My husband and I want to take our two children ­ aged 9 and 12 ­ to Sri Lanka. We hope to spend most of our time at the beach, but want to travel around as well, and take them to see elephants. Did Yala National Park get badly hit by the tsunami, and would you suggest this is a good place for us to visit? Michelle Cosgrove, London

Sunday Times travel expert Richard Green responds: The park is in the southeast of Sri Lanka and occupies almost 40 miles of coastline. It was inundated by the tsunami up to a distance of about two miles inland, and the deluge destroyed the park HQ and a lodge, and many people were killed. It seems though, that all of the animals survived, having moved to higher ground.

However, a new lodge and visitor centre have been built and just as the area was returning to something near to normal, there has been some unrest nearby, connected with the ongoing troubles in the north and east of the country. Since September 2007, the Foreign Office has been advising against all travel to the park.

Yala is still mentioned in brochures and even on websites, but for the time being, you should track down your elephants at the Minneriya National Park, up in the safer centre of the country.

The best time for this park is in the dry season, from June to September, when the ancient irrigation tank shrinks and makes it easier to see herds of elephant, sambar deer and even a leopard, if you are lucky.

If you can, try to stay at the Kandalama Hotel (half board doubles from £95). It's an incredible Geoffrey Bawa designed hotel with incredible views out over the lake. Some of the building is cut into the rock, as are a couple of the swimming pools, and checking-in feels like entering a secret cave. Or there's the charming Amaya Lake resort, with large rooms, or thatched eco lodges from £85.

To see elephants at closer quarters, regardless of the season, head to the Pinnawela elephant orphanage. It is a government run place, which cares for about 50 orphaned elephants. You can watch them being bathed and fed several times a day. The centre is a short distance off the main Colombo to Kandy road, about 50 miles northeast of Colombo.

If you are planning a tour, Cox & Kings (020 7837 5000) is one of the tour operators which has substituted the park at Minneriya for Yala. Its 14-day Ceylon tour starts at £1,475pp, with flights from London, accommodation and transfers.

Other operators to try include Hayes & Jarvis, Audley Travel (01993 838 000), Somak (0208 423 3000), and Kuoni (01306 747 002).

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