Minneriya National Park Safari to encounter wild elephants amidst the crumbling historical monuments

Posted on by Sanjeewa Padmal (Seerendipity)

“Frolicking baby elephants play with mud and sand under the supervision of their mothers, while some other big jumbos graze in the park while many others are strolling to the large pool of water in the park. The above narration describes a usual occurrence that one can experience during the Minneriya national park safari. Minneriya national park tour is one of the best programs that can be booked from Sigiriya and DambullaThis program allows the guest to spot large herds of wild elephants. “

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Sri Lanka safari

Sri Lanka safari has become a norm for the majority of travellers in Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka wildlife tours have become popular, especially among foreign travellers. Sri Lanka with two dozen of wildlife parks offers a large number of places for wildlife tours. However, few national parks such as Yala national park, Wilpattu, Udawalawe and Minneriya have come to the fore as popular places for Sri Lanka safari tours.

Minneriya National Park Safari

Every day, a large number of exited travellers converge at the entrance of Minneriya national park to finish the formalities before starting their Minneriya national park safari. Most of them are visitors of the cultural triangle and venturing on Sri Lanka trips like 5 days cultural triangle tour. Most visitors of the Cultural Triangle do not forget to venture on a Minneriya national park tour as they visit tourist attractions because Minneriya national park is located is also located within the cultural triangle.

Sri Lanka grand tour, a 14-day private Sri Lanka tour offers the perfect introduction for visitors to Sri Lanka. Your customizable 14 days tour itinerary includes the cultural triangle, Sri Lanka hill country, wildlife safari, south coast and west coast beaches. From US$ 895 per person.

Why choose the Minneriya national park safari?

If you wish to spot wild elephants there is no other better wildlife reserve on the island than Minneriya national park. There is a large concentration of wild elephants in Minneriya allowing the guests to spot many hundreds of wild jumbos during the safari. The safari is ideal for travellers who embark on a cultural triangle tour of Sri Lanka to see the ancient monuments in Sri Lanka. It is very convenient to visit Minneriya national park during the visit to the cultural triangle tour as the national park is situated in the centre of the Sri Lanka cultural triangle.

Vegetation of Minneriya National Park

The national park is dominated by trees, plants and veins belonging to the evergreen dry-zone forest. Some of the very valuable and strong woods such as Weera and palu can be seen in the forest. There is a wide distribution of thrown bamboo in Minneriya national park, which is considered a bit harmful to the national park as it hinders the growth of plants and grass below the bamboo. About 12% of the surface of the forest is covered by thorn bamboo. Due to the speed of growth in the forest, the park administration carries out the clearing of these plants many times every year.

Spotting wild elephants in Minneriya national park

Minneriya national park is very popular for spotting elephants due to the Minneriya Lake with the huge open grassland adjustment to it. Minneriya Lake and the open area are the best bet for you to see elephants in Minneriya national park, your jeep driver knows it and he will definitely take you there. A large number of wild elephants gather in the grassland for food and water every day. Hundreds of elephants gather here and in some cases, more than 300 wild elephants are counted here. There is a large number of wild elephant ins Sri Lankan jungles and earlier the wild elephant population was estimated to be around 5000 but according to the new statistics issued by the wildlife department in 2022, the number of wild elephants exceeds 7000.

When is the best time for the Minneriya national park safari?

If you are wondering what the best time of the year to visit a national park is, I must say it is a dry season. The large herd of wild elephant numbering many hundreds gather on the bank of Minneriya Lake in order to graze grass. During the dry season, the water level of the lake reduces dramatically and leaves more fertile land to grow grass. As the grass surface widens around the lake, a large number of wild elephants and other grass-fed animals gather to eat fresh tender grass.

