The 15 Best Ella Safaris

1.Drop to Tangalle/Hiriketiya/Mirissa & Yala Safari

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 296 reviews · 4 - 10 hours · from $11Our pick

Combine your Ella to south-coast transfer with a three-hour Yala National Park jeep safari. An English-speaking driver such as Sasanka, Dilan, or Ishan takes you from your Ella pickup to the park, where you may see elephants, leopards, crocodiles, buffalo, monkeys, and birds before continuing to Tangalle, Hiriketiya, Mirissa, or Galle.

“Everything was perfect, arranged on time - picked up from the point in Ella. The safari was so good, we saw a lot of animals. I highly recommend, especially with our tour guide - Bale. Thank you Bale for such amazing safari!!”

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2.Yala Safari with Tangalle/Mirissa/Galle Drop-off

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 198 reviews · 9 hours · from $10Best value

Travel from Ella to Yala National Park by air-conditioned car, spend about four hours in a guided 4x4 jeep, then continue to Tangalle, Hiriketiya, Mirissa, Unawatuna, or Galle. Guides such as Isuru, Kavee, Srimal, and Chutte are praised for sharp animal spotting, while the park may deliver elephants, leopards, sloth bears, crocodiles, and birds.

“We had a really great experience! The communication was very good and quick. They picked us up right at the door of our accommodation and dropped us off at our new apartment, just as described. The driver was very kind, and the tour guide was excellent. During the safari itself, we drove through a beautiful reservoir area, and the guide knew exactly where to go to find the best spots. We were very lucky with all the different animals we got to see. Overall, it was a wonderful experience, and I can absolutely recommend it!”

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3.Shuttle to Tangalle/Mirissa/Galle w Udawalawe Safari

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 166 reviews · 7 hours · from $48Top rated

Travel from Ella to Tangalle, Hiriketiya, Mirissa, Weligama, Galle, or nearby coastal towns in an air-conditioned vehicle, stopping for a three-hour Udawalawe safari. Guides such as Pathum, Koshala, Mahesh, and Manesh are praised for spotting elephants and explaining the park. Bring cash for the separate entrance fee.

“Everything punctual, well organized. We saw many elephants and one crocodile, many birds, buffaloes. I highly recommend this trip”

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4.Yala National Park Safari Tour in a 4×4

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 155 reviews · 8 hours · from $49

Travel from Ella to Yala National Park in an air-conditioned vehicle, then spend about three hours in a private 4x4 safari jeep. Guides such as Sasanka, Muthu, Tikiri, Dilan, and Naja are known for sharp animal spotting. Expect elephants, crocodiles, buffalo, birds, and a possible leopard, but bring cash for the separate park fee.

“Sasanka was amazing tour guide, it was great experience”

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5.Yala Safari with Drop at Tangalle/ Hiriketiya/ Mirissa

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 74 reviews · 9 - 16 hours · from $11

Travel from Ella to Yala National Park in an air-conditioned car, spend about four hours on safari in a 4x4 jeep, then continue to Tangalle, Hiriketiya, Mirissa, Galle, or Hikkaduwa. Look for leopards, elephants, sloth bears, crocodiles, deer, and birds with an English-speaking guide.

“Everything was amazing, perfectly organised, the safari guide was a skilled driver willing to do his best to show us everything he could while sharing fun facts and still respectful to the animals. Great experience!!”

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6.Transfer to Tangalle/Mirissa/Galle & Yala Safari Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 43 reviews · from $20

Travel from Ella, Haputale, or Bandarawela to Tangalle, Hiriketiya, Matara, Mirissa, Weligama, Unawatuna, Galle, or Hikkaduwa, stopping for a daytime Yala safari. Your English-speaking guide drives you in an air-conditioned vehicle, then leads the park drive in an open jeep. Vishwa and Ishan are named guides praised for careful driving and wildlife spotting.

“Very good experience. Ishan was an Execellent Driver and Safari Guide. Saw a family of elephants, some crocodiles and a lot of other animals as well. He was good with explaining and gave ample amount of time to capture memories. He took us to spot a leopard as well. Thank you so much for the experience.”

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7.Udawalawa Safari and Tangalle/Hiriketiya Transfer

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 30 reviews · 7 hours · from $48

Leave Ella, Haputale, or Bandarawela in an air-conditioned vehicle, then switch to an open Jeep for a three-hour Udawalawe National Park safari. Guides such as Pathum, Mahesh, Patum, and Sara help you spot elephants, crocodiles, buffaloes, monkeys, birds, and perhaps a python before continuing to your hotel in Tangalle, Hiriketiya, Talalla, or Matara.

“Our tour guide Pathum was awesome and got us all the best views.”

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8.Udawalawe Safari with Elephant Transit Home Visit

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 26 reviews · 8 hours · from $70

Travel from Ella by air-conditioned vehicle to the Elephant Transit Home, then continue to Udawalawe National Park for a guided jeep safari. You get 30 minutes to watch and feed baby elephants, followed by chances to see wild elephants, crocodiles, buffalo, deer, birds, and other animals. Guides such as Koshala and Pathum may lead the safari.

“fantastic safari with Peathum. Easy pick up and transport. saw lots of elephants and other animals would really recommend”

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9.Yala Safari & Transfer to Tangalle/Mirissa/Galle

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 25 reviews · 10 - 17 hours · from $29

Start with hotel pickup in Ella, pause at Ravana Waterfall, and spend about four hours in Yala National Park with an English-speaking guide and 4x4 jeep. Your air-conditioned transfer then continues to a southern-coast stop. Damith and Hirosh have earned special praise, but the park ticket costs an extra Rs 13,000 per person.

