Quick answers
Questions people ask
Short answers about the baby elephants, tickets and the safari. Tap a question to open it.
Feeding times
What time is the feeding?
Usually three times a day: 10:30 in the morning, 2:30 in the afternoon and 6 in the evening (Sri Lanka time). Times can change, so check on the day.
Is it open today?
It's open every day of the year, Poya days (full-moon holidays) too. But you can only go in around the three feeds. Between feeds, the gate is shut.
How long does a visit take?
A feed lasts about half an hour. Allow about an hour, so you can come early and see the little museum.
Tickets and visiting
How much is the ticket?
A grown-up from abroad pays about 2,000 rupees (US$5 plus tax). Children aged 6 to 12 pay less.
Checked in October 2026.
Do you need to book?
No. You just buy a ticket at the Transit Home's counter when you get there, a little before a feed. Bring rupee notes.
The Transit Home isn't inside the national park (the big wild place next door), so you don't need a park ticket.
Can you touch the baby elephants, or feed them?
No. Visitors watch from a stand with a roof, and only the keepers go near the calves (baby elephants). That helps the calves stay wild.
Where is it?
In Udawalawe town, by the big lake. It's 9 km from the national park's main gate, about 15 minutes by car.
The baby elephants
Is it an elephant orphanage?
Some people call it the Udawalawe elephant orphanage. (An orphanage is a home for babies who have lost their parents.)
But it's a transit home: a stop on the way back to the wild. It is not Pinnawala, which is a different place near Kegalle.
What happens when the calves grow up?
At about 5 to 7 years old, they go back to the wild in small groups. Most go to Udawalawe National Park.
Safari
Does the Transit Home run safaris?
No. The Transit Home looks after baby elephants. It doesn't run safaris.
In the park, you ride in a hired jeep, with a driver. Wild Ceylon, who made this guide, is one company that runs safaris there.
Can you fit a safari and the baby elephants into one day?
Yes. Go on a morning safari and leave the park by about 9:30. The drive to the Transit Home takes about 15 minutes, so you're there in good time for the 10:30 feed.
Is a morning or an afternoon safari better?
Both are good. Mornings are cooler, and they go well with the 10:30 feed.
This button goes to Wild Ceylon. It's the safari company that made this guide.
Plan a morning safari and the 10:30 feed (another website)Still not sure about today's times? Ask the Transit Home.
Call the Transit Home: 047 223 2147
