Minneriya National Park (මින්නේරිය ජාතික වනෝද්‍යානය)

55 years ago3 weeks ago06 mins

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Size	8,889 hectares
Main attraction	Large herds of Elephants, Deer, Wild boar, Bear, Birds and Fish

Situated 182 km from Colombo, Minneriya National Park is dominated by the Minneriya tank. This is another park where you will find the Elephants in large numbers.

Located west of Polonnaruwa (20km), in the Polonnaruwa district and North Central Province, roads make up most of the boundaries of the park. They are the Habarana-Polonnaruwa highway, the Sigiriya-Moragaswewe road, and the Kalukehiyawa-Diyabeduma road. The land area is well over 8889 hectares. The Minnerya tank built by King Mahasen in the third century AD with a capacity of 22,500 ha when full, and a catchment area of 24,000 ha, is within the borders of the park. The Elahera channel carries water from a divert of the Amban Ganga to feed the tank.

The park which is encountered on the way to the cultural triangle was declared a sanctuary on July 29, 1938, and upgraded to a national park on August 12, 1997.

The fine vegetation to be found at Minneriya include weera, palu, milla, burutha, kone, beli, halmilla manilkaru, kalumederiya and rukurum. Eraminiya, cactus, keppetiya, wara, kaluuna and nidikumba grow in the abandoned chenas.

You can find 24 species of mammals in the park. It is estimated that around 200-300 elephants call the park their home. There are also leopards, bears, deer, wild boar, and many others. The park is also home to magnificent birds such as parrots, selalihiniyas, jungle fowl, peacocks, weaverbirds, hanging parrots, babblers, barbets, and bulbuls. Waterfowl, pelicans, cormorants, storks, cranes, and many other species of water birds reside in the tank, as do 26 different species of fish and the ever-hungry crocodiles.

The entrance to the park is about 6 km from the Habarana. The ideal time to see the Elephants in the park is the early morning before sunrise and late in the evening. Like all other animals, they tend to move towards shady areas away from the jeep tracks when the sun is up and The park opens at 6 a.m. It is best to be at the gate by this time.

You can hire a safari jeep from Habarana, Polonnaruwa, or at the gate. Vans are also allowed into the park. They can travel on almost all the tracks in the dry season. But if you have a 4WD jeep you can go to the dried-up lake bed during the dry season. This is where you will find most of the animals. Herds as large as 100 animals is not a rare sight in the dry season. A permit is required from the Ambagaswewa Wildlife Conservation Office (about 6 km from Habarana), to enter the Minneriya National Park.

There are no bungalows inside the Minneriya National Park. You will have to stay either in Habarana or in Polonnaruwa. Some good star-class hotels can be found in Habarana and Girithale.

You can also see elephants on the Habarana Road (the Road connecting Habarana and Polonnaruwa) if you travel along this road after 6.30. Herds of elephants come to the road after dark. They are quite used to vehicles but sometimes get annoyed by the headlights.

Entrance Fees for Minneriya National Park

Description (Fees Applicable for Category 1 Park)	Price
Local – Adults	LKR 150
Local – Children (6-12 years)	LKR 100
Local – Student	LKR 20
Local – Children (below 6 years)	FOC
Local – Group Fee (per vehicle)	LKR 400
Foreign – Adults	USD 25
Foreign – Children (6-12 years)	USD 15
Foreign SAARC Countries – Adults	USD 20
Foreign SAARC Countries – Children (6-12 years)	USD 10
Foreign – Children (below 6 years)	FOC
Foreign – Group Fee (per vehicle)	USD 10
Taxes on total cost	15%
Entrance Fee per vehicle	LKR 300

Ticket Price Schedule as gazetted in 2022

for example, for 2 foreigners with 1 child between 6-12 will have the cost of

Description	Cost
2 adults	USD 50.00
1 child	USD 15.00
Group Fee	USD 10.00
Total	USD 75.00
Tax (15%)	USD 11.25
Total	USD 86.25

The above costs are for entry tickets for persons as gazetted in 2022. A ticket for the vehicle, as given above, has to be purchased separately.

Payments can be made in USD or equivalent LKR by foreigners. You can call 1919 (government information center) for the latest ticket prices. If you hire a private safari Jeep, the prices vary from LKR 11,000 to LKR 15,000 for a half day (4 hours) based on the park. For a full day, it’s double the cost of a half day.

Tickets could be purchased in LKR or USD

Also See

Map of Minneriya National Park

Please click on the button below to load the Dynamic Google Map (ගූගල් සිතියම් පහලින්)

Show Location (ගූගල් සිතියම)

The map above also shows other places of interest within a approximately 20 km radius of the current site. Click on any of the markers and the info box to take you to information of these sites

Zoom out the map to see more surrounding locations using the mouse scroll wheel or map controls.

Travel Directions to Minneriya National Park

The park can be reached through Dambulla and is approximately 200km from Colombo. If you are traveling from Colombo You will have to reach Kurunegala through Kandy Road or Negambo Road. From Kurunegala take the Dambulla – Habarana Road. From the Habarana junction turn right towards Minneriya.

Route from Colombo to Minneriya National Park Ticketing Office and Entrance

Through : Ja-Ela – Kurunegala – Dambulla – Habarana
Distance : 200 km
Travel time : 4 hours.
Driving directions : see on google map

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Entrance Fees for Minneriya National Park

Also See

Map of Minneriya National Park

Travel Directions to Minneriya National Park

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