Uda Walawe National Park is situated 170km south east of Colombo, the park covers an area of over 30,000 hectares and consists of a mixture of scrubland and teak forest.

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.

Uda Walwe National Park is the best park to view wild elephants and supports approximately five hundred elephants and herds of over 50 individuals are not uncommon. 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.