some areas is due to the extensive slash-and-burn farming that was once practised in this area. Uda Walawe became the country's fifth National Park in 1972.

The park supports approximately five hundred elephants and herds of over 50 individuals are not uncommon, the forest cover is also limited by their de-barking of the trees. An elephant fence not only helps to keep this population away from neighbouring agricultural land but keeps domestic cattle out and protects the parks other resident mammals.

Leopard sightings although rare in this park do occur with some regularity, but you have to be very lucky to see one. There are five good locations worth visiting for leopard sightings, they consist of rocky outcrops where the leopards rest to enjoy the warmth of the first rays of early morning sunshine.

As well as elephant and leopard Uda Walawe is home to many other animals including sambar, barking deer, water buffalo, jackals, sloth bears and three varieties of mongoose. Amongst the 30 or so reptile species water monitor lizards reach up to six feet in length. This is also a great park for birds, in particular raptors such as the Crested Serpent Eagle and the Grey Headed Fishing Eagle as well as arid-country specialists including the Malabar Pied Hornbill and Blue-faced Malkoha.

The park lies in a 'dry-zone' and there is an annual drought occurring between May and August, however the Western area overlaps the intermediate zone so does receive more rain. It is possible to remain in the park all day until dusk, taking a packed lunch, however during the middle of the day much of the wildlife will seek shade. Taking separate early morning and late afternoon jeep drives does incur an additional park entry fee but allows you to enjoy the best of the wildlife viewing while looking after your own comfort.

The best accommodation for visiting Uda Walawe is at Embilipitiya, from here Yala is about one and a half hours drive. The half day drive from Uda Walawe to the hill-station of Nuwara Eliya takes you by Buduruwagala where several Buddha figures are cut in to the rock face, they are thought to date from the 10th century AD.