The Ramba Vihara is a rarely visited archaeological site, though it's one of the historically most significant excavation in the southern part of Sri Lanka. The small monastic buildings, ruins of which can still be studied, are from the late Anuradhapura period. In the Polonnaruwa period, this area became the capital of southern Sri Lanka then known as Rohana.

Before entering the national park, you will be visiting the Udawalawe Elephant Transit Home, where orphaned elephant babies are nursed and made fit for later rehabilitation and release back to the wild.

First and foremost, Udawalawe National Park is famous for wild elephants. Small groups of cow elephants with babies and juveniles can be seen throughout the year in this wildlife area. Bull elephants, some of them tuskers, can be seen as loners or in very small groups of juveniles at the shores of the large lake.