During the dry season in Sri Lanka, hundreds of Asian elephants travel to the Minneriya corridor and surrounding national parks to not only take advantage of the remaining water within the man-made reservoirs here, but also to eat the exposed lush grass revealed by the low water levels. Some of these reservoirs were built by ancient Sri Lankan kings over 1,500 years ago. 

I was able to witness this great gathering in Kandulla National Park, and was very lucky to witness over 200 individuals from 3 separate herds congregate to enjoy the waters. This event has been recognised as one of the top wildlife encounters in Sri Lanka, and certainly will help raise awareness of the species and hopefully inspire the future protection of this species, and other species of elephant around the world. However, with this great spectacle comes with a lot of attention. 

Around 100 jeeps or so were in a very small area at the same time, causing great stress to the herds, with mock charges occasionally happening towards jeeps that got too close as well as obvious signs of anxiety displayed in the elephants behaviour. We even witnessed tourists getting out of a jeep to be able to get a better photograph of the spectacle, which is incredibly dangerous and is a great example of complete disregard for their environment. 

I hope the below images display the problem with overtourism in national parks like this, but also the beauty of this species, their curious behaviours and their strong family bonds. I would certainly recommend Sri Lanka as one of the best countries in the wild for wildlife, culture and safari, but please make sure you use a ethical travel company or tour provider that understands animal welfare that also uses local guides who want to protect their environment. We were incredibly lucky to have a very knowledgeable driver who not only understood their behaviour and moved away from busy areas or from elephants that were showing signs of stress, but was genuinely passionate about the wildlife and conservation of his home.