From late July through to September each year a spectacular yet little known wildlife event takes place along the receding shoreline of the Minneriya lake. As the dry season takes hold waterholes evaporate and deciduous forests shed their leaves forcing a unique gathering of elephants at Minneriya National Park. The elephants come to graze on the rich grasses which grow around the lake whilst taking full advantage of the plentiful drinking water within the lake. This gathering at Minneriya attracts the largest concentration of Asian Elephants in the world and offers an amazing spectacle to the visiting tourist.
Here in Minneriya at this time of year almost every aspect of elephant behaviour can be witnessed as family groups including tiny youngsters, receptive females and mature bulls come together to feed, drink, wallow, mate and settle disputes.

The gathering is not a single superherd but rather a collection of elephant herds dotted around the shore of the Minneriya Lake. These elephant herds range from a dozen up to 50+ individuals with the combined total often exceeding 300. We visited Minneriya NP twice on consecutive afternoons and at one point could see three separate herds which totalled in excess of 140 animals!