Your drive begins along winding roads that go up and down on a relatively wide path through the jungles. The trees act as sentinels on either side, varying in shape, size and height. You hear the cry of birds echoing through the leaves. You suddenly catch a glimpse of movement in the foliage and as your jeep rushes by, you spot a monkey swinging unhurriedly on its way. Soon you reach a clearing that opens out onto wide expansive areas of greenery with patches of blue reflecting the clear skies above. And as you head close to the water you see a gathering of blurry shapes of brown or perhaps gray. With each passing moment, the shapes get larger until you finally reach a point where they come into focus; a gathering of elephants, roaming wild and free, oblivious to these visitors. It is a truly awe-inspiring sight and one that will be etched in your mind, reminding you of your Sri Lanka holidays at Minneriya National Park.
One of the best places for an elephant safari, this popular national park and wildlife sanctuary has much to offer in terms of wildlife. Local tour operators such as Jetwing Travels provide exciting excursions to such parks. The best time to visit Minneriya is between July and October when one can witness the spectacular natural event known as ‘The Gathering’. Seeing close to 300 elephants gathered around the Minneriya Tank is truly an experience of a lifetime.
But the park has more to offer than just these gentle giants. On your safari at Minneriya National Park be on the lookout for some of the park’s other animal inhabitants. Spotted deer, toque macaques, sloth bears and the gray slender loris have all found a home here and if you are really lucky you may even spot one of the resident leopards. The park is also a hotspot for bird watching and has a rich avifauna be it endemic or migratory species. The brown-capped babbler, grey heron, little cormorant, Sri Lanka junglefowl and great white pelican have all been sighted here.
Discovering Sri Lanka’s ‘wild side’ is an experience like no other!
Caleb Falcon is a travel writer who specializes in writing content based on the many exciting world adventures that await intrepid travellers. Google+