Then you might be wondering, what would happen during the rainy season. The number of elephants in the national park reduces during the rainy season. When it rains the lake grabs more land around its water surface and the grass surface around the lake depletes considerably making it difficult for wild animals including elephants to find grass. Therefore, mainly the elephant moves to other national parks such as Kaudulla, an eco-park, where they can find grass and other foliage to eat easily.

Therefore, the best time for Minneriya national park safari is from April to November (during the southwest monsoon period). The park is drenched in the Northeast monsoon from October through January. During this period you do not see many wild elephants and it would be difficult to travel through the forest due to the muddy surface.

Observe twin baby calves on Minneriya national park safari

Minneriya National Park of Sri Lanka has come to the fore in May 2020, again due to one of the very rare incidents in the Elephant world. The birth of a twin elephant baby has been observed in the national park of Minneriya, Which is one of the very rare incidents among elephants. At the same time, this is the 2nd such incident observed on the island. The first twin baby elephant was recorded in 2018, based in Maduru Oya national park. Recently wildlife conservationists had been able to observe another twin baby elephant in April 2020 in Africa.

With the reopening of Minneriya national park to visitors, after the COVID-19 lockdown, now travellers can witness the 2 baby caves of the same size and hang around with the same mother. 2 calves are suckling milk from the same mother and hang together all the time. The elephant researcher Smith Pilapitiya, who carry out research about Asian elephants (Elephas maximus Maximus) in collaboration with the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC), first observed the twin babies.

However, the wildlife department of Sri Lanka has planned a DNA test of the 2 babies and the mother using the elephant to confirm the 2 babies are twins, according to Tharaka Prasad, the chief veterinary surgeon of the DWC.

Minneriya Wild elephants and crumbling historical monuments

Visiting historical monuments is on the bucket list of most travellers to Sri Lanka. I feel a visit to Sri Lanka is not complete if you miss the rich historical past of the island and the cultural triangle is the best place to get to know it.

Most travellers are taken by surprise when they hear about the Minneriya jeep safari because most travellers do not expect the opportunity to spot wild animals on their visit to the cultural triangle.

Due to its proximity to the most important cultural sites such as Dambulla, Sigiriya, Polonnaruwa, and Minneriya national park jeep safari is a by-product for most travellers, who visit the historical sites in the cultural triangle of Sri Lanka. Minneriya national park is also located within the borders of the cultural triangle, which means that you can visit the park without losing your precious time.

Minneriya national park safari also known as Habarana jeep safari is a very popular and interesting activity near Sigiriya. Minneriya safari is also called Habarana safari because the jeep safari starts at Habarana junction, which is a small town.

The Minneriya national park safari is a quite unexpected activity for most travellers, especially foreign travellers, and most of them are even not aware of the possibility of doing a safari in the cultural triangle. By including Minneriya national park in your tour itinerary, you will be able to experience the wildlife of Sri Lanka while learning about the rich historical past of the island.

Visit 4 tourist hotspots on the cultural triangle tour

Minneriya national park safari is an opportunity to encounter a large number of wild animals, mainly elephants. Minneriya is one of the best places to see wild elephants in Sri Lanka, the central province. Compared to Yala and Wilpattu national park, the possibility of spotting leopards, the bear is narrow during the Minneriya national park safari.

Minneriya national park safari is not available as a stand-alone tour from faraway holiday destinations and west coasts beach resorts such as Negombo and Bentota but as a part of the round tour packages that include a cultural triangle. Udawalawe national park and Yala National are the two most popular places for wildlife exploration for tourists who are anchored in west and southern coast hotels.

Minneriya national park safari from the east coast

But Minneriya can be conveniently explored from beach holiday destinations such as Nilaweli, Kalkudah, Pasikudah and Batticaloa. Due to the proximity of Minneriya to the east coast of Sri Lanka, travellers who choose a beach hotel on the East coast can reach Minneriya within a 2 hours drive, it is about 85 km to Mnneriya from the east coast beaches. Therefore Sri Lanka safari and beach holidays can go hand in hand if you choose a beach resort on the east coast and the safari at Minneriya national park.

