DAY EXCURSION - PINNAWALA ELEPHANT ORPHANAGE

At this orphanage you will find elephants of all ages, which are abandoned or otherwise unable to fend for themselves by way of being injured. They are looked after with loving care until such time they are ready to work or be freed back to the jungles. The unique feature is that one could feed the baby elephants with bottles of milk during the feeding times. The elephants are also bathed daily in a river located across the orphanage. This is an Elephant photographer’s Paradise.

Daily features of Interest at the Pinnawala Orphanage

08.30 hours Open to visitors
09.15 hours Bottle feeding
10.00 hours Herd leaving to the river
12.00 hours Return from the river
13.15 hours Bottle feeding
14.00 hours Herd leaving to the river
16.00 hours Return from the river
17.00 hours Bottle feeding
17.30 hours Ticket counters close
18.00 hours Close to public

The tourist attraction of  Pinnawala (Pinnawela) Elephant Orphanage

Visiting Pinnawela grand opportunity to enjoy the spectacle up close a large herd of elephants interacting together. The highlight is the elephants at the bathing hours: at 10.00 am and 2.00 pm daily, the animals are walked 400 meters to the river Maha Oya. The visitors seated on the steep rocky banks of the river, are afforded the opportunity, to enjoy the sight of the herd of elephants bathing and playing at the river.The bathing hours are followed up with the feeding hour at the main center of the orphanage. Baby elephants are bottle fed. Selected visitors have a chance of bottle feeding milk to the baby elephants.

Each and every beast is fed with green matter made of leaves weighing no less than 75 kg: Coconut leaves ,  Jackfruit , leaves, branches and logs of Kitul palm tree , tamarind and grass. Over and above that quantity, elephants are also fed with 2kg of a food mixture containing maize, rice bran, powdered gingerly seed and minerals.