Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage

The story

Established in 1975 to care for orphaned and injured wild elephants, Pinnawala is now home to one of the world's largest captive herds. Twice daily the elephants amble down the village street to bathe in the Maha Oya river — a remarkable sight as calves splash and adults spray water from raised trunks.

Highlights

• Twice-daily river bathing spectacle
• One of the world's largest captive herds
• Bottle-feeding of orphaned calves
• Easy day trip from Kandy or Colombo

Things to do here

1. 1Watch the herd bathe in the Maha Oya river (10am & 2pm)
2. 2Attend the calf bottle-feeding session (9:15am, 1:15pm, 5pm)
3. 3Riverside lunch at a terrace overlooking the bathing site
4. 4Visit the on-site elephant museum
5. 5Browse the elephant-dung paper workshop
6. 6Combine with Kandy Temple of the Tooth on the same day