Wildlife & Safari
Minneriya National Park
North Central Province
Host to The Gathering, when up to 300 elephants converge on the receding reservoir bed — the largest wild elephant congregation in Asia.
- How long
- 1 day is usually enough
- Best months
- July, August, September, October
From roughly July to October, as the reservoir shrinks in the dry season, elephants come from across the surrounding forest to the fresh grass on the exposed lake bed. Numbers can reach 300 in one place. It is the largest gathering of wild Asian elephants anywhere.
Outside those months the park is quieter and the herds disperse to neighbouring Kaudulla and Hurulu Eco Park — which is why we check current conditions before deciding where to take you, rather than booking Minneriya by default.
Late afternoon is the time to go; the animals move down to the water as the heat drops.
Photographs of Minneriya National Park
We can build Minneriya National Park into a tailor-made itinerary.
Plan a trip around Minneriya National Park