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Experience an unforgettable wildlife adventure with a jeep safari through Minneriya or Kaudulla National Park, two of Sri Lanka's most celebrated wildlife reserves located in the heart of the Cultural Triangle. The park visited depends on the seasonal movement of elephants and current wildlife conditions, ensuring guests enjoy the best possible safari experience.
These protected national parks are internationally renowned for their large populations of Asian Elephants, offering one of the finest opportunities in Asia to observe these magnificent animals in their natural habitat. During certain times of the year, visitors may witness the spectacular "The Gathering"—one of the world's greatest wildlife events—where hundreds of wild elephants congregate around the ancient reservoir to feed, bathe, socialize, and care for their young. This extraordinary natural phenomenon has earned worldwide recognition and was ranked among the world's greatest wildlife spectacles by Lonely Planet.
The safari takes you through a fascinating landscape of open grasslands, dry evergreen forests, wetlands, and the shores of ancient irrigation reservoirs built by Sri Lanka's early kings over 1,500 years ago. Travelling in a specially designed 4WD safari jeep with an experienced naturalist or driver-guide provides excellent opportunities to observe wildlife while learning about the parks' rich biodiversity, conservation efforts, and ecological importance.
Minneriya National Park, originally declared a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1938 and gazette as a National Park in 1997, covers approximately 8,889 hectares. At its heart lies the historic Minneriya Tank, an enormous reservoir constructed during the 3rd century AD by King Mahasen. This ancient reservoir continues to provide water throughout the year, supporting a remarkable diversity of wildlife and creating one of Sri Lanka's richest ecosystems.
The park is home to an impressive variety of mammals, including Asian Elephants, Sri Lankan Leopards, Sloth Bears, Sambar Deer, Spotted Deer, Wild Buffalo, Wild Boar, Grey Langurs, Purple-faced Leaf Monkeys, Porcupines, Mongooses, and the elusive Indian Pangolin. Although leopards and sloth bears are rarely seen, the park offers excellent opportunities to observe elephants and other large mammals throughout the year.
Bird enthusiasts will be delighted by the park's rich birdlife, with more than 170 recorded species. Resident and migratory birds include Painted Storks, Pelicans, Grey Herons, Fish Eagles, Kingfishers, Malabar Pied Hornbills, Lesser Adjutants, Wood Sandpipers, Common Sandpipers, Kentish Plovers, and several endemic species such as the Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill, Sri Lanka Green Pigeon, Brown-capped Babbler, and the Sri Lanka Junglefowl, the country's national bird.
The park also supports a wide range of reptiles, amphibians, and aquatic life. Visitors may encounter Mugger Crocodiles, Water Monitors, Land Monitors, Red-lipped Lizards, endemic frogs, and numerous freshwater fish species thriving in and around the Minneriya Reservoir.
The highlight of any visit is undoubtedly "The Gathering." During the dry season, as water levels in surrounding areas decrease, lush grasses emerge around the reservoir, attracting elephant herds from neighboring forests and protected areas. At the peak of the season, it is possible to witness more than 300 wild elephants gathered in one location—the largest known congregation of Asian elephants anywhere in the world. Watching these magnificent animals feed, bathe, play, and interact in their natural environment is an unforgettable experience and one of Sri Lanka's greatest wildlife attractions.
Whether you encounter a solitary elephant quietly grazing at dawn, a family herd crossing the plains, or witness the breathtaking spectacle of The Gathering, a safari in Minneriya or Kaudulla National Park offers an exceptional opportunity to experience Sri Lanka's extraordinary wildlife and natural heritage.
"I want to thank Mr. Cyril for this 17 days long tour. He is an excellent chauffeur guide, always on time with a car more than the clean. He knows all the places in the Island and organized very well. Most of all, he is very kind person, always with a smile and ready to help. I want to reccommond him to all my friends. Ria Deleu Belgium Travel period 25 Jan 2020 - 10 Feb 2020 ( 17 days)" Mrs. Ria Deleu from Belgium
"Dear Cyril, Sincerest apologies for this delayed email --- reason being that I had been extremely busy with work & travel, since returning from Sri Lanka and just got a breather now, to download our photos and catch up with private matters. Hope this email finds you & family, in the best of health & spirits. Your granddaughter must be keeping you busy and giving you & Mrs. Baddegama immense joy. At this end, we are doing fine. Nikhita is back at school, now in Grade 7 and havi..." Pradeep Kumar Menon - Singapore
" Dear Cyril We spent a wonderful week with you. We were so pleased to have to visited your beautiful country and we will recommend you for all of our relatives and to friends. It has been a pleasure to spend these days with you, we will never forget nice smile on your face all the time. Thank you and if one day you would like to visit Switzerland we will be raedy take you around snowy mountans! All the best, Franz family" Dr. David franz from Swiss
"We had an excellent and memorable trip and all credits to Cyril. In-depth knowledge about the places, roads and history and culture. From the airport assistance - Food, accommodation provided and the vehicle was excellent. Very matured and patient, We being on safe hands. Thanks for making it a memorable experience for all of us. " Aubry De Souza and group from Dubai
"2nd to 15th November 2016 Dear Cyril, Thank you for arranging our first visit to your beautiful country. We had a very enjoyable, comfortable, safe, interesting and memorable holiday. All the accommodations you provided were very clean and comfortable and we will always remember the welcome, we felt when the smiling staff cheerfully looked after us and our every need. The itinerary you arranged was just right for us and made even better with the care you took whilst driving your very c..." Satwant and Doug from Australia
"We found Cyril on-line and after checking with lots of other guides we decided he is the one for us, that decision was the best one we did for our trip From the beginning, in our emails, Cyril listen to us and was very helpful, he gave us information and helped us to create the best trip for us.We had 10 days trip, for our honeymoon, to many parts of Sri-Lanka. the country is amazing, green, nice people and good food.Cyril was a great driver and even greater guide, he has so much knowledge and e..." Coral and Oded from Israel
"Dear Cyril, We just got back to Singapore today...I am will be back to work tomorrow.. :) Sad but true ha ha……. We were very lucky to have you as our guide. I don’t think there will be anyone else who could have done an excellent job that you have done. We will spread the word around and will surely sell your services...do keep in touch so we can work something out. Thanks for the photos they are great Will visit your website soon and put in some good words for you.. Ti..." Shuhanth Haridas from Singapore
"Dear Cyril, Yes that's the one that we were calling all the time. Her name is Celia and by now she has a little sister. My dear Cyril, of course we can't forget your companion and we are always telling about you when we are talking about our trip to Sri Lanka. I wish you good luck with your company and I hope that you will have whatever you want. I want to tell also that I was very happy when I learned that you are a grandfather now. Best regards, Chris Greece 26/07/2011" Cristos Pravitas - Greece
"We are an older couple celebrating a lot of years of marriage (and hiking) in Sri Lanka in February this year, for two weeks, and three days in the Maldives. Although we love to drive, we chose to go with a driver-guide, after planning the trip completely independently. (It turned out he might help us in the planning and selection of hotels, we own). The main advantage is reaching the sites, some of which are tired, refreshed after someone else used to bad roads, with bad signage - If you are i..." Sam
"Cyril was an excellent guide and gave us a very good insight into the history and cultures of Sri Lanka. He was always polite, helpful and prompt. His driving was always calm and controlled - unlike some of the other vehicles we saw!!! We would recommend him to others traveling to Sri Lanka. WH - UK - January 2011" Wilson Harland
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