Safari in Sri Lanka - Minneriya National Park

It was finally time for a safari in Sri Lanka! Our first safari in this country - we are planning another one - was in Minneriya National Park near Sigiriya in central Sri Lanka.

Safari in Sri Lanka

Going on safari in Sri Lanka is very popular. There are a whole bunch of national parks scattered throughout the country, the most famous and most visited of which is Yala National Park. All the parks offer the chance to see a wide variety of wildlife, with elephants being the most likely to be seen.

Other animals that can be seen on safari in Sri Lanka include wild boar, water buffalo, deer, macaques, sloth bears and various reptiles and birds. If you are really lucky, you may also see leopards. Which animals you see depends on your luck, of course, but also on the time of day and the national park you choose.

Minneriya National Park

We chose to do our first safari in Sri Lanka in Minneriya National Park. We chose this park because it is close to Mount Sigiriya which we visited just before, and because our driver recommended it.

We bought tickets the day before, at a simple roadside ticket booth. We paid about 1300 SEK for four people in a safari car, for a tour of about 2.5 hours. During the low season you don't need to book in advance at this park, but during the high season (November - January) the pressure can be high.

Animals in Minneriya National Park

What animals did we see? First of all, we saw a lot of birds. Lennart and Beata are experienced bird watchers and were ready with super binoculars and experienced bird watching eyes. From time to time they whispered "stop the car!", because they had seen some exciting bird.

We saw an intense blue kingfisher (too fast for my camera) and several other birds. The green pippin below, according to our birdwatching friends, may belong to the "thornbill genus". An eagle and a peacock were also captured on camera.

We also saw a chameleon in a tree, although it was clearly trying to blend in with the surroundings. It was our safari driver who spotted this and stopped the car.

Last but not least, we saw elephants. Several of them stood right next to the bumpy roads where we drove, paying very little attention to our cars. One of them wagged her ears as she crossed the road in front of us. Maybe that meant something? Several of the elephants also had their nice little kids with them. Great to see these big animals in their element!

Other experiences during our safari

Our safari in Sri Lanka was a pleasant experience that took around 2.5 hours. We drove in our own small jeep, with a driver, on the muddy roads through the countryside. We saw maybe a total of 6-7 other jeeps out during our trip. One of them had the misfortune to get stuck in the mud. When we got to them, they finally got free ...

At the end of the tour we drove to a small hill with a viewpoint. It rained just before we went up, and when the rain changed to sunshine, we got to see a beautiful and sharp rainbow over the green nature. We were very happy with the trip, and plan to go on another safari in Sri Lanka. Then we will try to choose a park where it is possible to see other animals than the ones we saw this time.

Have you ever been on safari? What are your experiences?

See more in Sri Lanka

If you are travelling around Sri Lanka, there is of course much more to see and do. Here are some suggestions for places of interest, not too far from Minneriya National Park:

• Lion Mountain Sigiriya is exciting to climb
• Dambulla is a small town, famous for its golden cave temple.
• Anuradhapura also offers temples and monkeys

If you are interested in animals and nature, there are also many interesting experiences in the country. Here are some more tips:

• Maduganga River offers an exciting river safari
• Animals in Sri Lanka - a bit like safari everywhere!

Facts about Minneriya National Park

• Country: Sri Lanka
• Location: The national park is located 182 kilometres from the capital Colombo in the central part of the country. The nearest major city is Polonnaruwa.
• Price: We paid about 1300 SEK for four people in a safari car, for a tour of about 2.5 hours (2018).
• Think about: Book well in advance if you are here in high season, at least a day in advance.
• Accommodation: You cannot stay inside the park. Hotels and other accommodation are available in Sigiriya, Polonnaruwa, Habrana and Giritale.

Animals in Minneriya National Park

• Mammals: There are 24 species of mammals in the park, including elephants, leopards, sloth bears, axis deer, sambar deer, wild boar, mongooses, anteaters and various types of monkeys.
• Birds: Over 170 different species of birds have been spotted in the park. You can see, among others, the pied flycatcher, the rayan hornbill, the ceylontimalia and many others.
• Reptiles: There are 25 known species of reptiles in the park, 8 of which are endemic. It is home to the marsh crocodile and various species of frogs and lizards.

Travelling to Minneriya National Park

• Car from Colombo: Driving from the capital takes about 4 hours (182 kilometres).
• Car from Anuradhapura: From Anuradhapura it takes about 1.5 hours to drive (82.5 kilometres).