Is the sanctuary open over new year holidays? 31st Dec and 1st jan ??

we are coming from Dambulla , how do we get here ? , before then we were going to take the train from Kandy to Ella and then drive from Ella to Dambulla, which we also don't have any idea if it is the best way or not. Can you please advice? thank you so much ! Nareni

Please do not go to this cruel place it really is so awful Go here instead where the elephants are free and not chained kaudulla national park PLEASE DO NOT GO and support this VILE establishment IT CONDONES ANIMAL CRUELTY CHAINED ELEPHANTS with LACK OF FOOD & WATER (until they are paraded round to a lake for 1hour of the day then taken back to extreme living conditions) so very sad Most Male elephants have all 4 LEGS CHAINED for tourists to take better photographs. Sending elephants CRAZY, disoriented and disturbed. Very DISTURBING & HEARTBREAKING to see Elephants are constantly STABBED, POKED & PUSHED by SHARP digger instruments to facilitate tourist pictures Elephant mothers UNABLE to PRODUCE sufficient MILK to feed babies because of such disgusting living conditions Stuck in BLAZING heat from lack of shade from sun. MELTING holy with no access to water . The workers make LOTS of MONEY . LYING when say they are poor. Animal CRUELTY to get rich Elephants should spend all day grazing freely on grass with access to water. Not chained with limited space/ food on concrete or sandy grounds for tourists to take pictures. It is such a cruel place and I feel sick to the stomach when I think of the poor elephants living in such terrible living conditions I cannot believe I paid money to go. Where to start. It is like the worst imaginable elephant circus enabling stupid tourists to crowd round taking pictures of elephants and asking workers for close-up selfies - encouraging the workers to parade elephants round for better pictures. Using the sharpest 'poker' & 'hooks' in the elephants' bellys & ears to force them to move for the picture. And even worse - all the male elephants are chained to one place all day. Some have 3 and 4 legs chained and are rocking back /forth making noises out of pure frustrationz I could cry thinking about it all. It ruined my love for Sri Lanka. 4 of us went hoping to find elephants that had been 'rescued'. Quite the opposite. The elephants have been poached to live in terrible living conditions for the sake of greed. I have been contacting WWF to see what can be done about this cruel elephant 'orphanages' - they should be called 'elephant prison'. Heartbreaking and I hope dearly to promote more awareness to stop people naively or ignorantly going to such an evil place ...I

I am hoping to arrange a day trip next month to the elephant orphanage from Kalutara. Can anyone recommend a guide or tour company? I have contacted a couple in the Kalutara area already but had no response. Thanks!

We are in Kandy right now and we are thinking about going to Pinnewala Elephant orphanage. We are in doubt because we're not sure or we can feed and wash them. Does somebody know or it is possible?

Hi all, I am travelling by cruise ship to Colombo in April. Is it possible to hire a car and driver from the port and get to the orphanage and get back to the port in 7 hours with 3 hours at the orphanage? Also how much is a car and driver for the day?? Thanks

How much do the staff charge for taking photos,feeding,bathing etc? Thanks

Can you ride these elephants? I was hoping to ride one when I go to SriLanka next year.

Tulrika86, pamatuješ si jméno místa, kde jste se "omylem"zastavili? Děkuji Marcel

Ist es möglich die Elefanten im Fluss Baden zu sehen ohne den Eintritt in den Park zu zahlen?!