This is a day tour from Colombo Port to the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, with a private air-conditioned vehicle and an English-speaking chauffeur guide. It begins with a pick-up at the gates of Colombo Port and heads inland to Pinnawala village in the Kegalle District, where the orphanage sits beside the Maha Oya river.
The orphanage was established in 1975 by Sri Lanka's Department of Wildlife Conservation to care for young elephants displaced or separated from the wild, and it is now run by the Department of National Zoological Gardens. Visitors watch the daily routine of the herd from the viewing areas: the calves being bottle-fed with milk by their mahouts, the larger elephants at their feed, and the herd walking down to the river to bathe and cool off in the water.
Time at Pinnawala is spent at the feeding session, then watching the bathing at the river, and walking around the facility to see how it works. There is a chance to stop for lunch either at Pinnawala or on the drive back to Colombo, at your own expense. If you are leaving the port early, bring a packed breakfast.
The tour includes transport throughout in an air-conditioned vehicle, the service of an English-speaking chauffeur guide, bottled mineral water per person, and all taxes and service charges. Entrance fees to the orphanage are not included, nor are food and drinks, gratuities or personal expenses. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended, drive times depend on road traffic, and photography stops can be made on the way where there is reasonable parking.
