elephants

can anybody tell me,how much the elephant trips are without using tour operater reps and who is the best?

thank.

elephants

Hi,

Best places for elephants?

Best place that I know for riding them is at Habarana. You just walk in, pay your money and wait til your elephant is ready for you.

Best place to see lots of elaphants is the elephant orphanage at Pinawella. But here you can%26#39;t ride them and unless you want to pay out lots of bribe money you won%26#39;t get close to them in the water either.

Next door to Pinawella elephant orphanage, is another place called the Millennium Elehant Foundation. Here you can more familier with the few elephants they have there and enjoy a short ride.

To get to them, you can employ a driver/guide directly, you don%26#39;t have to use a tour operator.

Or, you can travel on public transport.

From Colombo, get the Kandy train and get off at Rambukkana... From there you can get a local bus or a tuk tuk for the short distance to the orphanage.

For Habarana,, you can get the Trincomalee train from Colombo and get off at Palugaswewa. Again a local bus or tuk tuk into Habarana.

Or you could get to Kandy, either bus or train and then a bus from there but if you can, you%26#39;ll find it much better to hire a car and driver. If you%26#39;re travelling from the coast, then best to make it a two day trip and also visit Sigirya, Dambulla and maybe Polonorua. They%26#39;re all clse together in the Habarana area.

Don%26#39;t forget, when you book holiday rep. trips, you pay by the person. When you hire a car and driver, you pay for the vehicle so the cost is spread around . Make a car and driver hire much cheaper than the rep organised trips.

Rod.

elephants

We dropped in at the Millenium Foundation on our way to Pinawella Orphanage, it is only short distance before you reach Pinawella.

Last July it was about 20000 rupees for a ride. Then $20 Aus, now $26 Aus. My daughter thought the ride time was adequate and the guide will photograph you with your own camera as he takes you on the walk.

Chris

hi

To see the wild elephant in sri lanka in this time of year udawalawa national park is best palce. As rod mentioned habarana area having lot of riding place , you need to have book them advance. It will cost you between 20-25 us $ per person fro one hour ride.

Chris has paid 20000 RS fro his first ride which is extremely too much. Better consult local driver/guide to organize your trip to visit those ,will be lot cheaper than travel agent.

Thanks you,

ind

20 Aussie-Dollar are about 2000 Rupies !

Hi there....

Actual cost now for ride, and river bath ect at Millenium Foundation is 3000 Rupees for 45 minute ride, then bath with ';jumbos'; in river afterwards, as mentioned before, the staff there will use your camera to take photos during your rides,and river baths too, for a small tip, around 300 to 500 Rupees would be good, but in my opinion the MF is best for ';jumbos'; , had fab time there recently !, with some VERY memorable photos !!

Don%26#39;t forget to take towel and swim suit tho, you will get VERY wet !, great fun.

Regards

Dave

On duty still at Heritance Ahungalla, today VERY hot and sunny !!

please help booked honeymoon here %26amp; am petrified of snakes...is it easy to avoid them or are they everywhere.

Hi there,

Easy to avoid them. They are frequent inside the jungle and the open fields, and at odd moments in far corners of hotel gardens. Never inside hotel buildings and never close to rooms and paved roads, so just stick to those areas (and in cars for the excursions) and you should be quite safe! And yes, of course avoid the fakirs with their snakes-in-pots which you find in the area of some attractions, like the Kandy temple.

All the best,

%26lt;Erik%26gt; %26amp; [Sandya]

Im such a wimp I know but I cant even look at one on the telly... I work myself up so much... Thank you for your advise I do want to go on an elephant ride though.. is there any one youd suggest would be the best where I wont find them in baskets etc.

Hi again,

Both the Habarana elephant rides and that in Pinawela (Millennium Foundation) don%26#39;t have crowded entrances so also probably no snake charmers with baskets. This unlike places like nearby Pinawela elephant orphanage, Sigiriya Rock and Kandy tooth temple.

But probably better to visit even THOSE places and send your other half ahead to %26#39;clear the road%26#39; if there happens to be one; always possible to find a different route towards an entrance...

All the best,

%26lt;Erik%26gt; %26amp; [Sandya]

thank you so much for all your advise... it has helped (a little) the idea of sending my husband 1st is quite appealing to me...dont tell him though