Udawalawe National Park Safari with Elephant Transit Home Visit

I was feeling a little apprehensive when we arrived as I’d read some mixed reviews. Elephants are my favourite animal and it’s been my dream to see them - I was drawn to the Transit place given they are focused on rehabilitation and conservation. However some reviews sounded horrendous. Luckily this is not what I witnessed at all. The elephants seemed cared for and attention was given to ensuring the smallest were fed when the bigger ones tried to push them out the way. The handlers do have sticks but at no point did I feel they were being harsh or abusing the elephants. These are large and heavy wild animals that they need to manage during what could be an out of control feeding time. They made efforts to entice them with milk rather than using sticks - so clearly only use when really needed. I really enjoyed it and it was great to see. My only comment - hence 4 stars, is I would have liked a briefing or some information - there are signs but no interaction or guidance from the actual facility.

An exciting experience of closely watching most baby elephants in hordes ,playing and feeding. Well maintained and playful activity with lots of greenery and a vast waterbody around.The road to this place is along the river and extremely scenic. The feeding times are strictly adhered to during mornings and evenings ,which may be planned suitably. Other times ,one can only watch the elephants from a far distance.

Very unethical please avoid! You sit on a podium watching a herd of 30 elephants, including babies, go and get fed some water/nutrients (unclear what it was). These elephants are shrieking constantly, which I have never heard before in other sanctuaries. They are hit by a man with a stick if they return for more food/water, then try and run and avoid him-all clearly petrified

Honestly disappointed with the experience. Firstly they were very clearly using cattle prods to control the elephants. While I can understand elephants being large and potentially dangerous, the use seemed excessive and if they do that in front of guests...what are they doing behind the scenes? Secondly the feeding seemed very poorly planned. They lay out food but allow elephants into the feeding area in batches. So the first elephants get to feast, but elephants allowed in later end up wandering around aimlessly because all the food is gone. Doesn't seem well organized for animal wellfare at all! Also as a visit, was terrible - I was expecting just a basic presentation of what the sactuary is about (history of place, objectives, how things are going etc) but there was zero communication with guests. Just sit there and watch elephants being fed in batches. Intermitted with noises of cattle prods being deployed. Based on what I've read this place is genuine about its care of animals, which is really hope is true. But they need to improve their treatment of animals and guests. I hope people continue to support but this place needs to do better.

This was very unethical and an unpleasant experience. We saw the elephants at feeding time, and they were sprinting to get their milk, as if they were starving. Baby elephants should have 10L of milk a day, but I don’t think they got anywhere near that before being pushed away by other elephants or the staff. All the elephants were completely terrified by one of the staff members, who was hitting them with a stick. We also heard reports of an electric taser being used previously on the baby elephants, and from their reactions when this one man came near them, i could tell that he had hurt them before. If you care about animals, please do not visit this place and give them money. I did not enjoy watching the animal abuse here, and would not recommend it.

We had Asan as our guide. He was very knowledgeable and spotted water buffalo deer elephants and crocodiles and many species of birds on our safari. He has worked in the park for about 35 years and knew so much about it. He was a very considerate driver and respectful of our ages and did not drive too fast. We highly recommend him. First class day all round!

Explore the rich biodiversity of Udawalawa National Park. Keep your eyes peeled for leopards, sloth bears, crocodiles, and a variety of bird species

A friend of mine recommended me to contact Lahiru for a tour in the Nationalpark and we were not disappointed. Lahiru was the best guide we could imagine for our safari. Everything was perfectly organised from beginning to end. It is incredible how he can spot even the smallest animals from a distance - i still don't know how he does it. Even though he knows a lot about the animals, he gives you time to enjoy and "inhale" the experience and silence. We took paths in which we almost never crossed other jeeps. He was respecting the moods of the animals and never pushed too hard. Like that, we saw a ton lot of animals from very close. Wow, I'm still stunned by the experience! Strong recommendation!

Great safari, we have seen many elephants. Lahiru was very punctual, brought us breakfast and we were always on paths that were not traveled by many truks. All around a super nice safari:) Thank you Lahiru!

Lahiru was a wonderful guide for our three hour safari. He is so knowledgeable with bundles of enthusiasm and an eye like a hawk. He spotted eagles, kingfishers, bee eaters, crocodiles and a well-camouflaged vine snake but the real thrill was his understanding of the elephants. He does not follow the other jeeps around but trusts his instincts to find the elephants and observe them close up. We had a bull elephant washing himself just a few feet away from our jeep, a juvenile trying to poke his trunk in to see what we were about and then our grand finale was the family he found just before leaving. Lahiru took some great photos for us too. His driver was fantastic and negotiated his way through the mud so well. Lahiru was good company, funny and informative but he also gave us time and space to enjoy the animals on our own. We could not recommend him more- he made our safari an absolute highlight of our Sri Lanka holiday.