There are a large number of hotels popping up on the east coast of Sri Lanka in the recent past and travellers can find accommodation easily in these areas. In fact, the East Coast has the best settings for beach holidays from April to November due to the effect of the monsoon over the West and Southern Coast.

Like many other national parks such as Udawalawe national park and Yala national park large number of jeeps converge at the entrance of Minneriya national park in the early morning and afternoon every day. It is very busy at the entrance in the early hours and the afternoon due to the large gathering of tourists, who are eager to take the exit Mineriya national park safari. Some of them are heading to their base in Habarana, Dambulla or Sigiriya after visiting the historical monument in the cultural triangle and some of them are making an extra journey from their hotel nearby to explore the Sri Lankan wildlife during their free time available of their Sri Lanka road trip.

History of Minneriya national park

Minneriya is declared a sanctuary in 1938 and declared a national park in August 1997. The national park is open to visitors since 1998. Minneriya national park is the most popular national park in Polonnaruwa district as well as in the North-central Province. Minneriya national park spreads over 8000 hectares and provides a safe and secure habitat for wild animals. Minneriya national park is tucked away about 182 kilometres from Colombo and is located on the Colombo-Polonnaruwa main road. But for tourists who visit Sigiriya, Dambulla, and Habarana it is merely about 10 kilometres drive to reach the park.

You will be able to spot a large concentration of wild elephants during the Minneriya national park safari. Apart from the elephant, many other animals such as crocodiles, monkeys, monitors, and jackals can be spotted here. Leopards and sloth bears also can be seen here but the opportunity is very rare. Minneriya is most sought after for its wild elephants, a large number of wild elephants come to Minneriya national park from adjoining wildlife reserves such as Sasgamuwa, Mmaduru Oya national par, Somawathiya and Galoya Sanctuary.

It is believed that wild elephants at Minneriya are quite docile compared to wild elephants found in other national parks in Sri Lanka, but it is very important to be cautious when dealing with these wild jumbos.

Vegetation and Minneriya wildlife reserve

Rare varieties of trees that produce valuable woods such as Halmilla, Weera, Palu, and Milla can be often seen in this dry zone park. Maana, a type of grass that grows up to 30cm tall, flanks the dusty track in the park.

Most jeep divers at the park have well-trained eyes and clues about spotting animals, they can spot wild animals more easily than foreigners do, therefore it is strongly recommended to seek the help of a jeep driver, who has experience doing a safari at Minneriya national park in order to have the best Minneriya national park safari.

You may spot huge shell-shaped objects dangling from giant tree branches, they are wasp nests. Wasp nests can be spotted in this part of Sri Lanka very often. Sigiriya rock fortress is noteworthy with regard to wasp nests and wasp attacks. Several wasp attacks are recorded from the world heritage site of Sigiriya every year. There are a large number of wasp nests on the leeward side of the Sigiriya rock fortress, the nests are built in such a way that they could avoid the strong wind.

Several iron cubicles protected by nets can be seen at nearby popular tourist attraction Sigiriya rock fortress, near the lion’s paw, which supposes to provide protection in case of a wasp attack. There were no wasps attached recorded from Minneriya national park but the advice, of course, is obvious, never approach the residents of these nests and don’t disturb them, and keep the noise down. However, the visitors are not allowed to get off the jeep in the park except only at a few selected spots.

The park is a haven for wild elephants with plenty of vegetation that they love to eat and a large tract of open grassland near the Minneriya tank. There is a mix of forest, grassland and scrubland vegetation in the park. The type of landscape at Minneriya Park (more or less flatland) and the vegetation are loved by elephants. Similar type geographical conditions and vegetation also can be observed at Udawalawe national park, which is another wildlife reserve with large concentrations of wild elephants.

