Every year the Gathering takes place on the receding shores of the Minneriya Lake, in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka. This is one of the most unforgettable and fantastic events in the international calendar. The Gathering begins around June and peaks during the months of August and September.
As the dry season fastens its grip on the dry lowlands, leaves wither and fall in the dry monsoon forests, and waterholes evaporate into cakes of cracked and perched mud. The Elephants must move on in search of food and water. They converge onto the receding shores of Minneriya Lake - now called this as Minneriya National Park. Elephants are surprisingly difficult to count. Normally on an evening at Minneriya Elephant count may be around 250-300. It starts to tail off in October with the onset of the North-east monsoon. This is a seasonal viewing in the dry season of large numbers of elephants form a population that is resident in the area, which gather on the lake bed. Its not a migration of elephants.
The Gathering at Minneriya National Park is a wonderful opportunity for both wildlife enthusiasts and casual travelers to observe the social dynamics of elephants.
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