Every year, as the northeastern dry season settles over Sri Lanka’s North Central Province, an extraordinary convergence unfolds across the ancient tankbeds of Minneriya, Kaudulla, and Parakrama Samudraya. Hundreds of Asian elephants – occasionally swelling to more than 400 – trek from distant forests in search of water and the new grass that arises once reservoir levels recede.
This is the annual elephant gathering – Asia’s largest assembly of wild elephants, and what ‘Lonely Planet’ describes as one of the six greatest wildlife spectacles in the world.
The reservoir in Minneriya, along with Kaudulla and the Parakrama Samudraya, were built centuries ago by Sri Lankan kings to provide water for irrigation. Today, they are vital lifelines during the dry season.
“The gathering, despite how we see it as something of nature, is entirely man‑made,” Centre for Conservation and Research Chairman Dr. Prithiviraj Fernando explained. “They come not for the water, but for the grass that comes up around these man-made tanks when waters recede.”
As the water level recedes, flat expanses of fertile lakebed give way to tender green grass, and this is what draws the elephants to this area every year, making one of our most impactful natural phenomena a man-made wonder as well.
The gathering and the bigger picture
Yet there is nothing artificial about the sense of awe as hundreds of elephants – bulls, cows, and calves – fill the dry tank bed of Minneriya, drawn into a cyclical feast created by human hands. For several months each year, this ancient reservoir transforms into a grand stage for Asia’s largest elephant congregation.
And elephants are just one part of a much bigger picture. “What’s so significant about Sri Lanka is the sheer aggregation of biodiversity across different scales – from the largest whales in the ocean and the elephants in our forests, to over 15 million migratory birds that pass through each year,” said University of Colombo (UOC) Department of Zoology and Environment Sciences Professor Sampath Seneviratne.
“We have around 250 species of resident birds, of which about 115 are unique – either in colour, behaviour, or the way they breed. Very few countries can claim that,” he added.
When the elephants cascade into Minneriya, socialising, breeding, guarding calves, and occasionally gifting the world with twins (a rare spectacle), watching them becomes like peering into an open library of elephant behaviour. For conservationists, the gathering also becomes a data point, a message, and a call to protect this keystone species that captures so much of the Lankan and global imagination.
Sri Lanka’s wild elephants aren’t just majestic, they are valuable economically and culturally as well. The ripple effect reaches far: jeep safaris, guides, hoteliers, transport drivers, and local vendors all depend on the seasonal surge.
Yet the greatest threat isn’t poaching or predators, it is policy. Leave the reservoir full, and you choke off the grasses. Elephant numbers fragment; families wander off and into crop fields, straining human-elephant coexistence. It’s a reminder that ecological missteps carry economic consequences.
The gathering and tourism
Cinnamon Nature Trails Vice President Chitral Jayatilake shared that Sri Lanka’s ability to capitalise on this unique wildlife experience should not be overlooked.
“Sri Lanka is unique because it’s such a small country. You can watch blue whales in Trincomalee in the morning, then drive two-and-a-half hours for lunch and see the largest land mammal – the elephant,” he explained, noting that of course, there were many challenges that came with keeping wildlife tourism sustainable.
In the case of Cinnamon Nature Trails, Jayatilake shared that the team worked closely with the Department of Wildlife Conservation and Forest Department to ensure balance.
“We need to build bridges, not walls. Together we can make a cohesive product that competes with world-class wildlife products while also making sure that we don’t overcrowd the parks,” he said, emphasising that nomadic luxury – seeing giants of sea and land within days – was Sri Lanka’s edge.
That edge is sharpening: for 2025, international bookings during the gathering are already starting to come through from India and beyond, according to Jayatilake. Not just a regional curiosity, the gathering has entered global consciousness, chronicled by CNN, BBC, and ‘Lonely Planet’ as a top 10 wildlife spectacle
The ‘Gathering of the Giants’
Cinnamon Hotels aims to balance this spectacle with responsible tourism through ‘The Gathering of Giants,’ a three-day curated event held at its Habarana resorts during this year’s gathering.
It wraps the spectacle in stewardship: safaris, expert talks, bird-watching, workshops, and responsible travel guidelines, guided by era‑defining voices like Dr. Fernando, Prof. Seneviratne, and BBC wildlife cameraman Noah Falklind.
Rather than crowding into jeeps, guests learn the why behind the gathering. They are encouraged to ask questions, support conservation, and build empathy. A partnership with Seylan Bank offers local credit and debit cardholders discounts and offers to help them gain greater access to this event in a responsible way.
The gathering and the future
Sri Lanka’s elephant spectacle is one part biology, two parts policy, and three parts people. Every year, when the reservoir bottoms out and grass appears, it is an invitation not only to witness something magical and unique to our shores, but also to understand our role in preserving elephants for the future.
Dr. Fernando underlined the gathering’s shared guardianship, noting: “Asian elephants are found in only 13 countries. The world loves seeing elephants, but for many, to get a glimpse of one is almost an impossibility.
“Sri Lanka – and the gathering in particular – is the best place in the world to see it. It is an enormous potential resource, but it is one that we are still not managing or exploiting properly to gain the best benefit for our country. It is listed as the sixth natural wildlife wonder of the world, and is not a piece of heritage just for Sri Lanka but for the world as well. It holds enormous potential for our country, but with that also comes responsibility,” he said.
“We must serve as caretakers of the gathering,” Dr. Fernando urged. “In today’s world, there is so much happening – shifting aspirations and growing populations. We need to understand this.”
Dr. Fernando also highlighted that surveys and data – such as that collected by the Cinnamon Elephant Project – had been accumulating for over a decade but remained underused.
Researchers who monitor herds of Sri Lankan elephants note that males behave differently depending on crowding, water availability, and social dynamics, which in turn determine their forays into farmland. They also measure behavioural stress in elephants affected by tourism, watchdogging impacts in real time.
“Minneriya may be famous for elephants, but it’s also a hotspot for birdlife – resident, endemic, and migratory,” Prof. Seneviratne added. “It’s part of a larger ecological corridor that connects forests, grasslands, and wetlands. Events like the gathering remind us how biodiversity overlaps and how conservation efforts must extend beyond a single species.”
It is our collective duty – as researchers, policymakers, tour operators, and guests – to ensure that when the tanks dry again next year, the giants will return, and so too will the promise of nature, wonder, and economic vitality. If well managed, Sri Lanka stands not only to preserve a wildlife wonder but also to shine as a global exemplar of sustainable, wildlife-centred tourism, where every elephant that dips its trunk into Minneriya’s waters symbolises hope for a shared future.
If Sri Lanka protects its reservoirs, balances tourism, and invests in research and the community, the gathering can endure. But mismanagement – hydrology pushed for agriculture, parks packed beyond capacity, conflicts unresolved – will unravel the magic.
Info box
For more information on Cinnamon Nature Trails’ ‘Gathering of the Giants’ experience, which will take place from 25-27 July at Cinnamon Lodge Habarana:
Telephone: +94 11 2161 161
PHOTOS ISHAN SANJEEWA