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The Fortress Resort and Spa

See the largest herd of captive elephants in the world at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage

Join The Fortress Resort & Spa on an adventure of no small scale! Visit the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage with us; located approximately four hours away from the resort, Pinnawala boasts the world’s largest herd of captive elephants. Since its inception in 1975, it has been an orphanage as well as a nursery and captive breeding ground for Sri Lankan Elephants that have been abandoned or injured in the wild.

Situated on the way to Kandy, this site which is also known as the Pinnawala Elephant Park is one of the island’s biggest tourist attractions as it gives you the chance to get close to these amazing creatures. The orphanage is open from 08:30am to 05:45pm but the best time to visit would be between 10:00am and 02:00pm when the elephants have their bath in the nearby river. Another spectacular sight to witness is when baby elephants are bottle fed and this happens three times a day at 09:15am, 01:15pm and 05:00pm.