Minneriya National Park and Sigiriya Day Trip from Kalutara

Minneriya National Park serves as a refuge for elephants that live in the forests of the Matale, Polonnaruwa and Trincomalee districts during the dry season. You will enjoy an unforgettable experience with the animals if you visit during this period. This makes for a memorable wildlife holiday to Sri Lanka. Minneriya is approximately 4 -5 hours from Colombo's capital city. It is also close to many local attractions. For example, Polonnaruwa is just 20 km away. Habarana or Sigiriya are also within reach, allowing you to combine your cultural holiday with your wildlife vacation. The park's topography includes scrub plains and mixed evergreen forests as well as rocky outcrops, marshes, and rocky outcrops. This provides a wide variety of habitats for many animals.

Sigiriya or Sinhagiri is an ancient rock fortress located in the northern Matale District near the town of Dambulla in the Central Province, Sri Lanka. It is a site of historical and archaeological significance that is dominated by a massive column of rock approximately 180 metres (590 ft) high. According to the ancient Sri Lankan chronicle the Cūḷavaṃsa, this area was a large forest, then after storms and landslides it became a hill and was selected by King Kashyapa (477 – 495 AD) for his new capital. He built his palace on top of this rock and decorated its sides with colorful frescoes. On a small plateau about halfway up the side of this rock he built a gateway in the form of an enormous lion. The name of this place is derived from this structure; Sīnhāgiri, the Lion Rock (an etymology similar to Sinhapura, the Sanskrit name of Singapore, the Lion City)