Introducing Minneriya National Park

Dominated by the ancient Minneriya Tank, this national park (adult/child US$12/6, plus service charge US$6, plus per vehicle charge Rs 150) has plenty of scrub and light forest in its 8890 hectares to provide shelter for its toque macaques, sambar deer, leopards and elephants – to name a few. The dry season, from June to September, is the best time to visit. By then, water in the tank has dried up, exposing grasses and shoots to grazing animals; elephants, which number up to 150, come to feed and bathe; and flocks of birds, such as little cormorants and painted storks, fish in the shallow waters.
The park entrance is along the Habarana–Polonnaruwa road. A new visitor centre near the entrance sells tickets and offers a variety of exhibits about the park’s natural history.

from -lonelyplant.com

History and the Description of the Minnariya National Park: 

A flapping sea of black invades the emerald Minneriya Tank, as a flock of two thousand cormorants nosedive for fish. The elephants too, trudge by drinking from the same reservoir.

Not close to being the largest tank in Sri Lanka , Minneriya Tank - with the woods that surround it forming the Minneriya-Giritale National Park - is nevertheless home to an extraordinary diversity of wildlife. If numbers interest you, there are nine species of amphibians, 24 species of mammals, 25 species of reptiles, 26 species of fish (three of which are endangered), 75 species of butterflies and 160 species of birds.

Making your way through the park, you will see elephants, Spotted Deer and also the Sambar, which is a deer with no spots and an apt scientific name, carves unicolor . If you're lucky, a leopard looking for food might cross your path.

Less menacing but equally intriguing are the frogs and lizards with their tongues ready. Among the reptiles, the Red-lipped Lizard and Skink are both endemic to Sri Lanka as well as endangered. The frogs, on the other hand, are more abundantly present and have a tendency to jump over your feet or across your eyes between leaves. A notable example with a formidable but misleading title is the Sri Lanka Greater Hourglass Tree Frog.

It all sounds like there's such a lot to see at the park. But overhead is where the action really is. Sri Lanka , home to over 400 species of birds, has long been a birdwatcher's paradise. In Minneriya National Park alone, 160 species crowd the trees or strut the banks.

You can afford to miss the Painted Storks, Great White Pelican, Gray Herons, and even the Ruddy Turnstones (whatever those are). But do try to spot the Sri Lanka Jungle Fowl, Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot, Sri Lanka Brown-capped Babbler and Sri Lanka Gray Hornbill, because, as you can guess from their names, nowhere else are you going to find them but here, in Sri Lanka.

Even if you're not a bird enthusiast, at least you can boast about your trip later by throwing around some exotic bird-names.

 from- srilankaecotourism.com