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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.
"Cyril was absolutly Fantastic,Veryhelpful, Patient and extremly knowledgable. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend and travel with him again. Whole tour was well organized and perfectly done. Kate Williams and family from UK 04th January 2015" Kate Williams UK
"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
"11th April 2014 01 week tour around Sri Lanka A fantastic week was had by all with Cyril, exploring Kandy, Nuwaraeliya and Bentota. Your meaningful insights & excellent explanations of the Sri Lanka’s culture, nature and traditions were invaluable. Your smile and charm helped is feel related and comfortable. Not getting stressed once. With your guidance & tips, the holiday flew by with only one problem: it was very short! Your comprehensive list of talents ranges from findin..." Ian Price and family from UK
" Hi Cyril We have had a fabulous holiday driven and guided by Cyril from CYRIL TOURS. Hotel recommendations were perfect and knowledge supertb. We would happy to introduce CYRIL TOURS to our frieinds and relatives. Thank you for the photos you are taken and send to us, they are a great reminder of our amazing experience in Sri Lanka. We had a truly memorable time and we are grateful to you for all your knowledge and guidance throughout our trip, it would not have been..." Mr. Richard & Mrs. Bridget Simson and family from
"We had a trip planned with Cyril just when international travel closed down due to Covid. Cyril was great in planning a trip with me that had a great deal of flexibility and tailored to visit the places we wanted to seeUnfortunately we were unable to take the trip. Cyril's response to that was great, he dealt with everything for us in terms of cancellationsHe has kept in touch with us since then and has already contacted me with a revised plan for our trip to Sri Lanka. Which we will book with h..." Brian O: Keefe - Perth - Australia
"We highly appreciated Cyril as our chauffeur guide. We can easily speak with him about any subject. We learnt a lot about Sri Lanka' s culture, history and way of life. He arrange everything we asked. In the airport on arrval his welcome is marvelous. His English language is superb and very clear. His knowledge and expanation about the sites are unique. More than the all he is very friendly and punctual. We will recommend him all the people who willing to come to Sri Lanka." COMBE MARTIAL AND WILD EMMANUEL FROM FRANCE
"(10 days). Before the trip I did a lot of research here on the site and other sites on the tour options and after checking in we decided to go with a guide attached. Choice in was not easy and I started Travels "correspondence with more than ten guides to staying with the" chosen ". No doubt it was an excellent choice! Before Asbury on our guide, I wanted to note that after the visit, I understand the importance of taking guide (driver) suite. Roads and driving in Sri Lanka ..." Corey
" Our Tour in Sri Lanka Traveling through the beautiful Sri Lanka has been great. Cyril warmly welcomed us at the airport and drove us with his always clean car in every part of the country. He provided daily information about the history and the different sites of Sri Lanka. Also, he taught us a lot about Sri Lankan culture, starting from food, traditions, animals and nature, and suggested authentic and less known places we c..." FILIPPO MASI FROM ITALY
"We would like to say thank you very much Mr. Cyril for the excellent 7 night tour of Sri Lanka you provided us. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Sri Lanka and the itinerary you arranged. The four hotels (Earls Regency, Amaya Lake, Heritance Kandalama and the Colombo Hilton) were excellent and thoroughly deserved their 5 stars. Your driving skills was excellent. Also very friendly, calm, helpful, and courteous and always prompts. Sri Lanka is a lovely country and the people were very friendly. ..." Suresh and Prashanth
"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
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