Udawalawe Elephant Transit Home

The elephant transit home provides the opportunity to see elephant orphans in the stunning environment being fed or roaming around the park. A visit to the orphanage can be combined with a visit to Udawalawe National Park. The orphans at the ETH can only be watched from a special viewing platform at feeding time that lasts for about twenty minutes. The rest of the day elephants spend in the National Park, away from the eyes of observers, being prepared for their return to the wild when they are about four years old. The ETH is a very basic facility, so there is actually not much to see for the time being. This means that half an hour is normally long enough for the visit. Born Free has focussed on providing essential resources behind the scenes, mainly building a veterinary hospital and providing veterinary equipment. The ETH is less than half an hour's drive from the entrance to Udawalawe National Park, which has one of the highest densities of wild elephants in Sri Lanka, especially because the predominant vegetation is grassland. This also makes it easier to spot and watch the animals. The park can only be entered in an officially approved jeep, driven by a recognised guide. The ride is quite spectacular as are the views from the granite outcrops in the park. Combining this with a high likelihood of seeing elephants makes this a very satisfying trip, and one that complements the visit to the ETH. The elephants wearing collars are probably the orphans rehabilitated by the ETH and returned to the park. The collars are put so that the animals can be followed and their behaviour monitored, to confirm that they are adapting properly to their life in the wild. The best time to visit the park is just after dawn and just before night.