Elephant herds
On the shores.
shankar s. from Dubai, united arab emirates — CC BY 2.0 · shankar s. from Dubai, united arab emirates — CC BY 2.0 · shankar s. from Dubai, united arab emirates — CC BY 2.0 · Eli Solidum — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Madhawa Dunuwila — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Eli Solidum — CC BY-SA 4.0 · shankar s. from Dubai, united arab emirates — CC BY 2.0 · Walter Gehr — CC BY-SA 4.0
A national park in the dry zone of north-central Sri Lanka, centred on the ancient Minneriya tank built by King Mahasen in the 3rd century CE. It became a wildlife sanctuary in 1938 and a national park in 1997. It is famous for the Gathering: in the dry season the tank's waters recede, grass springs up along its shores, and large numbers of Sri Lankan elephants come in from the forests of Matale, Polonnaruwa and Trincomalee, so herds with their calves graze as far as the eye can see. The park is also home to 24 species of mammals and about 160 species of birds, including big waterbirds that gather on the lake, and together with Kaudulla and Giritale it forms an Important Bird Area. Visits are by open jeep only, hired separately. Foreign adults pay about USD 25 plus service charge, vehicle fee and VAT, per visitor guides. The Gathering is best seen from about July to October, on an afternoon drive.
On the shores.
3rd century.
On the lake.
Minneriya, between Habarana and Polonnaruwa
In the dry season, roughly July to October, when the herds gather on the tank's shores; afternoon drives are best.