Saturday 17th February 2024

Today was all about seeing elephants in Sri Lanka for the first time in 5 years, so I was very excited, as there weren't any at Bundala National Park when I went there back in October 2019. I have seen an occasional elephant in transit on a road, but they have always been chained up and looked miserable and uncared for, so I don't count them. Today's excursion to the Elephant Orphanage at Pinnawala was simply wonderful and exceeded all my expectations.

Yohan came to pick me up at 09:00. I was just finishing off yesterday's blog, as I am struggling to do my blogs in the evenings now, because I have no internet connection in my room, and the mosquitoes are rife in the Reception area in the evenings, which is why today's blog is also being written early morning before breakfast. I believe I only have 12 more blogs to write now, and although I like keeping a blog when I am out in Sri Lanka, I won't be disappointed when they stop!

It was only about an hour's drive to Pinnawala, and Yohan is very good company. The Sri Lankan government make a killing out of the Elephant Orphanage, as they charge western prices to enter the compound, although thankfully local Sri Lankans can get in for a fraction of the cost. Apparently, they currently have 79 elephants there, and some of them were bathing down by the river, so we headed off there first, and it was a truly delightful sight.

I cannot describe in words what it was like to see so many elephants in natural surroundings - not quite as natural, of course, as they would be in a safari park, as they were accompanied by a group of keepers, but they all looked very well looked after, and it was a joy to see them. I could have watched them for hours, but they eventually all left the river to go back across the road to their enclosure, and we met the next lot of elephants coming down to bathe as we headed back.

Unsurprisingly, today's photographs are simply elephants!






















 



Comments

  1. CharlesFebruary 18, 2024 at 11:56 PM

    As the husband of an elephant aficionado, this post is marvellous, Keith!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousFebruary 20, 2024 at 5:23 AM

    I love Pinnawala! It's elephantastic!

    ReplyDelete

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