Visit Ella and Udawalawe Safari - 2 Days, All Inclusive

All went smoothly, organizion was good, 🙂 Our brillant driver tried very hard to give us information on everything of local interest which unfortunately sometimes got lost in translation. Overall a very enjoyable experience ☺

After researching a lot of different tours, we found BTR Tours on Tripadvisor and they were good enough to arrange a pickup from the villa we were staying at in Paramulla. We were looking for a tour that was only a couple of days in length as we have an 8 year-old with us and this one seemed to tick all of the boxes both in terms of places to see and visit and, of course, the amazing animals for which Sri Lanka is famed. We started on the first morning with a prompt 7:30am pick-up and were greeted by Roshan and our tour guide Rasik. From there we drove to Udawalawe stopping on the way as Rasik pointed out different places and we tried some of the local fruits growing on the trees. At around 10:30 we’d reached our transfer point and met our guide for the Udawalawe National Park. It was an amazing wildlife encounter and we saw so many beautiful animals we lost count! Our guide was eagle-eyed and knowledgeable and stopped regularly to let us experience these incredible creatures. We stopped for lunch in the park and then we experienced the highlight of the entire trip. After about 20 or so minutes of searching, we were literally surrounded by a heard of elephants which were so close, we could have reached out and touched them. Amazing. Day two was a much more active day. Starting with early breakfast in the hotel we'd stayed in with a wonderful view of the valley near Ella. We climbed to the top of Little Adam’s Peak (not actually that little!) and took in the breath-taking views. We then trekked through the jungle to Nine Arches bridge where we stopped for a drink and some photos. From there, Rasik was kind enough to arrange a stop at the Kinellan Tea Factory and Mr. Sallay treated us to an excellent tour of the facility. He carefully explained the process of turning what looked like green leaves you’d find in your garden, into the tea we all recognise. It was fascinating to see the stages of the process, to see the machines working away and to smell the fresh tea being produced. We then passed Ella Falls and started our three-hour return trip to Paramulla. We had a wonderful couple of days and would thoroughly recommend this tour to anyone looking for a taste of Sri Lanka’s stunning natural beauty. A truly unforgettable experience.