Minneriya’s central feature is The Gathering – one of nature’s great spectacles, in which hundreds of wild Asian elephants converge on the park’s ancient reservoir between July and October as the surrounding waterholes dry up. At peak concentration, the viewing can exceed 300 elephants in a single evening session – grazing, swimming, playing, and socialising in what is regarded as the largest gathering of Asian elephants on earth. Outside The Gathering season, the park is still excellent for elephants and birdlife, and the setting around the Minneriya tank is beautiful in every season.
