Sri Lanka · PINNAWALA ELEPHANT ORPHANAGE VISITS

The 15 Best Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage Tours

33 tours  ·  from $13

Feeding times run to a timetable and the herd walks to the river between them, so arrival time is the whole decision. The 15 below are priced and timed, most of them paired with Kandy.

From Kandy: Pinnawala Day Tour - Kadugannawa View Point and the road into the hills
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From Kandy: Pinnawala Day Tour

1.Pinnawala Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 331 reviews · 8 hours · from $15Our pick

Travel from Kandy to Pinnawala by tuk-tuk or air-conditioned minivan with a flexible English-speaking guide such as Danushka, Saman, Terence, or Channa. See elephants, temples, tea country, gardens, viewpoints, and local workshops, then tailor the stops to your interests.

“We had an awesome trip with Terence. He is so kind, helpful, extremely caring and knows so much about his country and culture. We started the day with the temples in Kandy and then went to the elephant’s orphanage, also having interesting and informative workshops along the way. He takes care of everything and makes sure the guests feel comfortable and happy. We fell in love with Sri Lanka thanks to his trip!”

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From Colombo: Kandy Temples and Pinnawala Full-Day Tour - The 6:30 AM start from Colombo or Negombo
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From Colombo: Kandy Temples and Pinnawala Full-Day Tour

2.Kandy Temples and Pinnawala Full-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 144 reviews · 1 day · from $54

Leave Colombo or Negombo at 6:30 AM for Pinnawala’s elephant river visit, Kandy’s Tooth Relic Temple, the hilltop Buddha, craft workshops, and a Pilimathalawa tea factory. English-speaking guides such as Aadhil, Dilip, and Susantha tailor stops in a small group of up to 10.

“This experience was amazing! We got so much done in one day without feeling rushed. Our guide, Tuan, was great--friendly, professional, timely, knowledgeable and always checked in along the way to customize our experience as much as he could. I'd recommend this experience. Highly recommended!”

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Kandy to Pinnawala Orphanage and Ambuluwawa Guided Day Tours - Ambuluwawa Tower and the narrow climb
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Kandy to Pinnawala Orphanage and Ambuluwawa Guided Day Tours

3.Kandy to Pinnawala Orphanage and Ambuluwawa Guided Day Tours

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 144 reviews · 1 day · from $16

Set out from Kandy with an English-speaking guide such as Ramzan, Dhanu, Akila, or Sanath. Visit Ambuluwawa Tower, Pinnawala, a tea factory, botanical gardens, temples, and craft workshops in one long private day. You can adjust the pace, but several entrance fees cost extra.

“I had a great day with Sanath Samarakoon, he is a fantastic driver with a fun sense of humour. He was flexible with what sights I wanted to see, or miss. And even stopped to buy me some Sri Lankan snacks to try throughout the day. I thoroughly recommend booking him through his facebook page. Only downer was the Pinnawala Orphanage which felt a bit rushed and expensive for the amount of time I was there.”

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From Colombo: Kandy, Pinnawala and Tea Factory Full-Day Trip - The early road to Pinnawala
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From Colombo: Kandy, Pinnawala and Tea Factory Full-Day Trip

4.Kandy, Pinnawala and Tea Factory Full-Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 99 reviews · 12 hours · from $55

Travel from Colombo or Negombo to Pinnawala and Kandy in an air-conditioned vehicle with a multilingual guide. Feed elephants, visit the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, stop at a spice garden, craft and jewelry workshops, and taste tea at New Giragama Tea Factory. Lunch and temple entry cost extra.

“Amazing trip. Driver priyantha was very informative and helpful too.”

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Private Day trip Kandy & pinnawala with your selected attractions - The Island Spice Grove and the shopping question
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Private Day trip Kandy & pinnawala with your selected attractions

5.Private Day trip Kandy & pinnawala with your selected attractions

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 53 reviews · from $65Top rated

Travel from Colombo to Kandy and Pinnawala in a private air-conditioned vehicle with an English-speaking chauffeur-guide, possibly Dimuth. Choose key stops such as the Temple of the Tooth, tea factory, spice garden, Kandy viewpoint, city center, and Ape Gama. Lunch and listed entrance fees are included.

