Hurulu Eco Park Safari: The Ultimate Guide

This blog post features links and information which have been obtained on a press trip. However, as always, all opinions shared in this post are my own.

Are you looking to go on a safari in Sri Lanka but confused about which is best? I spent one night in Habarana on my ten-night trip around Sri Lanka. While here I opted for a safari around the nearby Hurulu Eco Park.

Habarana is situated between Colombo and Kandy and has three national parks:

1. Minneriya
2. Kadulla
3. Hurulu Eco Park

These national parks are connected, so the elephants migrate between them. 

You can organise a safari before your trip to Sri Lanka or in person when you arrive. Most hotels in Habarana can both recommend and book a safari for you.

I had my safari around Hurulu Eco Park organised for me. The jeep driver came to collect me from the hotel, and we drove roughly five minutes to the park. 

The main attraction of a Hurulu Eco Park safari is Asian elephants. I saw more than twenty elephants on my two-hour safari, including babies and adults.

Most drivers at Hurulu Eco Park are very respectful of the elephants. In fact, when one elephant approached us, the driver reversed to give it more space. However, don’t worry; you can still get some fantastic, close-up photos with a good camera.

In fact, it wasn’t the distance that made photographing the elephants at Hurulu Eco Park difficult. Instead, it was the lighting. 

That’s because most safaris at Hurulu Eco Park take place in the middle of the afternoon. 

According to my driver, the elephants are most active in the afternoon. However, this means the lighting is incredibly harsh, making photographs difficult. The lack of shade also means you have a lot of exposure to the Sri Lankan heat. 

For this reason, I highly recommend bringing the following with you on safari:

• A Hat
• Extra Suncream
• Bottled Water
• A Fan

The cost of a safari around Hurulu Eco Park varies. However, expect to pay around £20 – £30 ($25 – $40) per person for a group tour or £100 – £150 ($125 – $200) for a private tour.

I found the safari around Hurulu Eco Park was very good. I’ve no other safari to compare it to in Sri Lanka. However, the cost, time and convenience all felt appropriate.

The only downside to a safari around Hurulu Eco Park was that there were only Asian elephants. We did stop to see a monkey on our drive back from the park to the hotel. But otherwise, if you’re looking to see other animals on safari while in Sri Lanka, this may not be the best option.