Minneriya Tank

Minneriya tank is the main source of water in the national park. This man-made tank is 2500 years old and still in good shape, irrigating more than 8,000 hectares of paddy fields. The tank is an important source of life not only for the animals in the park but also for the people in the area. Minneriya tank is one of the oldest man-made tanks in Sri Lanka and the tank dates back to the 3rd century BC. It was constructed under teh kingship King Mahasen. Minneriya jungle is the main catchment area of the tank. When the tank is full of water it spreads over 4500 acres.

The national park has 2 viewing platforms, the Rmbawewa viewing point and the Padupola viewing point. usually, the visitors are not allowed to get done the vehicles during the safari, however, travellers are allowed to get down only at these viewing points. both viewing points are located on a higher elevated point in the park, it a very wide and panoramic view over a large part of the National Park. So don’t forget to get down at these viewing point and see the elephant that roams in the various places in the national park.

Why is Minneriya so special when it comes to watching wild elephants?

The Minneriya Lake makes the national park stands out from the other national park in Sri Lanka. The lake guarantees an uninterrupted water supply to the grasslands around the lake, therefore, it is possible o see well-grown grassland in the park throughout the year, except during the flooding season. Many other national parks in the region do not have a guaranteed water supply Minneriya National Park. Due to the abundance of water even during the dry season, wild animals are choosing Minneriya national park as the place for refuge.

What animals do I see in Minneriya?

24 species of mammals, 160 species of birds, 25 species of fish, and 75 species of butterflies are found in the park. 15 endemic butterflies, as well as 6 endangered butterfly species, are residing in the park. The painted stork, the large bird with a long beak standing in the water is a very common sight in the water resources here. They are occurring in great numbers at any time of the year in the park. The great white pelican is also another common bird spotted in the water resources in the park. Endemic bird species such as Sri Lanka hanging parrot, jungle fowl, and grey hornbill can be spotted here. The endemic and endangered red-lipped lizard can be seen here and it is one of the species of reptiles occurring in the park.

Leopard is the largest carnivore animal in Sri Lanka and it is a sub-species of the common leopard. Sri Lanka leopard is reported in many national parks in Sri Lanka as well as in teh Sri Lanka’s hill country. The leopards can be seen in many national parks in Sri Lanka, while Wilapptu and Yala are the most popular to see Leopards. Even though Minneriya national park is popular for wild elephants, leopards also can be witnessed in Minneriya national park.

Large elephants gathering around Minneriya Lake

The open grassland near the Minneriya tank is the best place to see a large concentration of wild elephants. Every day towards dusk, animals are gathering here to fulfil their water requirement and food supplement. Especially the tender grass that grows along the bank is a very much loved delicacy of elephants. Here you can spot elephants of all shapes and all sizes. As many as 400 wild elephants together have been cited here. Many herds of wild elephants lumbering along the bank are very common sights here.

If you set off on your Minneriya national park safari during the dry season, the number of wild elephants can be exceptionally low, numbering about a dozen of them. Most elephants move to nearby wildlife reserves and look for water during the drought. In that case, you may have to opt for Kauduall or Eco-park as the venue for your safari. The Elephants change their residence between the national parks in the area and choose the best place to hang around based on the availability of food and water. They move from one place to another on foot, after all, elephants are great walkers and walk as much as 3o kilometres a day.

The park is heavily soak-up with waters of the torrential rain during the monsoons, which occur during the 6 months from October to March. Dry weather with very low rainfall is experienced in the region during the rest of the year. But the tank stores the water during the rainy season and feeds the entire region with water during the drought.

So the Minneriya national park safari is very handy for people who come across the cultural triangle of Sri Lanka. The Cultural Triangle is a standard option for most Sri Lanka round-tour beach holiday packages. So, don’t forget to explore this dry-zone national park, because this is a rare opportunity to gather a countless number of beautiful wildlife memories.

