What a joy it was to watch the elephant calves run to their milk bottles the morning we visited! You can't help but have a big smile on your face when you watch them sneakily trying to get a second bottle from the keepers.

The Udawalawa Elephant Transit Home in Sri Lanka is a beautiful spot where orphaned elephant calves get a second chance at life. Established in 1995, this place helps rehabilitate the little ones before sending them back into the wild. With about 40 to 60 elephants roaming free, visitors can watch them being fed from a safe distance. No touching or selfies here—just pure elephant love and support for their journey back to the wild!

It is estimated that Sri Lanka has the highest density of elephants in Asia. The Department of Wildlife states that there are about 7,000 animals roaming on the island. That sounds great, but they have to share the land with 22 million people. Hence, the delicate balance of human-elephant coexistence is facing unprecedented threats. In 2023, 176 people died in elephant encounters on the island, and 470 elephants were killed.

This is why elephant calves end up alone in the wild. Luckily, the Elephant Transit Home exists, and they are sooner or later all released back into the wild. The transit home is located right at the border of the Udawalawe National Park, and whenever they are ready, they can go out and explore the wild. Here—unlike in other elephant orphanages such as Pinnawala—they are never chained and are not bred to keep the center a tourist attraction.

The best time to visit is during feeding times. Elephant calves are hungry! That means they get their milk four times a day: at 9:00 am, noon, 3:00 pm, and 6:00 pm. The visit will take about one hour.

DO take time to have a look at the small museum and learn how many bones there are in an elephant!

DON'T visit the more famous Pinnawalawe Orphanage. Why? Read about it here.