Pinnewala Elephant Orphanage, Sri Lanka

In 2006 my friend Kerrie Bak and I visited the beautiful island of Sri Lanka. Being great lovers of elephants, we decided we’d like to see the famous Pinnewala Elephant Orphanage near Kandy, but we also wanted to find a more hands-on sanctuary where we could get “up close and personal” with these large and gentle creatures. On the Internet, Kerrie discovered the Millennium Elephant Foundation (Randeniya, Hiriwadunna, Kegalle, Sri Lanka; phone +94 [0] 35 2265377, fax +94 [0] 35 2266572, www.eureka.lk/elefound), so we included it in our plans. We visited the foundation for a few hours and were treated to an unforgettable experience. For a fee of about $20, visitors — always in the company of the animal’s mahout — can ride their assigned elephant bareback around the 15-acre estate and, in addition to feeding it, go into the river to help bathe it with coconut husks and, the best part, be showered by its trunk while sitting on its back — a sure, satiating cure for the heat and humidity.

— JACQUELINE SEAL, Tampa, FL