Minneriya National Park

Minneriya National Park, located 182 km from Colombo, is dominated by the Minneriya Reservoir. It is a large park where elephants can be found in large numbers. The area is 8889 hectares and is dominated by herds of elephants, deer, wild boar, bears, birds and fish.

It is located west of Polonnaruwa (20 km), in the Polonnaruwa District and North Central Province.

The park, located on the way to the Cultural Triangle, was declared a reserve on 29 July 1938 and was upgraded to a national park on 12 August 1997.

The beautiful vegetation that can be found in Minneriya includes weera, palu, milla, burutha, kone, beli, halmilla manilkaru, kalumederiya and rurum. Eraminiya, cacti, keppetiya, wara, kaluuna and nidikumba grow in the abandoned cenotes.

You can find 24 species of mammals in the park. It is estimated that about 200-300 elephants call the park home. Leopards, bears, deer, wild boars and many more are also found here. The park is also home to beautiful birds such as parrots, selalihiniyas, jungle hens, peacocks, weavers, hanging parrots, cues, bearded vultures and bulbuls. The reservoir is home to waterfowl, pelicans, cormorants, storks, cranes and many other species of water birds, as well as 26 different species of fish and the ever-hungry crocodiles.