Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage
පින්නවල අලි අනාථාගාරය
An elephant sanctuary founded in 1975, where visitors can watch baby elephants being fed and the herd cross the road to bathe in the river at set times.
Pinnawala lies about 40 km west of Kandy, roughly 1.5 hours by car. It takes in injured elephants and orphaned calves that have lost their mothers, and today it houses several dozen elephants. Baby elephants are fed at about 09:15, 13:15 and 17:00 each day. Around 10:00 and 14:00, the herd crosses the road to bathe in the Maha Oya River, which you can watch from the riverside restaurants. Foreign admission is around 3,000 rupees or more. In recent years the facility's animal welfare has been controversial. Visitors seeking a more natural setting may consider herds in national parks such as Udawalawe instead.
Opening hours
08:30–17:30
Nearby sights
- Gadaladeniya Vihara
- Lankatilaka Vihara
- Embekke Devalaya
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya
- Ambuluwawa Tower
- Bahirawakanda Vihara Buddha Statue
- Kandy Municipal Central Market
- Ceylon Tea Museum