The Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage is located northwest of the town “Kegalla”. The Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage was founded in 1975 by the Department of Wildlife. The whole compound was constructed on a twenty five acre land.

The orphanage’s primary motive was to give a safe and secure environment to all the baby elephants held in its captivity. In most of these cases the mother had either died or been killed. In some instances the baby had fallen into a pit. At first, the orphanage had seven baby elephants which formed its core. Now it is a conservation and education centre.

In 1984 a baby elephant was given birth to within the compound, which was a great accomplishment since it meant breeding was possible. The main income for sustenance of the orphanage is from both local and foreign visitors. There are only a handful of elephant orphanages in the whole world. Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage has now become one of the worlds most largest and successful orphanages and its name is world recognized.

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.