Lady’s Guide to Visiting the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage

After visiting the legendary city of Kandy, the next stop on my Asia travel itinerary was the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage in Sri Lanka.

Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage

Famous for its impressive herd of pachyderms, the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage was conveniently located between Kandy and Colombo, which was my next stop.

I decided to break up the drive by spending some quality time with the elephants en route.

The Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is an orphanage, nursery, and breeding facility for wild Asian elephants. It’s home to the world’s largest herd of captive elephants.

The Experience

The orphanage itself was empty when I arrived. I was told that the elephants were at the nearby river, and that I could go there to see them after paying the somewhat hefty US$20 entry fee (at least the money went to a good cause!).

The Elephants

I walked down a street lined with souvenir shops selling everything from leather bags to elephant sculptures, and soon found myself standing amazingly close to a herd of Sri Lankan elephants. It was pretty spectacular.

The 20-odd elephants spent the next hour wading through the river, over to the opposite bank, and along the muddy shore.

While many of the elephants were much larger than I had expected (my only other elephant orphanage experience was in Nairobi years ago, where all the elephants were babies), there was one that couldn’t have been more than a week or two old.

It was adorably small, and still learning to walk. Several of the older elephants were very protective of it, and hovered around the little one as it frolicked in the river.

Another elephant that stood out to me was one that was sadly missing a foot. However, it had learned to cope remarkably well, and walked on three legs almost as quickly as its four-footed friends.

I sat watching the elephants while enjoying a huge vegetable curry on the terrace of a restaurant overlooking the river. When I left, the animals were also getting ready to head back down the souvenir-studded street to their home.

Pinnawala to Colombo

My home for the night would be a two-hour drive from the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage. Back in Colombo, I stayed at a guest house run by one of the sweetest women I have ever encountered on my travels.

Upon arrival, I received a warm greeting from my hostess and her adorable dog, and was promptly given a welcome drink before being shown to my room upstairs.

Everything I needed was provided for, from the bed and desk to WiFi and amenities. It was nice to feel like I was in someone’s home after being on the road for two weeks.

Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage and Beyond

I drifted off to sleep that night dreaming of the animals at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, and imagining them leading me south to my next stop in Sri Lanka: Galle.

Want more? Take a look at my Sri Lanka travel video.

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