Where to see elephants in Sri Lanka
Elephants, along with tea, are one of the main “calling cards” of the island. For most tourists, seeing elephants is an important item on the program of visiting the island. Fortunately, Sri Lanka is probably the best place on Earth to see these tranquil giants.
Where to see elephants in Sri Lanka
Elephants, along with tea, are one of the main “calling cards” of the island. For most tourists, seeing elephants is an important item on the program of visiting the island. Fortunately, Sri Lanka is probably the best place on Earth to see these tranquil giants.
Where to see elephants in Sri Lanka
In short, there are four main ways to see and interact with elephants in Sri Lanka: Jeep safaris in one of the national parks, Elephant Sanctuary in Pinnawela, the private Millennium Elephant Sanctuary and Elephant Paper Factory, and elephant rides near Sigiriya. Below we describe each of these options in detail.
FYI: In total, there are about 8,000 elephants living on the island as of the end of 2022.
Jeep safaris in national parks
A jeep ride in Minneriya, Udawalawe and Yala National Parks is an exciting adventure and an opportunity to see wild elephants in their natural habitat. Apart from elephants, there are many exotic birds, wild boars, leopards, bears and giant squirrels to see.
For tourists who visit the national park in one day, we recommend a jeep safari through Udawalawa or Minneriya. These are compact parks and you are guaranteed to see animals here. And in Yala, because of the huge territory, much depends on luck. It is worth going there for a few days.
A jeep safari (not including transfers to the national park) costs $80 per person.
FYI: Wild elephants are dangerous. Each year, about 65 people die on the island because of elephants. When observing wild elephants, precautions are advised.
Where to see elephants in Sri Lanka
Elephants, along with tea, are one of the main “calling cards” of the island. For most tourists, seeing elephants is an important item on the program of visiting the island. Fortunately, Sri Lanka is probably the best place on Earth to see these tranquil giants.
Where to see elephants in Sri Lanka
In short, there are four main ways to see and interact with elephants in Sri Lanka: Jeep safaris in one of the national parks, Elephant Sanctuary in Pinnawela, the private Millennium Elephant Sanctuary and Elephant Paper Factory, and elephant rides near Sigiriya. Below we describe each of these options in detail.
FYI: In total, there are about 8,000 elephants living on the island as of the end of 2022.
Jeep safaris in national parks
A jeep ride in Minneriya, Udawalawe and Yala National Parks is an exciting adventure and an opportunity to see wild elephants in their natural habitat. Apart from elephants, there are many exotic birds, wild boars, leopards, bears and giant squirrels to see.
For tourists who visit the national park in one day, we recommend a jeep safari through Udawalawa or Minneriya. These are compact parks and you are guaranteed to see animals here. And in Yala, because of the huge territory, much depends on luck. It is worth going there for a few days.
A jeep safari (not including transfers to the national park) costs $80 per person.
FYI: Wild elephants are dangerous. Each year, about 65 people die on the island because of elephants. When observing wild elephants, precautions are advised.
Read more about jeep safari
Jeep safari in Sri Lanka (Yala, Udawalawe, Minneriya, Maduru Oya, Wilpattu).
Jeep safari in one of the national parks of Sri Lanka
Hundreds of wild elephants
Possibility to see leopard, crocodiles, giant squirrels and other animals
Personalized one-day excursion in a comfortable vehicle
Jeep Safari, elephants
From $140 per person
Details
Organizer: Organizer
Special Features: Elephants
Elephant nurseries in Pinawella and in Udawalawa
Elephants in Pinawella
For those who want to see elephants up close, there are elephant nurseries in Pinawella and Udawalawa. The nursery in Pinawella is the largest elephant sanctuary in the world!
A walk through the nursery can be compared to visiting a zoo.
The entrance fee to the elephant nursery is $18 per person.
There is also a hotel near the nursery, where tourists like to take photos in the pool against the background of elephants.
FYI: The Ceylon elephant is one of the three recognized subspecies of the Asian elephant and is endemic to Sri Lanka. Asian elephants are smaller in size than African elephants. Females are usually smaller than males and have short or no tusks. Only 7% of males have tusks. The Ceylon elephant, the largest of the modern subspecies of the Asian elephant, reaches a height of 2 to 3.5 meters and weighs from 2000 to 5500 kg. Their skin color is darker than that of Indian and Sumatran elephants, with large and bright pigment spots on the ears,
