Why Minneriya & Kaudulla National Parks will steal your heart
Picture the scene. It's late afternoon, the sun is low, and across a vast, grassy lakeshore, elephants are appearing from the forest. First a handful, then dozens, then more than you can count: mothers with tiny calves, playful teenagers and huge, slow-moving bulls. They bathe, dust themselves, feed on the fresh grass and trumpet across the water. This is 'The Gathering', one of the greatest wildlife spectacles in Asia, and you can see it in Sri Lanka.
It happens at Minneriya and neighbouring Kaudulla National Parks, in the heart of the Cultural Triangle. During the dry season, from around June to October, water sources across the region dry up, and elephants from the surrounding forests are drawn to the great reservoirs. As the water level falls, fresh grass sprouts on the exposed lake beds, a feast for elephants. The numbers usually peak around August and September.
The reservoir at Minneriya was built in the 3rd century by King Mahasena, who is still honoured locally as a god. So when you watch the herds, you're watching wild animals thriving thanks to a feat of engineering that is almost 1,800 years old.
You explore in an open safari jeep with an experienced tracker, following sandy tracks through scrub and grassland to the water's edge. Besides elephants, look for spotted deer, water buffalo, crocodiles, monitor lizards and a wealth of birdlife, from painted storks and pelicans to brilliant bee-eaters.
Even outside the peak season, elephant sightings here are excellent for much of the year. Your chauffeur guide keeps in touch with the local trackers to find out which park the herds are favouring each day, whether Minneriya, Kaudulla or the nearby Hurulu Eco Park, so you're always in the right place at the right time.
