Items12The creator’s order
  1. 1Minneriya National ParkMinneriya National ParkThis is the place for the Gathering. As the dry season shrinks the ancient Minneriya tank, built in the third century, fresh grass spreads across its exposed bed and herds walk in from the surrounding forest to graze, bathe and socialize, sometimes more than 300 elephants at once. The peak runs…0
  2. 2Kaudulla National ParkKaudulla National ParkMinneriya's quieter neighbor shares the same herds. Around September many elephants move across to the Kaudulla tank, another of the irrigation reservoirs credited to King Mahasen, in search of water and grazing, so a late-season trip here can deliver the gathering experience after Minneriya thins…0
  3. 3Hurulu Forest ReserveHurulu Forest ReserveVisited as Hurulu Eco Park, near Habarana When the rains refill the waterholes and the Minneriya gathering disperses, elephants spread back into the forests around it, and Hurulu is where many safari drivers go next. Groups here are smaller, often in the range of 50 to 75 animals, and the drive…0
  4. 4Udawalawe National ParkUdawalawe National ParkIf you want elephants without timing a migration, come here. A herd of about 250 is believed to live in the park year-round, around the reservoir whose construction displaced the wildlife the park was created to protect in 1972, and sightings on a single drive are about as dependable as Asian…0
  5. 5Gal Oya National ParkGal Oya National ParkThe one to choose if you would rather watch from the water. Gal Oya's safaris run by boat across the Senanayake Samudraya, the largest inland body of water in Sri Lanka, and the prize is elephants wading and swimming between its islands. It sits in the less-visited east, a drive inland from Arugam…0
  6. 6Nagarhole National ParkNagarhole National ParkVisited from Kabini, on the reservoir between Nagarhole and Bandipur India's answer to the Gathering happens here in summer. As the Kabini reservoir's water recedes, its exposed bed and islands turn into grassland, and elephants from Nagarhole, Bandipur, Wayanad and beyond come down to graze the…0
  7. 7Jim Corbett National ParkJim Corbett National ParkIndia's first national park, established in 1936, held around 1,100 elephants in 2019, and most visitors come for tigers without realizing how good the elephant viewing is. The place to be is the Dhikala grassland in summer: once the floodwater recedes, herds come out onto the chaur, and as the…0
  8. 8Kaziranga National ParkKaziranga National ParkFamous for its one-horned rhinos, Kaziranga is also one of the strongest places in India for elephants: the park counts around 1,940 of them in its tall grass and wetlands, so the jeeps that come for rhinos pass elephant herds too. The park reopened for the 2026–27 season on October 3, with jeep…0
  9. 9Periyar National ParkPeriyar National ParkVisited from Thekkady, on Periyar Lake The best seat here is a boat. Periyar Lake formed when the Mullaperiyar Dam was built in 1895, and elephants, gaur and sambar come down through the forested hills to its shoreline, where the boat trips give you an unobstructed view. Boats run five departures…0
  10. 10Kui Buri National ParkKui Buri National ParkOne of Thailand's most dependable places for wild elephants, about 85 kilometers southwest of Hua Hin. The model is worth supporting: private cars stay out of the safari zone, and visitors ride in pickup trucks driven by local community members, with trained guides or park staff aboard, so the…0