Wild Elephants | Habarana, Sri Lanka

An evening safari at Hurulu Eco Park in Habarana, Sri Lanka, in mid-May 2025. We drove in from Trincomalee hoping to see elephants in Minneriya or Kaudulla, but the safari guides told us there were very few there that day. Elephants move between Minneriya, Kaudulla and Hurulu through the year, following water and fresh grass. So we headed to Hurulu for the evening safari and saw around 20–30 elephants in 3–4 herds, including mothers with calves crossing the jeep track. Along the way, our guide shared how the herds live: how much they eat, why the males leave the herd, and what locals call a “Thunpath Raana”. Chapters 0:00 Highlights 0:10 Hiring a Safari Jeep & Guide 0:34 Drive to the Park 5:30 First Sighting 8:00 First Herd 13:00 Second Herd 19:50 Third Herd 22:35 Fourth Herd 24:05 Way Back 24:50 A Lone Elephant Waiting for Food 📍 Hurulu Eco Park, Habarana, Sri Lanka 🗓 Best time to visit: December to June 💰 Costs on our visit (May 2025) • Safari jeep hire: LKR 7,000 through a contact (usually LKR 10,000–15,000) • Entrance: LKR 210 (local adult), USD 15 (foreign adult) • Jeep entrance: LKR 800 💡 Tip: ask the safari drivers which park has elephants that day. Filmed on iPhone 11. #HuruluEcoPark #Habarana #SriLanka #ElephantSafari #WildElephants #TrekMadness