“We had a great day visiting Kandy and sites along the way, Dimuth tailored the tour to our needs - would highly recommend”

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From Kandy : Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage & Ambuluwawa Tower - Starting in Kandy with temples and city views
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From Kandy : Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage & Ambuluwawa Tower

6.Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage & Ambuluwawa Tower

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 37 reviews · 8 hours · from $20

Travel privately from Kandy by tuk-tuk or air-conditioned minivan with an English-speaking driver such as Masi or Rohan. See elephants, temples, tea and craft workshops, then climb Ambuluwawa Tower for wide mountain views. Confirm the elephant stop and tower opening before you go.

“It was really good , my Tuk Tuk driver took very good care of me , masi a very wonderful guy”

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Kandy and Pinnawala Private Day Tour from Colombo/Negombo - Tea country and the factory visit
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Kandy and Pinnawala Private Day Tour from Colombo/Negombo

7.Kandy and Pinnawala Private Day Tour from Colombo/Negombo

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 27 reviews · from $65

Travel by private vehicle from Colombo or Negombo to Pinnawala and Kandy with hotel pickup, bottled water, and a flexible driver-guide. Visit an elephant facility, tea factory, Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, Kandy View Point, and a herbal spice garden. Guide Anas has handled early starts and custom schedules.

“Great customized tour with excellent communication with the operator. Since we had to be back on our cruise ship by 5pm, arrangements were made to meet our tour guide/ driver, Anas, at 6:30am for a private tour to go to several places tRead more”

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Day Tour to Elephant Orphanage / spice garden - Leaving Colombo for Sabaragamuwa Province
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Day Tour to Elephant Orphanage / spice garden

8.Day Tour to Elephant Orphanage / spice garden

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 20 reviews · 6 hours · from $59

Travel from Colombo to Pinnawala for a six-hour guided outing with elephant viewing, river bathing, milk-feeding, transport, and entry included. Guides such as Pradeep and Ruwan can add local insight, while the spice garden stop should be confirmed before booking.

“The main experience at the elephant sanctuary was incredible but I'll caveat my experience with a few notes. Pick up bang on time and an excellent driver. I shared my trip with 2 others who were staying out the way; I found out that the paid much more than I did which is what it is but did mean the trip from Colombo was done on back roads and my travel time was extended to over 6 hours. We didn't visit the spice garden nor was it offered. Felt like we had to get back due to the extra travel time. As expected with these places the guards will charge/ask…”

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From Colombo: Kandy and Pinnawala Orphanage Short Excursions - Entering the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy
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From Colombo: Kandy and Pinnawala Orphanage Short Excursions

9.Kandy and Pinnawala Orphanage Short Excursions

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 18 reviews · 14 days · from $75

Travel from Colombo in an air-conditioned vehicle to Kandy and Pinnawala. Visit the Temple of the Tooth, watch elephants by the river, taste Ceylon tea, tour a spice garden, and see Peradeniya’s plants. Dhanuka has earned praise for friendly service, but guide English and vehicle size can vary.

“A special thank you to Dhanuka, he was amazing, drinking like a pro and answering all our questions even the most stupid one. We tried coconut water, visited the elephant orphanage and also this special spice and tea garden. Finally we went to the tooth temple amazing experience. Thank again and we racomend 100%”

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Udawalawe Safari & Elephant Orphanage visit from Hambantota port - Meeting your driver at Hambantota Port
Hambantota Shore Excursions, Hambantota Shore Excursions in Hambantota, Hambantota Tours, Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage Visits, Safari, Tour Reviews, Udawalawe National Park Safaris, Udawalawe National Park Safaris in Hambantota

Udawalawe Safari & Elephant Orphanage visit from Hambantota port

10.Udawalawe Safari & Elephant Orphanage visit from Hambantota port

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 18 reviews · from $49

Travel from Hambantota Port to Udawalawe for a wildlife jeep safari and a visit to the Elephant Transit Home. You get port pickup, drinks, snacks, binoculars, and a small group of up to six. Guides such as Darshana and Madu are noted for sharp animal spotting and friendly explanations.

