Minneriya National Park

Minneriya National Park, which is 182 kilometres from Colombo, is located in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka. Habarana and Minneriya are the two major towns that are most nearby Minneriya National Park.

Minneriya National Park is spread over a land area of 8,890 hectares. The restored ancient Minneriya tank, which supplies water to a considerable area of the nearest town, Polonnaru district, is the centerpiece of the Minneriya National Park.

It was declared as a sanctuary in 1938 to protect the animals living there due to adverse human activities. But as the forest clearing did not stop, this area was declared as a national park on August 12, 1997 for long-term protection and in 1998 eco-tourism activities were started there.

From the mountains that range from 60 meters to 500 meters above sea level and can be seen throughout the park are forests, thick forests and grasslands. The annual rainfall in Minneriya area is between 1500-2000 mm and the average temperature range is between 21 to 35 degrees centigrade. The Minneriya National Park has a dry season from April to October, with the northeast monsoon from October to January being the wet season. The soil is mainly reddish brown and silt.

Minneriya Reservoir

Sri Lanka was once an agriculturally self-sufficient nation. The majority of Sri Lanka’s largest reservoirs were constructed between the middle of the Anuradhapura kingdom and the era of the Polonnaruwa kingdom, when reservoir construction technology was at its pinnacle.

Because of this, King Mahasen’s construction of the Minneri Reservoir in the Polonnaruwa District continues to hold a special place. King Mahasen constructed the Minneriya Reservoir, a sizable lake in Polonnaruwa, in 286 AD by spanning the Minneriya River. The 249 square kilometres that make up this reservoir’s catchment area are covered by a dam that is 13 metres high and 2 kilometres long. The centrepiece of Minneriya National Park is the historic Minneriya Lake.

The main water supply to the Minneriya Reservoir within the Minneriya National Park is the Mahaweli water flowing through the Yodha Canal. The water flowing from Batu Oya, Erige Oya, Talkote Oya, Kiri Oya, Madayampala Oya joins the catchment area of Minneriya Reservoir and very little is added to the reservoir.

Minneriya National Park is home to a significant elephant gathering.

Due to the grasses and plants growing in the lakes edge, a variety of wild animals from the nearby forest come in search of their food and water even though the water level of the Minneri Reservoir rapidly drops with the arrival of the dry season. Elephant herds from various areas, such as Wasgamuwa, Maduru Oya, Somawathiya, etc., are frequently seen in the evenings near the reservoir during the months of August and September, along with the increase of the severe dry season.

The largest numbers of Asian elephants in the world can be found in Minneriya National Park. Within a few square kilometres of the Minneriya Tank, herds of up to 350 elephants can be seen at the park during this time. Up to 700 elephants may exist, according to some reports. Elephants are a major draw for visitors to Minneriya National Park, especially during the dry season. Minneriya National Park is a park that offers the chance to see elephant herds all year long and also helps to maintain sizable elephant herds. It is a part of the elephant corridor that connects with Kaudulla and Wasgamuwa Park.

Minneriya National Park's ecosystems

This park’s plant community is an example of a dry mixed evergreen forest. Low-canopy montane forests, moderate-canopy secondary forests, thorn scrub forests, deserted paddy fields, grasslands, wetlands, and tropical dry mixed evergreen forests are among the different types of vegetation and habitat. Additionally, the Forestry Department has planted teak and eucalyptus plantations in the Ambagaswewa and Kahativemulla regions.

Plants like palu, buruta, milla, kalumadiriya, halmilla, weera, etc. are widely distributed in this area’s plant community. Grasses found in the dry zone forests, such as thorn fever, wild sedge, pohon, etc., as well as species like Kukurumana, Cappettia, and Vara, can also be seen in the Hein and Dhu forests.

The national park’s diverse vegetation ensures that the animals living there will never lack for food, shade, or shelter.

Wildlife in Minneriya National Park

In Minneriya Park, there are 24 species of mammals, 160 species of birds, 25 species of reptiles, 26 species of fish, and 75 species of butterflies.

List of main animals in Minneriya National Park

Sinhala name	Tamil name	English name
අලියා	காட்டு யானைகள்	Asian elephant
වදුරා	குரங்குகள்	Purple faced langur
රිළවා	செங்குரங்குகள்	Toque Macaque
ගෝනා	மரைகள்	sambar
තිත් මුවා	புள்ளி மான்கள்	Spotted deer
කොටියා	புலிகள்	leopard
වළසා	கரடிகள்	Sloth bear
දියකාවා	நீர்க்காகம்	Little Cormorant
කලපු කොකා	சாம்பல் நாரை	Grey heron
ලතු වැකියා	மஞ்சல் மூக்கு நாரை	Painted stork
මහ සුදු පැස්තුඩුවා	பெரிய வெள்ளை நாரை	GreatWhite Pelican
වළි කුකුළා	காட்டுக்கோழி	Sri lanka junglefowl
ගිරා මලිත්තා	இலங்கை தொங்கும் கிளி	Sri Lanka Hanging parrot
ලංකා මුදුන් බොර දෙමලිච්චා	பழுப்புத் தலைச் சிலம்பன்	brown-Capped Babler
අළු කෑදැත්තා	இலங்கை சாம்பல் இருவாய்ச்சி	Sri lanka Grey Hornbill

ඔලුව රතු කොට්ටෝරුවා	கிரிம்ஸன் ப்ரென்டட் குக்குறுவான்	Crimson-Fronted Barbet
හිස කළු කොණ්ඩයා	செந்தொண்டைச் சின்னான்	Black- Crested bulbul
දුම්බොන්නා	இந்தியன் ரோலர்	Indian roller
තොල විසිතුරු කටුස්සා	சிவப்பு உதட்டுப் பல்லி	Red lipped lizard
හිරළුවා	அரணை	Skink
හැල කිඹුලන්	சதுப்பு நில முதலை	Mugger crocodile
පිඹුරා	மலைப் பாம்பு	Python
තලගොයා	உடும்பு	Land monitor lizard
කබරගොයා	நீர் உடும்பு	Asian water monitor

Birds in Minneriya National Park

Large water birds like lagoon cranes and painted storks have a crucial habitat in the Minneriya reservoir. Great White Pelican, spot-billed pelican, and painted stork. Many resident and migratory bird species reside in Minneriya. 2000 Little Cormorants in flocks have been observed. The other water birds in this area include the great white pelican, ruddy turnstone, and grey heron. The Sri Lanka Junglefowl, Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot, Brown-Capped Babler, Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill, Crimson-Fronted Barbet, Black-Crested Bulbul, and others are examples of endemic birds. The quantity of endangered bird species identified in Minneriya National Park

Animals in Minneriya National Park

In Minneriya National Park, herbivores like wild elephants, purple faced langurs, Toque Macaques, buffalo, sambar, and spotted deer, as well as carnivores like leopards and sloth bears, abound.

Reptiles and Amphibians in Minneriya National Park

The Red-lipped lizard, Skink, Mugger Crocodile, Python, Land Monitor Lizard, and Asian Water Monitor are some of the reptile species that call the park home. The Minneriya reservoir is home to numerous species of freshwater fish. Additionally, a variety of butterfly species can be found here.

Rambawila bunglow in Minneriya National Park

Tower

Bunglow

Rambawila Tourist House has been built for the convenience of tourists and its booking is done from the head office of the Wildlife Conservation Department in Colombo.

Attractive Places in Minneriya Park

Animal watch Tower - Rambawila