If you ask an ordinary person what place he can call paradise, what will he name? I am sure that in most cases it will be Sri Lanka! This island piece of peace and tranquility, surrounded by the Indian Ocean can really compete with many other popular holiday destinations. The nature of Sri Lanka is amazing. Probably there is no person who is not impressed by the local mountains, waterfalls and flora. Believers can find a place of power and pilgrimage here, and those interested will be surprised by the cultural diversity of this place. And of course, elephants! How can you talk about Sri Lanka and not mention these beauties? The Sri Lankan elephant is a unique subspecies of the Asian elephant! These huge friendly animals are the calling card of the island. And if a tourist visits Sri Lanka and does not see a single elephant, you can consider that his visit was wasted. If you are just planning to visit this amazing place, be sure to book a day or even several days to visit the nurseries and sanctuaries where elephants live. But where is the best place to see this local “attraction”?
Options for where you can meet elephants in Sri Lanka:
- Nursery
This is an institution that saves elephants from imminent death (abandoned by parents at a young age, injured, etc.), then helps them with adaptation, provides them with conditions similar to those they could have in the wild, as close as possible to natural realities. Today, nurseries are not only a refuge for elephants, but also implement research programs. These organizations conduct research in the field of biology, veterinary science, ecology, aimed at studying the behavior of elephants. These studies contribute to the rapid development of science, help in the creation of mechanisms that facilitate a smoother and more high-quality adaptation of animals. Nurseries also help preserve elephants by protecting rare species and implementing programs to increase their population. For tourists, this is also a very interesting place: here you can see animals in conditions as close to reality as possible, study their daily “routine”, and also contribute to the work of the nursery: help in caring for elephants, feed them. So, if you have seen funny videos of people bathing elephants or feeding baby elephants, they were most likely recorded in a nursery!
- Specialized farms
These organizations are similar in essence to nurseries, but they still have fundamental differences. A nursery is a place where rescued elephants are cared for, created mostly for tourists so that they can communicate and interact with the animals. A national park, in turn, does not put this goal first! Here, elephants live peacefully, without exploitation and stress. The main goal of these organizations is to breed elephants in an artificial environment. Often, the scale of the farms is amazing – these are huge territories where elephants move without restrictions. Elephants bathe themselves, get food for themselves and reproduce, but behind all this there is the help of a team of professionals who work to ensure a comfortable existence for elephants in these territories. But human supervision of the animals is constant! Veterinarians are always on the alert. For a tourist, direct interaction with elephants on farms is less free! Employees try to respect their natural needs, so some individuals cannot be approached freely. Tourists can listen to a tour about these amazing creatures, walk with a guide around the territory and see animals in their natural environment. In case of visiting this type of organization, you can be sure of the ethics of keeping elephants.
- National Parks
These organizations have a more serious task. Their main goal is to protect the elephant habitat and migration routes. In these areas, the elephants are completely free to exist, tourists can only watch them from afar (but no one guarantees this to visitors to the parks, since no one will bring elephants for tourists by force, and if visitors never see them, it will be their problem). But this option opens access to a really cool opportunity – a wild safari! If you are lucky, you will be able to observe the amazing behavior of elephants, namely: communication within the herd, greeting ceremonies, helping relatives and the leadership of older females over their family.
Top Places to See Elephants in Sri Lanka
So, we have sorted out the variations of places to meet elephants, but with a huge percentage of probability you are interested in specific examples of such organizations in Sri Lanka. We will not keep you in suspense for long and will immediately present you with the top of such places!
- Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage
A wonderful elephant shelter, founded in 1975 in the northwest of the city of Kegal. Initially, the idea to open this shelter belonged to the Department of Wildlife Conservation of Sri Lanka. Its goal was to save, preserve and care for orphaned elephants, who would most likely die if left in the wild. The institution successfully coped with this mission, so in the mid-80s the shelter turned into a nursery, which became popular among tourists. Today, this place is considered the most popular in Sri Lanka. About 80 elephants live on the territory of the nursery. This place is perfect for the whole family. In addition to its convenient location, it has a rich program that will amaze every visitor. Every day you can watch elephants bathing in the river, this is a truly mesmerizing sight. And those who like to try everything in practice can feed the elephants from bottles with their own hands! Of course, the place is popular among tourists, so there are crowds of people here in the morning, afternoon and evening, but for leisure time for the whole family with small children, Pinnawala Elephant Orphange is ideal!
