Sri Lanka Classy Tours intends to provide individual and group travel to leisure clients.
Sri Lanka Classy Tours intends to provide individual and group travel to leisure clients.
Minneyriya is one of Sri Lanka’s newest national parks. Minneriya achieved national park status only in 1997 but it has been a wildlife sanctuary since 1938. The area was declared as protected primarily due to the presence of the historic Minneriya tank within its area.
The tank, built in the third century AD but the famous Sri Lankan king Mahasen, is a primary source of water for the elephant populations living in the forests of Matale, Polonnaruwa and Trincomalee districts. Minneriya is also a hotspot for birdlife and along with the Kadulla and Girithale areas, is one of the 70 Important Bird Areas (IBA) in Sri Lanka.
Situated about 182 km from Colombo, Minneriya isn’t exactly a short hop away from the city. The nearest big city to the park is the city of Polonnaruwa located in the North Central province of Sri Lanka. Famous for its ancient ruins and constructions, Polonnaruwa is a great place from which to launch your safari into Minneriya, a journey that will take you from ancient civilizations into ancient wildlife spaces, helping you imagine both sides as it may have been like nearly 2 millennia ago.
Home to scrublands, grasslands, rocky outcrops, abandoned farmland, low-canopy montane forests, secondary forests and wetlands, Minneriya has plenty of geographic diversity. It is situated in the dry zone, and sees a lot of rain in the Eastern Monsoon months from October to January.
Nearly 200 hundred elephants can gather here at the tank during the dry season. Sometimes this Sri Lankan national park can see upto 500-700 elephants gathering there also. While visitors largely come here to see the elephants, you can also spot the endemic varieties of Sri Lankan monkeys aplenty.
There are also the Sri Lankan Sambhar and Axis deer. And more rarely you can also spot the Sri Lankan leopard and sloth bear if you are very very lucky. Minneriya is a haven for birdspotters and one can see many varieties of both endemic and migratory birds in this national park of Sri Lanka.
Minneriya is a great adventure for all travelers including families, friend groups and MICE travelers. The area offers some nice places to stay, especially if you decide to make Polonnaruwa your base. Resorts such as Liyya Water Villa, The Other Corner, Seerock The King‘s Domain, Water Garden Sigiriya, Ulagalla By Uga Escape, Aliya Resort and Spa, Cinnamon Lodge, Heritance Kandalama, Amaya Lake, Amaya Signature and Jetwings Lake are some of our favorites.
