Pinnawala

Is Pinnawala worth visiting?

Quick answer: Yes, if you want to see a big herd of elephants up close. Pinnawala, in Kegalle District, is home to the government-run Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, where 65 elephants walk down to bathe in the Ma Oya river at 10.00 am and 2.00 pm. Foreign adults pay USD 17.70, paid in rupees. It is about 88 km from Colombo Fort and 40 km from Kandy, so it fits on the road between them.

Pinnawala is a small village on the Karandupana to Rambukkana road, about 9 km from Kegalle town. Almost everyone comes for the elephants. The orphanage and the riverbank are a short walk apart, with shops and restaurants along the lane between them.

What is the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage?

The orphanage was set up on 16 February 1975 by the Department of Wildlife Conservation with five orphaned calves: Kumari, Neela, Kadira, Vijaya and Mathali. It was created to rescue and care for young elephants that had lost their mothers in the wild. Today it is run by the Department of National Zoological Gardens.

The first calf born at Pinnawala was Sukumali, in 1984. The orphanage has since recorded 76 captive births, including its first twins in 2021. The herd is now 65 elephants: 27 males and 38 females. The department says the orphanage keeps a conservation population of Sri Lankan elephants in human care, which could support reintroduction to the wild if wild numbers ever fell sharply.

When do the elephants bathe? (official timetable)

This is the daily timetable on the orphanage's page, checked on 26 October 2026. Plan your arrival around it.

The river scenes at 10.00 am and 2.00 pm are the reason most people come. If you are driving from Colombo, leave by about 7.30 am to be there for the morning bathing. From Kandy, the 2.00 pm slot is easy to reach after a morning in the city.

The site gives other closing times in its footer and header (5.00 pm and 5.30 pm), so do not plan to arrive late in the afternoon.

How much are Pinnawala tickets?

Prices on the orphanage page on 26 October 2026:

All payments must be made in Sri Lankan rupees. The SAARC labels on the official page say "(3 to 12 years)" for both adults and children, which looks like a typing error; take your passport and ask at the counter. The site lists the same combined price as the orphanage-only price for SAARC visitors. Tickets can also be booked through the department's eTicket service at tickets.nationalzoo.gov.lk.

To compare these with Sigiriya and the ancient cities, see the entry ticket prices guide.

What activities can you pay for?

Bathing passes are sold at eight points by the Ma Oya. You do not have to buy any of these. Watching the herd in the river from the bank is included in the entry ticket. Our elephants in Sri Lanka guide explains the difference between orphanages, transit homes and seeing elephants in the wild.

What are the rules?

The same rules apply at the orphanage, Pinnawala Zoo and Dehiwala Zoo:

• No plastic or polythene bags or bottles.
• No pets, drums, whistles or portable speakers.
• No smoking, alcohol or drugs.
• No touching animals outside the official programmes, and no feeding except through them.
• Do not pay anyone who is not an official guide.

What is Pinnawala Zoo?

Pinnawala Zoo opened on 17 April 2015 as Sri Lanka's first open-concept zoo, on 36 acres beside the Ma Oya. The department lists Sri Lankan leopards, Royal Bengal tigers, sloth bears, crocodiles, flamingos and the country's largest open butterfly garden. It also runs a leopard breeding programme. If you have the morning between the two bathing times, the combined ticket covers both.

How do you get to Pinnawala?

By road. These are OpenStreetMap routes with no traffic, checked on 26 October 2026:

Real journeys take longer, especially leaving Colombo. Pinnawala works well as a stop on the drive from the airport or Colombo to Kandy, or from Kandy to Sigiriya. The day trips from Colombo guide treats it as a full day out.

By bus. The National Transport Commission's fare table lists route 1-1 Colombo to Kegalle (Rs 361), route 1-1/245 Negombo to Kegalle (Rs 338), route 662 Kandy to Kegalle (Rs 207) and routes 508 and 509 Kurunegala to Rambukkana (Rs 155 and Rs 163). From Kegalle, take a local bus towards Rambukkana or a tuk-tuk for the last 9 km. At the Western Province rate in our tuk-tuk fares guide, 9 km would be about Rs 830, but Kegalle is outside that province, so agree the price first.

By train. Rambukkana is the nearest railway station, about 4 km away by road. Newswire reported on 25 October 2026 that all trains between Rambukkana and Peradeniya and Gampola were suspended from midnight at the end of 25 October until further notice because of an active landslide near Kadigamuwa. The Sri Lanka Railways website did not load on 26 October 2026, so we could not confirm services to Rambukkana itself. Check at the station before you plan around a train.

Where else can you go from Pinnawala?

• Kandy. The Kandy guide covers the Temple of the Tooth and the lake, 40 km away.
• Kitulgala. River rafting and forest, 63 km away; see Kitulgala.
• A family trip. The 9-day itinerary with parents uses Pinnawala as an easy stop on the way to Kandy.