“Great experience. Convenient pick up from the Cruise Port gates, comfortable journey to the Elephant Sanctuary, following by an amazing Elephant safari, with lots of other animals too. The guide was very helpful and informative, the trip was great value. Highly recommended for cruise passengers”

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Kandy to Pinnawala Guided Day Tours by Local - Pinnawala and the elephant visit
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Kandy to Pinnawala Guided Day Tours by Local

11.Kandy to Pinnawala Guided Day Tours by Local

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 16 reviews · 1 day · from $14

Spend a full day in a private tuk tuk or car with a local English-speaking guide such as Akila or Ramzan. Visit Pinnawala or Millennium Elephant Foundation, a tea factory, Royal Botanical Garden, temples, craft workshops, Kandy viewpoints, and the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic.

“It was a wonderful day with our driver Ramzan! We have chosen together the stops for the day at the beginning of the tour and after the tour started! He is amazing and very kind, for lunch he brings us in a fantastic local restaurant where we had the best lunch of our time in Sri Lanka! We recommend this tour for everyone, it is vary value for the money and with this tour you can see all the places in Kandy and around. If you have to choose a driver, you have to choose Ramzan! Thanks for all!”

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From Colombo or Negombo: Pinnawala, Kandy & Tea Factory Tour - Pinnawala and the elephants by the river
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From Colombo or Negombo: Pinnawala, Kandy & Tea Factory Tour

12.From Colombo or Negombo: Pinnawala, Kandy & Tea Factory Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 15 reviews · 8 hours · from $46

Travel with an English-speaking driver, often Janaka, from Colombo or Negombo to Pinnawala, Kandy, and the hill-country tea area. Expect elephants by the river, the Sacred Tooth Relic, Kandy views, tea tasting, spice and craft stops, and a long day on the road.

“The trip was great! Janaka our driver was very helpfull, saw as all the places and explained everything in detail. Great experience, definitely recommended”

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Pinnawala Day Tour from Kandy (Private tour ) - Leaving Kandy for the spice gardens of Mawanella
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Pinnawala Day Tour from Kandy (Private tour )

13.Pinnawala Day Tour from Kandy (Private tour )

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 15 reviews · 1 day

Travel privately from Kandy to Pinnawala with an English-speaking guide and flexible stops at a spice garden, gem museum, tea factory, craft workshops, and Lanka silk gallery. Guides such as Shanuka and Nilanka tailor the day to your pace, with cultural shows and some entries extra.

“We had a great day tour with Ranweli tours. Seeing the elephants in the river was absolutely amazing - Nilanka looked after us really well, and pointed out all the sights, stopped when we wanted to take pictures or feed monkeys and even bought us red bananas and king coconut to try! He really wanted us to enjoy the tour and Sri Lanka. He even arranged onward transport for us with his company at a very good price. We would throughly recommend Ranweli tours to anyone wanting to tour Sri Lanka.”

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Pinnawala & Kandy Day Tour from Negombo - Pinnawala gives the day an early start
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Pinnawala & Kandy Day Tour from Negombo

14.Pinnawala & Kandy Day Tour from Negombo

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 13 reviews · from $60

You’ll travel in a small group from Negombo to Pinnawala and Kandy with an air-conditioned vehicle and chauffeur guide. Expect the Temple of the Tooth, Royal Botanic Gardens, Iragama Tea Factory, Spice Garden, Gem Museum, local food, and a Kandy viewpoint.

“Tour was excellent, good driver, wifi and water were free.”

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Kandy : Pinnawala Elephant Safari Private Guid Tuk Tuk Tour - Kadugannawa’s railway story and hill views
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Kandy : Pinnawala Elephant Safari Private Guid Tuk Tuk Tour

15.Pinnawala Elephant Safari Private Guid Tuk Tuk Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 13 reviews · 8 hours · from $24

Ride from Kandy with a private guide, usually Lesley or Dimithu, to Pinnawala, Peradeniya gardens, tea stops, temples, and city viewpoints. You can feed elephants, see them in the river, taste local fruit, and shape the day around your interests in a small group of up to three.

“Lesley was a fantastic guide! He is a kind, caring, and affectionate person who took care of me throughout the tour. He stopped several times to show me every detail and make sure I fully understood what I was seeing. He recommended typical places to eat, and we were able to have an authentic experience. He was always punctual and managed time efficiently. For each place visited, he provided a clear and detailed explanation, demonstrating great professionalism. I highly recommend Lesley as a guide and his tour”

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New in Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage Visits

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