Sri Lanka is an enchanted island that offers an abundance of various experiences. We at Beezerland take pride in being able to help you get that experience. That is why we take special care when it comes to traveling, and we give priority to the best tourist destinations. One such enchanting travel location is the Minneriya National Park, where you could experience the wild side of this amazing island.
Sri Lanka is famous for its wild life with a large number of wild life destinations. The Minneriya National Park, which was declared a National Park in 1997, although it had been a wildlife reserve since the late 1930s, is one of the best places in the country to see wild elephants, which are often present in huge numbers, and wading birds. The heart of the National Park is the Minneriya reservoir which nurtures and supports the wildlife of the area. The park has plenty of scrub, forest and wetlands to also provide shelter for toque macaques, sambar deer, buffalo, crocodiles and leopards.
Along with having biological importance, the Minneriya reservoir also has historical importance, having been built by King Mahasen in the 3rd century A.D. During the dry season the reservoir mostly dries, exposing grasses and shoots which are essential food sources for elephants and other animals. As a result attracting large herds of elephants.
Minneriya is famous for elephants. You can view more than 700 elephants in one setting, as they come to feed and bathe during what is known as ‘the Gathering’ ; and flocks of birds, such as little cormorants, painted storks, herons and large pelicans all fish in the shallow waters.
There are 24 different species of mammals who make the Minneriya National Park their home including deer, elephants which gather in enormous groups, endangered species such as the Sri Lankan Leopard and Sloth Bear, and two species of monkeys which are endemic to Sri Lanka, the Purple-faced Langur and the Toque Macaque.
Tourists around the globe, visit Sri Lanka specially to see a glimpse of elephants. Thus, the huge numbers of elephants which gather in the park throughout the year are one of the main draws for tourism.
The other main attraction in the National Park is for birdwatchers. The reservoir is a paradise for over 160 different species of birds and many large water birds including the Lesser Adjutant, the Spot-billed Pelican, the Great White Pelican, Ruddy Turnstone, Grey Heron and the Painted stork.
Many bird species common to Sri Lanka can also be found in the park including the Sri Lanka Junglefowl, Brown-capped Babbler, Black-crested Bulbul and the Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill.