- Millennium Elephant Foundation
Another private, small nursery located near Pinnawala (you can combine trips to these two nurseries in one day) in the province of Sabaragamuwa. On the territory there is a chamber museum of elephants. And in general this organization is very modest. Today there are about 10 elephants there. Accordingly, the place is very calm and quiet. It will appeal to those who want to spend time alone away from the crowd. But, in addition to the usual opportunities for bathing and feeding elephants, there is another option – the opportunity to ride elephants! But it also accumulates disadvantages – some visitors think that the elephants themselves are “not delighted” with the fact that they are used as a means of transport! But in Sri Lanka, elephants are very well protected, so if there really was cruelty to these animals in the nursery, most likely it would have been closed long ago.
- Udawalawe Elephant Transit Home
A rehabilitation center for baby elephants, located near the park, which will be discussed in the next section. The organization specializes in rescuing and nursing baby elephants orphaned by poachers or destruction of their habitat. Each baby elephant goes through four stages of rehabilitation: rescue from dangerous conditions, medical interventions and fattening, maximum reduction of contacts with people (here you can no longer freely interact with elephants), departure to the Udawalawe National Park, where an already adult elephant (5-10 years old) begins a free adult life. Tourists can watch the feeding of elephants here, but approaching the animals is strictly prohibited! The place may appeal to people interested in this topic, since lectures on various aspects of elephant life are held on the territory of the center almost daily. This place is worth attention, at least because the purchase of tickets and tourism is the only source of income for the center, which is used to buy food and medicine for the baby elephants. Moreover, a trip to this place can be combined with a visit to the national park located nearby (and the park is definitely worth your attention)!
- National Parks (Udawalawe, Minneriya, Kaudulla)
Bring up this topic again: national parks are not nurseries, you can’t feed or wash baby elephants here, or ride them! This is an important place that recreates the natural habitat for elephants as much as possible – there is virtually no contact with humans, elephants live in packs. Just like in the wild! But that makes it even more interesting. Each national park offers the opportunity to go on a jeep safari, during which tourists can see wildlife and animals in their real habitat. Sometimes tourists are unlucky and may not see a single mammal. But sometimes it’s an opportunity to spy on dozens of elephants that gather at lakes. You can see with your own eyes how elephants communicate using sounds, poses and touches, greet each other after a long separation (for elephants this is a whole ceremony, the duration of which sometimes reaches 10 minutes), and take care of their offspring. Udawalawe National Park is home to elephants that were rehabilitated as cubs at the Udawalawe Elephant transit home, so there are a lot of elephants there and you can see them all year round! There are slightly fewer of them in Minneriya and Kaudulla parks, but tourists note that these parks are especially active from August to October. In the national park, you can get real emotions, take a lot of good photos in the wild and comprehend the beauty of real conditions of natural ecosystems.
How to choose where to spend time?
It all depends on your interests and preferences. If you want to see a spectacular show and also take an active part in the life of elephants, Pinnawala is for you. The place is ideal for family leisure, especially for small children who want to touch and try everything! If you are a fan of a quiet holiday away from the hustle and bustle of tourists, give preference to the Millennium Elephant Foundation. If you are interested in and touched by baby elephants, Udawalawe Elephant Transit Home. For real emotions and safaris, go to national parks.
Practical advice
- Don’t forget water and hats!
It is very hot in Sri Lanka, so not only in the nurseries but at any time, wear caps and drink plenty of fluids! Especially if you plan to spend the whole day on your feet.
- Don’t forget your camera!
Believe me, you will definitely want to capture the beauty that you will see in any of the places presented above. Charge your phone and always keep it ready, elephants can appear at any moment.
- It’s better to come in the morning.
There aren’t many tourists at this time, but in addition to that, elephant bathing and feeding starts in the morning. So if you really want to take part in this, it’s best to arrive early.
- Book your jeep in advance!
If you are planning a safari, you should take care of it well in advance. It is often easier to find a hotel than a free jeep! If you decide to sort this out on the spot and do not plan to visit the national park at least a week in advance, there is a high probability that you will not visit it.
- If you have a child, visit the nursery
Children are interested in touching everything and trying it out. Elephants are very tactile animals, so children will be interested in communicating with them. Plus, it can be dangerous for children on a safari, since in the wild, various emergency situations can occur, for which children are certainly not ready!
Conclusion
Elephants are an important part of the cultural code of Sri Lanka. Without them, this place would not be so unique and special. Therefore, every tourist should get acquainted with these amazing animals! And it does not matter whether it will happen in a nursery, a national park or a farm! The main thing is to go at least once and experience those emotions that will remain in your memory for many years. Especially for children. You can find excursions to nurseries and national parks and nurseries on this page of the site, I work with a licensed local guide who conducts excursions in Russian, contact me, I will definitely tell you where it is best for you to go!
