Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, Pinnawala, Sri Lanka

Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is situated in the Sabaragamuwa province of Sri Lanka which is about 87 Kilometers away from Colombo. To reach Pinnawala you have to turn from the 82nd kilometer post of the Colombo - Kandy main road and come through Rambukkana road. If you travel by train the nearest railway station to reach Pinnawala is Rambukkana (2 Kilometers from this railway station).

The orphanage has a bunch of 84 elephants at the moment which is also considered as the biggest bunch of elephants in the world that are living under the human supervision. The age groups of these elephants are from One week to 50 years of old.

The orphanage starts at 8.30 am daily for the visitors. At about 10.00 am this bunch of elephants starts walking towards Ma-Oya where they refresh with their daily bathing. Ma-Oya provides the water for drinking bathing for these elephants. The Elephant bathing at Ma-Oya provides a picturesque scene every morning & evening. Most of the visitors enjoy this scene every day while 84 elephants having their bath in this picturesque river according to their own rhythm.

At 13.15 pm the staff of the orphanage starts feeding baby elephants with milk. This is another eye catching event for which most of the visitors enjoys themselves. At 14.00 pm again these elephants are accompanied for bathing at Ma-Oya. They bring back to the orphanage at about 16.00 pm and they are sent to the respective cages where they stay the night.

The elephant orphanage enriches with a restaurant to provide delicious foods & refreshments for the visitors who likes to have some refreshment.

The daily routine of the Orphanage is

• 08.30 AM - Open for visitors

• 09.15 AM - Feeding the baby elephants with milk

• 10.00 AM - Accompanying the elephants for bathing

• 12.00 - Return to the orphanage after bathing

• 13.15 AM - Feeding the baby elephants with milk

• 14.00 PM - Accompanying the elephants for bathing

• 16.00 PM - Return to the orphanage after bathing

• 17.00 PM - Feeding the baby elephants with milk

• 18.00 PM - Close the Orphanage

Safety Tips

• Please do not enter the restricted areas

• Smoke only the allocated areas

• Keep the distance with the elephants

• Keep the ticket with you

• Do not disturb the elephants

• Do not bring the pets

Destination: Asia/Sri Lanka

Special interests: Elephants bathing

The Fortress Hotel, Koggala, Sri Lanka

The Fortress, a luxury boutique resort boasts with 11 fortress rooms, 12 Beach rooms, 18 Ocean rooms, 6 Ocean lofts and 2 Fortress residences, nestled on the shore of the Indian Ocean at Koggala, Sri Lanka. Sensual living spaces, open plan bathrooms, cutting edge entertainment systems with plasma screens, private bar, day bed, in-room safe and IDD telephone facilities ensures its unparalleled luxury resort experience. Lime Spa of the Fortress offers a range of Ayurveda treatments, Homeopathic treatments, international therapies and tailored treatments to stay tuned by using deep relaxation techniques. Adam & Eve massage, Relax foot massage, Head Neck & Shoulder massage, Relaxing back massage, Balinesian back massage are some of the very special treatments they offers at Lime Spa. Also Ritual Ayurvedic one day package including Sublime Awakening(Steam,Sauna,Jacuzzi) , Traditional Ayurvedic massage, Indian head & shoulder massage, Shirodhara is very attractive among the guests who enjoys the luxury at Lime Spa.

Hotel Elephant Corridor,Sigiriya

Hotel Elephant Corridor, a luxury boutique hotel situated in Kibissa within the close proximity to the Sigiriya Rock Fortress, an archeological site considers as the eight wonder of the world, surrounded by 200 acres of untamed jungle with stunning views over Pothana Lake.

Baya Weaver's Nest

Baya Weaver, a famous bird for its very creative nest. The mail bird starts weaving the nest and after weaving to a certain point (top part of the nest), starts singing on it to attract the female bird. Female birds come and inspect the nest to ensure whether it has the capacity to maintain a family. If they satisfied then both get together & complete the nest. Because of their inexperience in weaving nests, the female birds do not attract most of the first time weavers.

Sri Lanka Jungle Fowl - The National bird of Sri Lanka

Captured at Sinharaja rain forest

Practise lighting

This picture is a try out of using only the available candle light.

Bullock cart

Bullock carts, a popular mode of transport in the past still remains in the rural areas.

A pair of Oriental White Eye in my home garden

This pair of Oriental White Eye captured on Saturday 19 April in my home garden.

Kanneliya-Dediyagala-Nakiyadeniya Forest Complex (A bio-diversity Hotspot in Sri Lanka)

The KDN complex is situated in the southern part of Sri Lanka which is about 147 kilometers away from Colombo. The total forest spread over 10139.3 hectares. The forest complex occupies the interfluves between two rivers the GinGanga and the Nilwala Ganga consists of series of ridges and valleys and the elevation ranges from 60-425M above mean sea level. The mean monthly temperature is around 27C with a diurnal range of 4-5C, Maximum temperature has been recoded from mid May while the annual rainfall in Kanneliya is around 3750 mm.

The Kanneliya forest as a whole are among the most important natural forests in the southern province for protection of the head waters of the Gin and Nilwala which are critically important for socio-economic development in the Galle and Matara districts. This region has identified as floristically one of the richest areas in South Asia. There is a high proportion of endemism among the identified woody plants, with 159 species belonging to 94 genera and 41 families being endemic to Sri Lanka. Some 220 faunal species with 41 endemics have been recorded from the KDN and adjacent forests. Majority of the 20 endemic birds in Sri Lanka are restricted to the rain forests of the Southwest. Large numbers of medicinal plants are found in the KDN forest complex. Some of these plants are
+ Weniwelgata - Concinium fenestratum
+ Kudahedaya - Lycopodium Squarrosum
+ Maha hedaya - Lycopodium phlegmaria
+ Kothala Himbutu - Salacia reticulate
+ Rasakinda - Tinopora cordifolia

Snakes of Kanneliya Forest: A total of 36 species snakes, including 17 endemic forms belonging to six families have been recorded from Kanneliya.

Lizards of Kanneliya Forest: A total of 23 species of lizards including 13 endemic species belonging to four families have been recorded from Kanneliya forest.

Freshwater Fishes of Kanneliya Forest: A total of 38 species of fishes belonging to 14 families have been recorded from Kanneliya forest and among them are 20 endemic species. The Gin Ganga, Udugama Ela, Kanneliya Ela and their shady forest streams provide extremely suitable habitats for their fishes.

Also the Kanneliya forest is an ideal location for bird watching. Numbers of endemic bird species are recoded from Kanneliya forest. Sri Lanka Spurfowl, Sri Lanka Junglefowl, Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill, Sri Lanka Red-faced Malkoha, Sri Lanka Orange Billed Babbler, Sri Lanka Blue Magpie can be seen in the Kanneliya forest.
Some Useful Tips:
+ To enter Kanneliya Forest Reserve, tickets should be purchased from the Forest Department office at the entrance.
+ Start the trail early, at least by 8am
+ Wear light colored, comfortable clothes
+ Be prepared for external practices such as Leeches and ticks. Leech proof socks, preferably boots and a suitable external parasite repellent would be very useful
+ Be prepared for sudden changes in weather - it rains often (a cap and a rain coat would come in handy)
+ Avoid walking alone. Always seek the assistance of a trained nature guide from the Forest Department office.
+ Make sure you carry sufficient water, food and a basic first aid kit