This nature tour includes rainforest trekking, white water rafting, safari, hiking, and trekking. This adventure tour also includes whale watching based in southern Sri Lanka. If you

Hotels near Minneriya national park

Minneriya is an isolated rocky outcrop with dense foliage in the dry zone of Sri Lanka. Minneriya lies in the North-central province of Sri Lanka on the Habarana-Matara highway.  Minneriya is popular mainly due to the  Minneriya National Park and historical Minneriya tank and the majority of the land of Minneriya is occupied by the National Park. Therefore only a few families live in the area and travellers are not able to find hotels in Minneriya. There are no popular hotels in Minneriya or any other accommodation types offered by tour operators in Sri Lanka. But there are plenty of opportunities to find accommodation in nearby cities such as Habaran, Polonnaruwa, and Sigiriya. Minneriya national park is only a few minutes away from any of the earlier-mentioned cities.

Minneriya or udawalawe

If you are wondering where to go for an elephant safari (Minneriya national park or Udawalawe national park), I must say both places are identical. I have been to both places many times and in terms of Fauna and flora that you encounter in both places are more or less the same. The elephant is the highlight in both national parks and other than elephants you will see crocodiles, deer, buffaloes and many other animals as well as avian fauna species.

Both national parks are located in the dry zone of Sri Lanka, however, the Minneriya national park is in the north-central province of Sri Lanka while Udawalawe national park is nestled on the west coast of Sri Lanka. If you are based on the west and south coast as well as Ella Udawalawe national park is the best place for your safari. If you are staying in the cultural triangle you better head to Minneriya for an elephant safari.

Minneriya national park safari FAQs

1. Where can I get a jeep for the Minneriya national park safari?

A jeep can be obtained at any of the hotels in Sigiriya, Dambulla, Habana and Polonnaruwa. If you are not staying in a hotel nearby, drop in at Habarana junction, you can easily find a jeep for the safari, just in front of the petrol station. A large number of Jeep owners are waiting here for customers to knock on their door.

2. What does the Minneriya national park safari cost?

Minneriya safari cost varies depending on the number of persons. usually, it cost around US$ 50 per person based on 2 persons and it would cost around US$ 40 per person based on 4 persons. The cost of the entrance reduces as the number of pax increases. Same time the cost of the jeep hire also reduces when it is divided among more travellers, E.g the cost for the jeep on a 3 hours safari costs between 4000 to 5000 Rs and the jeep can accommodate up to 6 persons.

3. Where can I purchase the entrance tickets for Minneriya national park tour?

Entrance tickets can be obtained only at the entrance ticket counter located at the entrance of Minneriya national park.

4. How much is the entrance fee for the Minneriya national park safari?

$ 15 per person, $ 8 per child, service charge $8, 15% tax, 250 rs for the jeep. Payment for the entrance fees can be done only with local currency, therefore don’t forget to carry Sri Lankan rupees with you.

5. How long Minneriya national park tour last?

Usually, the Minneriya safari lasts about 2 hours, within 2 hours travellers are able to cover most places where animals can be seen. But in some cases, you might spend 3 or 4 hours in the park. It all depends on the Jeep driver and the guide. Most drivers and guides are willing to give the best safari experience to their guests and therefore they try to show as many animals as possible to the travellers, therefore, they spend a little bit longer in the park.

6. What is the Best time for the Minneriya national park safari?

Early morning before the sun blasts in full force or in the afternoon. The morning Minneriya safari should begin at around 6.00 am. It is easy to spot animals in the early hours before the sun blasts in full force. As the temperature rises it gets difficult to spot animals in the park, because animals move to shaded areas in order to avoid the heat. The afternoon Minneriyaa safari should begin at around 2.00 pm, as the sun retreats the temperature in the park reduces and animals started to show up again.

7. What is the opening hours of Minneriya Park?

Minneriya national park is open for safari tours daily from 6.00 AM to 6 P.M

Why you should choose Seerendipity Tours for Minneriya national park tour

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