How many nights should I stay near Udawalawe?

Booking exactly 1 night at a hotel or guesthouse around Udawalawe is totally enough for most visitors.

If you arrive in the afternoon, you can check in, then rest a bit, and maybe stop by the Udawalawe Elephant Transit Home for the evening feeding. After that, you can rise early for a 6:00 AM morning jeep safari, check out by late morning, and continue onward towards the coast or the central highlands. A two-night stay becomes essential only when you are really into wildlife photography and you want several tries inside the park.