Without a doubt, the thing I was looking forward to the most about my trip to Sri Lanka was the prospect of laying eyes on a wild elephant. With nearly 6,000 of them roaming the island, the odds of catching sight of one seemed pretty good, especially since I’d already set my mind on visiting Minneriya National Park, home of the largest Asian elephant gathering in the entire world. Surely, if I was going to find an elephant anywhere, it would be there!
Where is the Best Place to see Elephants in Sri Lanka?
Undoubtedly, the answer to this question is: in the wild!
Knowing Sri Lanka had such an impressive elephant population, I was on high elephant alert from the moment I stepped off the plane. Obviously I didn’t really expect to see a herd milling around outside the departure lounge, but I was optimistic enough to hope I’d catch a glimpse of one during the 7 hour taxi ride from Colombo to Trincomalee. As it happens, I got more than a glimpse.
The first Asian elephant I ever laid eyes on was chained up at the side of the main road to give rides to tourists. Our taxi driver pulled over, obviously assuming we’d be delighted by the sight of an elephant in such close proximity. She had a wooden box seat strapped to her back and she was wearing a ridiculous embroidered headpiece as if she was a doll to be dressed up for the entertainment of others. That elephant will live out the rest of her sad little life chained to that same post, bearing the weight of that same box seat and wearing that same stupid headpiece so tourists can have 5 minutes of holiday fun.
Don’t ride elephants, you guys. Go seek out the lucky ones who still have their freedom. It’s an infinitely more rewarding experience.
Getting to Minneriya National Park
There are plenty of national parks scattered all over Sri Lanka and most of them offer elephant-spotting opportunities. We decided to travel to Minneriya because it’s world-famous for the sheer quantity of elephants that gather there. During the dry season, elephants from all over the island migrate to Minneriya and some records report as many as 700 gathering there at once.
Arranging the trip couldn’t have been easier. Every tour operator in Trincomalee offers trips to Minneriya. We paid just £35 for a round trip in an air-conditioned car, entrance into the park and Jeep hire for the entire morning, complete with a driver (because can you imagine me trying to drive one of those things?).
The Greatest Experience of my Life
We visited Sri Lanka during the off season and man did it rain! And rain. And rain! Right as we got to the national park the heavens opened again and I was convinced any chance of elephant-spotting was washed away with the rain water.
But, as our Jeep crept through the flooded forest, we caught sight of our first wild elephant, standing in the middle of the road. As we got closer, we realised she wasn’t alone and that there was an entire family of elephants taking shelter from the rain under the trees. It was one of the most surreal and breathtaking experiences of my life, which was only momentarily interrupted by our Jeep being charged by an overly cautious matriarch. Thankfully, she backed off quite quickly and we lived to tell the tale.
Just as we came in sight of the reservoir, the sun came out for the first time that week and we got the perfect view of more elephants that I could ever have hoped to come across. The tour guide estimated there were around 200 of them. We saw bull elephants, small families, babies trotting along behind their mothers, and a particularly adorable baby who couldn’t quite manage to rip the grass out of the earth with his little trunk.
It was incredibly peaceful. Usually when you see pictures of Minneriya during peak season it’s bumper to bumper with Jeeps, but, as we were the only people crazy enough to visit during rainy season, we didn’t spot a single other Jeep during the entire time we were there. It was definitely the best time to visit. Yes, your holiday might be a little damp if you go in February, but it’s worth it for a once in a lifetime elephant experience.
Visiting Minneriya National Park and finally setting eyes on not just one wild elephant, but 200, was by far the most amazing travel experience I’ve had so far…even with the whole being charged by an angry elephant thing.
