Kandalama safari: what you need to know
Here's something a lot of people don't know: there's no Kandalama National Park. Kandalama is a lake and a hotel area near Dambulla, famous for the Heritance Kandalama hotel.
When people say "Kandalama safari", they mean going on a safari from Kandalama to one of the real parks nearby: usually Minneriya, Kaudulla or Hurulu, depending on where the elephants are that month.
We can pick you up from your Kandalama hotel. It's the furthest pickup we do, about 50 to 60 minutes each way in the jeep, so there's an extra fee.
Good to know
- Money-saving tip: take an air-conditioned taxi or tuk-tuk from Kandalama to Habarana (about 25–30 minutes), and meet the jeep there. The Habarana pickup is free, and a car is much more comfortable than an open jeep on the main road.
- Tell us your hotel and we'll help you pick the easiest option.
Pickup from Kandalama
+ LKR 6,500
per jeep, there and back · 50–60 min to Minneriya
Example: Cozy Jeep to Minneriya from Kandalama
LKR 14,000 jeep + LKR 6,500 pickup = LKR 20,500 for the whole jeep, plus park tickets.
Ready to see the elephants?
Private jeeps from LKR 14,000 for the whole jeep. Up to 6 people. Park tickets shown upfront and paid in one go.