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Elephants watching, Minneriya national park
- Minneriya national park is located 195 km northeast of Colombo and 30 Km from Polonnaruwa. It is the best place in the world to see a large herd of Asian elephants. It was a Wildlife Sanctuary since 1938 and designated as a national park in 1997.
- Minneriya national park is located 195 km northeast of Colombo and 30 Km from Polonnaruwa. It is the best place in the world to see a large herd of Asian elephants. It was a Wildlife Sanctuary since 1938 and designated as a national park in 1997.
Most Striking Feature
- Minneriya national park has recorded the highest assembly of the Asian Elephant in the world. During the dry season from April to December elephants in Matale, Trincomalee and the Polonnaruwa districts flock together to Minneriya national park for water and feeding. The giant Minneriya reservoir provides the necessities for those large heads over 400.
Landscape & Views
- The topography of the park is varied, with hills, patanas, and talawas which favours complete sighting of elephants. The vegetation of the park consists of tropical dry mixed evergreen forests, abandoned chena cultivated lands, grassland, and wetlands.
Hundreds of elephants, greenish grassland, and the sun sank in the gigantic reservoir marks spectacular pictures that can only be seen at Minneriya national park not anywhere in the world.
History & Archaeology
- The Minneriya national park is surrounded by the Minneriya reservoir. The Minneriya reservoir was built by King Mahasen (277 to 304 AD). It was the largest reservoir of 16 reservoirs he built.
Having seen this giant the 11th Governor of British Ceylon from 1855 – 1860, Sir Henry George Ward, stated that:
No wisdom and no power in the ruler can have forced such efforts even upon the most passive oriental nations, without general persuasion that the work was one of paramount necessity and that all would participate in its benefits…….
Biodiversity & Rare Species
- Mixed evergreen forest with scrub areas and abandoned chena land, grasslands, and rocky outcrops are common in the park. There are 24 species of mammals, 9 species of amphibians, 25 species of reptiles, 160 species of birds, 75 species of butterflies can be seen in the park. Twenty-six fish species were found at the Minneriya reservoir. Endemic monkeys of Purple-faced langur and Toque macaque and Samber and Axis deer, Sloth bear, Wild Boar, Wild Buffalo, and Gray slender loris can be seen commonly in the park.
Access
- The entrance to the Park is situated at Ambagaswewa, 8.8 km from Habarana on the Colombo Polonnaruwa road.
Visiting hours for the Park - 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Mode of safaris - Only Jeep Safaris
Best time of the day to visit the Park - 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. & 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Best months to visit the Park - Throughout the year. The sighting of elephants in a large herd is from July to October.
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