Minneriya National Park

Minneriya National Park is situated in the north-central plains of Sri Lanka, 20 kilometers from Polonnaruwa. Even though it is one of the smallest national parks in the country, covering just 8,889 hectares, it’s a paradise with many natural wonders. The park encompasses the beautiful Minneriya tank, built by King Mahasena (in 3rd century AD). This tank is an incredible place to observe the elephants that come to bathe and graze on the grasses as well as the huge flocks of birds (cormorants, painted storks, open-bills, Pelicans and many other species of waders) that come to fish in the shallow waters.

Getting There

Main entrance of Minneriya National park is located facing Habarana – Polonnaruwa road (A11). From Colombo reach Habarana junction via Kurunegala, Dambulla (A1, A6), and take the right turn from Habarana towards Polonnaruwa. Drive 10 km towards Polonnaruwa to reach Minneriya National Park. Distance from Colombo is around 182km and total driving time will be around 4-5 hours.

Weather and Season

Best months to visit Minneriya are the dry months from June to September. Hundreds of elephants from the surrounding area are attracted to the drying Minneriya lake bed, which turns in to a lush green grass land, for food and water. Generally you can observe around five to ten herds of elephants, each with anything from twenty to fifty individuals of all age groups.

 

 

 
History and the Description of the Minnariya National Park:

A flapping sea of black invades the emerald Minneriya Tank, as a flock of two thousand cormorants nosedive for fish. The elephants too, trudge by drinking from the same reservoir.

Not close to being the largest tank in Sri Lanka , Minneriya Tank - with the woods that surround it forming the Minneriya-Giritale National Park - is nevertheless home to an extraordinary diversity of wildlife. If numbers interest you, there are nine species of amphibians, 24 species of mammals, 25 species of reptiles, 26 species of fish (three of which are endangered), 75 species of butterflies and 160 species of birds.

Making your way through the park, you will see elephants, Spotted Deer and also the Sambar, which is a deer with no spots and an apt scientific name, carves unicolor . If you're lucky, a leopard looking for food might cross your path.

Less menacing but equally intriguing are the frogs and lizards with their tongues ready. Among the reptiles, the Red-lipped Lizard and Skink are both endemic to Sri Lanka as well as endangered. The frogs, on the other hand, are more abundantly present and have a tendency to jump over your feet or across your eyes between leaves. A notable example with a formidable but misleading title is the Sri Lanka Greater Hourglass Tree Frog.

It all sounds like there's such a lot to see at the park. But overhead is where the action really is. Sri Lanka , home to over 400 species of birds, has long been a birdwatcher's paradise. In Minneriya National Park alone, 160 species crowd the trees or strut the banks.

You can afford to miss the Painted Storks, Great White Pelican, Gray Herons, and even the Ruddy Turnstones (whatever those are). But do try to spot the Sri Lanka Jungle Fowl, Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot, Sri Lanka Brown-capped Babbler and Sri Lanka Gray Hornbill, because, as you can guess from their names, nowhere else are you going to find them but here, in Sri Lanka.

Even if you're not a bird enthusiast, at least you can boast about your trip later by throwing around some exotic bird-names.