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Ways to Experience Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage
Reviews (4,197)
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Reviewed 31 August 2019 via mobile

It is a beautiful place where you get to see elephants from a closer distance. We had an awesome time with the kids there. They loved it as they got to bathe the elephant and the elephant later on bathes them. You also get to see the baby elephants. Time spent there will always be etched in our minds. Do keep spare clothes with you when you visit the Pinnawala Elephant orphanage.

Date of experience: September 2018
1  Thank pankajg5
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
pinnawalaelephant, Public Relations Manager at Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, responded to this reviewResponded 16 October 2019

Dear Pankajg5
Have a fantastic day from Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage!
We think that you have missed the real Orphanage.This is a fully government institute under the Department of National Zoological Garden.your photo shows incorrect location and please do visit Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage in a day.

Thank You,
From
PEO Team.

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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Reviewed 28 August 2019 via mobile

You can watch the elephants bath in the local river. Once you look into the reason why and how, you need to make up your own mind on the scenario. I took up the option to wash the matriarch of the herd. She is a beautiful animal and I am thankful to get close and wash her, she made sure I was wet as well! Having been to other countries where orphaned animals are left to die, I am glad these gentle giants do have an option here. Yes, it is a tourist attraction, but feed needs to come from somewhere. (You can decide) If you are in the area I would go. BTW, we have travelling Sri Lanka very safe! There have been some great sites!

Date of experience: August 2019
1  Thank Shinester888
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 26 August 2019

the orphanage is just a tourist attraction to make money. if you want to see elephants its best to ask your tour guide to take you to a national park were the elephants roam freely and you get to see them in their natural habitat.

Date of experience: July 2019
4  Thank marygolomo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 26 August 2019 via mobile

This is not a orphanage! It is a jail for elephants! I have seen elephants in freedom and these poor animals are chained and terrified. I saw them when they were taken to their bath on the river. The poor animals were panicked by the instructors carrying sticks with hooks. Just seeing the hooks the poor elephants turned away. And once inside what they call the orphanage they had some of them chained by the front and back legs with clear symptoms of stress. They kept moving from one side to the other. Poor animals. I can only denounce this barbarity since the facilities are of the government and are liars. We thought it would be a good idea to see how they took care of elephants without parents and breastfeed them, but it's all a lie. There are no orphaned elephants. They have 63 specimens live worse than in a zoo. I do not recommend it to anyone. It is a shame to see elephants suffer in this way when they could live in freedom as I have seen in other parts of the country like in Arugam Bay. They should close this place. Tourist, do not contribute to the mistreatment of these poor animals. The government profits at their expense.

Date of experience: August 2019
14  Thank 387helenal
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 24 August 2019

It's lovely to see bunch of \elephants so close. But everything here is almost too much touristic. Tickets are expensive. It is nice to see them while they are in the water. But it's a bit of a trap for tourist to steal from your pockets. People around here charged too much to take just one photo with an elephant.

Date of experience: July 2019
1  Thank lora-collin
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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