Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage and Millennium Elephant Foundation

Pinnawela is famous for its Elephant Orphanage. The orphanage is managed by the Sri Lankan government and mostly houses orphans that would not have survived in the jungle on their own. Most of them were injured or disabled. There are also small baby elephants either abandoned by the herd or missing parents. They are all being cared for at the elephant orphanage. The orphanage was opened in 1975.

There are about 88 adult elephants and around 15 baby elephants in this place. Most of the visitors come here to see the giants and the famous river bathing time. Every day the whole herd is taken to the river for bathing to cool down. Your interaction with these giants is limited at the orphanage. But if you are lucky you will get the chance to feed those baby elephants with giant milk bottles.

Millennium Elephant Foundation is managed by a charity organization to rescue and care for orphaned and injured elephants. it was stabled in 1999. At the Foundation you will get a much closer hands-on experience with the elephants. They also do run volunteer programs in which you can participate. don't forget to miss the chance to wash and scrub one of these giants while you visit them.

There is also the elephant dung paper factory. Yes, they are making paper craft products using elephant dung. Don't miss the tour of how these elephant dung papers are made. Also, you can grab a souvenir to remember your trip. You can also visit the Pinnawela Zoo.

Temperature is between 28°C in March to 25°C in January. This region is warm and can expect little showers throughout the year. The best time to visit is January, March, and June to mid-September.

The best locations to stay in Pinnawela are Hotel Elephant Park, Hotel Elephant Bay, Hotel Pinnalanda, Cafe Pinnalanda, Suwani Pinnawala Homestay, Greenland Guest House, Hotel Elephant Bay, Eden Lodge and, Green Leaves Garden.