Minneriya National Park Sri Lanka
Minneriya national park is
located 182 kms away from Colombo, in the North Central Plains of Sri
Lanka. The major city closest to Minneriya National Park is Polonnaruwa.
The recently renovated, the ancient Minneriya Rainwater Reservoir
irrigates a considerable area of the district of Polonnaruwa and is the
focal point of the Minneriya National Park. May to October is the best
period to visit Minneriya National Park in view of the famous Gathering
of the wild elephant herds. The gathering is documented as the largest
known meeting place of Asian Elephants in the world. During the dry
season of August to September each year, herds up to 300 elephants are
seen within a few square kilometers of the vast Minneriya Reservoir.
This Elephant Gathering is a thrilling spectacle that would be
remembered for rest of the life of all those who were fortunate enough
to witness it. 24 species of mammals and over 170 species of birds have
been recorded here and out Of the 25 species of reptiles recorded in the
park 8 are endemic.
Safari camping in Sri Lanka is
an ideal way to savour the splendour of the island from one of the many
spots available for such camps. The game reserves of Sri Lanka are best
savoured from such a camp than trudging up and down from a hotel! You
may select a tour from a wide range of tours or enjoy one tailor made
just for you. Observing nature and its diversity is best done in our
opinion in one such camps, whether its fauna, flora, bird watching or
even interacting with the local indigenous people “Veddha’s”.
The Climate and altitude at Minneriya National Park
Minneriya National Park that covers an area of 8,889 hectares is of tropical monsoon climate: annual rainfall is about 1146mm and mean annual temperature is 27.5 centigrade. The altitude ranges from100m to 885m at the top of Nilgala peak.Accommodation options at Minneriya National Park
Minneriya National Park has no accommodation facilities within its boundaries. But the cities close to Minneriya National Park– Sigiriya, Polonnaruwa, Habrana and Giritale- are clustered with luxury hotels and lodges.
Vegetation at Minneriya National Park
The vegetation of the park consists of tropical dry mixed evergreen forests, abandoned chena lands, grasslands and wetlands. The open grasslands and old chena lands are dominated by the many species of small shrub.
The abandoned chenas are dominated by kukuruman (Randia dumetorum), keppettia (Croton sp.) wara (Calotropis Gigantea) and grasses i.e. katu-una (Bambusa bambos), wali indi (Phonenix zeylanica), illuk (Imerata Cylindirca) and pohon (Panicum Maximum).
The phytoplankton is dominated by Microcystis and Melosira.Among the large trees are palu (Manilkara Hexandra), Satin (Chloroxylon Swietenia), milla (Vitex Altissima), Kalumediriya (Diospyros Quaesita), halmilla (Berrya Cordifolia), weera (Drypets Sepiaria).
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