Elephant Transit Home (Udawalawe), Sri Lanka

The Elephant Transit Home, often shortened to ETH, sits on the edge of Udawalawe National Park, beside the reservoir. The Department of Wildlife Conservation set it up in 1995 to care for orphaned elephant calves and return them to the wild. For travellers who want to see young elephants without supporting poor welfare, it's the best choice in Sri Lanka.

How it works

Calves arrive here after losing their mothers, often through conflict with farmers, accidents with wells and trains, or injury. They are fed milk every few hours and otherwise left to roam together in a large area of scrub, forming their own small herd. Contact with people is kept to a minimum, so that the young elephants stay wild.

At about five years old, groups of calves are fitted with tracking collars and released into national parks. Well over a hundred have gone back to the wild since the centre opened, and some released females have since had calves of their own.

What visitors see

The public can watch feeding time from a raised viewing platform, set back from the feeding area. The calves come running in from the bush in small groups, drink their milk in seconds from funnels and hoses, and then munch on branches before wandering off. The whole thing lasts about 20 to 30 minutes. It's noisy, funny and very endearing.

There is no touching, bathing or bottle feeding by visitors. That's the whole point, and it's what sets this place apart from Pinnawala.

Feeding times

Feedings take place several times a day, at roughly three-hour intervals. The sessions open to the public have long been held in the morning, around midday, mid-afternoon and early evening. Times can change, so confirm them with your hotel or safari driver, and arrive 15 minutes early to get a place at the front of the platform.

Tickets

A small entrance fee is charged at the gate, with a higher rate for foreign visitors. The money supports the centre. A small information centre explains the elephants' stories and the threats they face.

Fitting it in

The ETH is about 5 km from the park entrance. The classic plan is a safari in Udawalawe in the early morning or late afternoon, with a feeding session before or after. The midday feeding fits neatly after a morning game drive.

Udawalawe is about 3.5 hours from Colombo, 2 hours from Ella and 1.5 hours from Tangalle. Our guides to elephants in Sri Lanka and responsible travel explain why this kind of visit matters, and the safari guide compares the parks.