Ethical elephant place - ONE spot where kids can see without me feeling terrible?
3 Answers from travellers
ETH (Elephant Transit Home) at Udawalawe. Non-negotiable answer. It's the government-run rehabilitation center for orphaned wild elephants. They're released back to the wild when ready. Public feeding times (9am, 12pm, 3pm, 6pm) - you watch from behind a barrier as the elephants come to a feeding station, then wander off into the reserve. No riding, no touching, no chains. Kids see 30+ elephants in a natural setting. This is the ONE. Do not go to Pinnawala (chained). Do not go to any 'elephant sanctuary' offering rides or bathing.
^ ETH is it. Also worth: Udawalawe National Park itself has huge wild elephant herds - do a jeep safari the same day. Combining ETH + Udawalawe safari = full elephant education in one day. Kids will love it.
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