“Después de haber hecho varios safaris en Sri Lanka, debo decir que el de Yala me ha resultado un poco decepcionante en relación calidad-precio. Aunque tuvimos la suerte de ver un leopardo, la experiencia se sintió más como una persecución caótica que como una oportunidad para apreciar la fauna en su entorno natural. Estuvimos más de una hora esperando entre jeeps para poder verlo, y cuando finalmente llegó nuestro turno, apenas se distinguía al animal entre las rocas. Entiendo que en un safari no hay garantía de ver animales, ya que están en libertad. No obstante, hubo falta de equilibrio: el recorrido estuvo completamente centrado en encontrar al leopardo, sin…”

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10.From: Ella – YALA Safari – Drop off: Arugam Bay / Arugambay

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 21 reviews · 9.5 hours · from $110

Travel from Ella to Yala National Park by shared air-conditioned car or minivan, then spend three hours in a Toyota Hilux safari jeep before continuing to Arugam Bay. Guides such as Sasanka, Janaka, Muthu, and Dolan help spot leopards, elephants, crocodiles, buffaloes, monkeys, birds, and sloth bears. The early 3 a.m. departure gives you the best chance of seeing wildlife.

“Todo super bien con Janaka, nuestro guía. Se preocupo por asegurarse de que viésemos leopardos, elefantes, monos y muchos animales en general :)”

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11.Yala Safari Tour with Drop at Tangalle/Hiriketiya

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 16 reviews · 9 - 17 hours · from $29

Travel from Ella or the south coast to Yala National Park in an air-conditioned car, then spend about four hours in a 4x4 jeep with an English-speaking guide. The focus is leopards, elephants, deer, bears, crocodiles, and birds. Guide Chutte earns special praise, but allow extra time for delays and check seatbelts before leaving.

“Przewodnik starał się nam pokazać wszystkie możliwe zwierzęta, robił to bardzo sprawnie, czasem pomijając pewne miejsca by nas dowieźć w ciekawsze, gdzie akurat będą dane zwierzęta. Widzieliśmy (poza niedźwiedziami) niemal wszystkie zwierzęta żyjące w parku (choć w przypadku geparda tylko ogon :D ). Natomiast niestety jadąc z Ella nasz kierowca przysypiał, głowa leciała mu w dół, i raz ewidentnie wypadłby z drogi, gdybyśmy nie krzyknęli na niego. Rozumiem, że to późna pora, że się spieszymy, ale jeśli kierowca jest zmęczony i potrzebuje półgodzinnej drzemki to wolałbym dojechać spóźniony, ale dojechać...”

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12.Shuttle to Tangalle/Hiriketiya with Yala Safari

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 12 reviews · 9 hours · from $31

Leave Ella by air-conditioned vehicle, pause at Yala National Park for a safari in an open-topped jeep, then continue toward Tangalle, Hiriketiya, or listed south-coast towns. Guide Sasanka speaks very good English. Bring cash for the park and service fees, plus food and drinks.

“The company was not good at communication. They didn’t contact me at all even the day before the tour and I had to reach out numerous times Then the driver showed up in a mini car and we had two suitcases and told us we were supposed to disclaim that we had suitcases- even though we are TRAVELING -of course we will have luggage. But the safari driver was good.”

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13.From Tangalle/Hiriketiya: Ella Transfer & Udawalawe Safari

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 12 reviews · 8 hours · from $48

Travel door to door from Tangalle or Hiriketiya to Ella in an air-conditioned vehicle, stopping at Udawalawe National Park for an open-jeep safari. Expect elephants, crocodiles, monkeys, buffalo, and birds. English-speaking guides such as Mahesh explain the animals, while the driver continues to your Ella hotel afterward.

“We saw a lot of animals, mainly elephants, we got very close but still very respectful. A crocodile, peacocks and different type of birds. The safari guide was explaining a lot and i think I spent the right amount of time per each animal”

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14.Safari Day Trip to Yala & Udawalawe with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 10 reviews · 1 day · from $95

Leave Ella before sunrise for a private guided jeep safari at Yala, a picnic lunch, the Elephant Transit Home, and an afternoon safari at Udawalawe. Guides such as Sasanka, Muthu, and Naja have earned strong praise for wildlife spotting. Expect a full, tiring day, with park entrance fees paid separately.

“The morning safari was excellent. It wasn’t clear that you had to pay entrance fees for all the places to visit so didn’t do the second safari. The elephant orphanage was interesting and was great to see they are being looked after well. Lunch was tasty but thought it was going to be a picnic lunch. The driver was very good.”

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15.From Tangalle/ Hiriketiya: Yala Safari with Drop: Ella

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 9 reviews · 6 - 9 hours · from $11

Travel by air-conditioned car from Tangalle or Hiriketiya to Yala National Park, then spend about four hours in a guided 4x4 safari before continuing to Ella. Driver Srimal has a sharp eye for wildlife, though English ability may vary between drivers. Park entry costs extra.

“We went on the Tangalle -Yala- Ella tour and loved it. The pick up was on time from Tangalle and our driver was very friendly. We then transferred to a Jeep to drive to the park and pick up four more passengers en route, everything seamless. Srimal was our driver and he was super nice, knowledgable and knew exactly where to look for the animals. We saw elephants, a leopard and a bear (the only jeep to see with thanks to the expertise of Srimal!) Great memories made.”

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