10 Elephant Tours in Colombo to Get Up Early For

1.Udawalawe National Park: Elephant Safari with Expert Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 641 reviews · 4 - 10 hours · from $30Our pick

Review of Udawalawe elephant safari: expert guides, private 4x4 rides, wildlife sightings, costs, timing, comfort, and practical booking advice.

“Amazing. The host/organiser (Gimhana) contacted me directly and made sure everything was sorted, with a hotel pickup. He also helped me out with a lot of other stuff as well which was extremely helpful for our trip prior to the safari. Jana the safari guide was very friendly and stopped a few times to show us sights/animals that we didn’t even notice. Was overall a great experience and very easy going, any questions we wanted to ask or were unsure of were answered without hesitation. You have to do it!”

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2.Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage & Ambuluwawa Tower

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 37 reviews · 8 hours · from $20Best value

Review of Kandy’s Pinnawala and Ambuluwawa tour, with elephant encounters, temples, viewpoints, tuk-tuk travel, costs, and practical tips.

“We had such a wonderful Day With Masi! He was very caring & made sure that we were happy ☺️ He showed us how to eat as a Sri Lankan & gave us a free Language Lesson during driving. Would 10/10 recommend & do it again.”

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3.Sri Lanka Ella Private Day Tour Nine Arch & Elephant transit home

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 22 reviews · from $190

Review of a private Ella day tour from Kalutara with Nine Arches Bridge, Little Adam’s Peak, Ravana Falls, tea, and elephants.

“We wanted to stay at the beach and do one uphill day trip, and Hai Sri Lanka team arranged it all.”

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4.Day Tour to Elephant Orphanage / spice garden

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 20 reviews · 6 hours · from $59

See Pinnawala’s elephants, river bathing, local snacks, and Sri Lankan countryside on a flexible six-hour Colombo tour.

“Kann ich nur empfehlen! Der Tourguide hat auch mehrmals außer der Reihe für ein Foto angehalten, für meine Frau, die Geburtstag hatte, einen Kuchen und Blumen besorgt. Er hat sich um Abkürzungen und Sitzgelegenheiten für meine gehbehinderte Frau gekümmert und wusste genau, wo man stehen muss, um beste Sicht zu haben. Außerdem Abholung in unserem Hotel, obwohl es außerhalb des Abholbereiches lag. Es gibt überhaupt nichts zu meckern.”

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5.Udawalawa Safari & Elephant Transit Home Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 11 reviews · 12 hours · from $128

Review of Colombo to Udawalawe safari and Elephant Transit Home tour, with elephants, wildlife, lunch, costs, guides, and practical advice.

“The location was beautiful, seeing the baby elephants at ETC and those in the park”

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6.Kandy Temple of Tooth & Elephant Orphanage

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 7 reviews · 12 hours · from $62

Review of Colombo to Kandy, including the Temple of the Tooth, tea tasting, botanical gardens, and Pinnawala elephants.

“Champika was absolutely one of the best tour guides I have EVER had. He was friendly, welcoming, took the time to get to know me a little, and showed me some amazing sights and went that extra mile to make my tour incredible! He even diligently waited 2.5 hours for my ship to dock late, was flexible about where we went, and honestly was a fantastic guide!”

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7.Kandy and Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 7 reviews · 14 hours · from $85

Review of a 14-hour private tour from Negombo or Colombo to Pinnawala and Kandy, with elephants, temples, tea, gardens, and practical tips.

“Nie byliśmy w Pinnawala, bo nie było czasu. Kandy jest prawie niedostępne po cyklonie, ta wycieczka nie powinna była się odbyć. Nie widzieliśmy też jeziora, nie byliśmy na punkcie widokowym, ani nie zwiedzaliśmy miasta, bo nie było dojazdu. Wycieczkę skrócono nam o 4 godziny, bo drogi w rejonie Kandy są otwarte tylko 4 godziny dziennie, do 4.00.p.m, a przez resztę doby trwają prawce naprawcze po cyklonie. Ogrody botaniczne także są bardzo zniszczone przez powódź. Tej wycieczki nie powinno być!”

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8.Minneriya Elephant Safari wth Sigiriya Lion Rock from Colombo

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews · from $140

Review of Colombo’s private Minneriya elephant safari and Sigiriya Rock tour, with timing, costs, highlights, drawbacks, and booking advice.

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9.Udawalawe National park with Elephant Transit Home From Colombo

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1 reviews · from $100

Review of a private Colombo to Udawalawe safari with elephant conservation visit, transport, timing, costs, wildlife, and practical booking advice.

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10.Elephant Transit Home Udawalawe with Jeep safari from Colombo

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1 reviews · from $135

Review of Colombo’s Udawalawe day tour, with elephant rehabilitation, a three-hour jeep safari, lunch, transport, value, and practical tips.

“Amazing experience with Subash. Jeep driver was funny. So many Elephants in the park. And many Deers, Crocodiles, and wild pigs there. Lunch was Excellent. It was in nice hotel. Highly recommend.”

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