Overview in Negombo

Negombo, Sri Lanka · Animals, Day Trips, Food, Outdoors, Beaches · USD 100

Minneriya safari tours from Kandy: private car (1–3, US$100) or van (4–7, US$135), 7:30 or 8 am pickup, 4-hour safari and free stops at Sigiriya or Dambulla. Our private Minneriya safari tours from Kandy take you to see the wild elephant herds of Minneriya National Park and back in one day. Choose a 7:30 am or 8:00 am pickup from your hotel in Kandy. After a drive of about 2.5 hours, you spend around 4 hours on safari, then stop for lunch and head back to Kandy. The price covers your private return transport: US$100 for 1 to 3 people in an air-conditioned car, or US$135 for 4 to 7 people in a van. The safari jeep and Minneriya National Park entrance tickets are extra. We can book your jeep for you: a private Minneriya safari jeep is US$60 for up to 6 people, and you can add it in the booking box. Free stops at Sigiriya and Dambulla On the way back to Kandy you can stop at Sigiriya Rock or the Dambulla Cave Temple at no extra transport cost. Just tick the stops you want in the booking box. Entrance tickets are paid at each site, and each stop adds some time to the day. For a full visit to both, see our Sigiriya day trip from Kandy. Is a Minneriya safari from Kandy worth it? Yes. Minneriya is the easiest place to see large elephant herds from Kandy, and from about July to October it is home to The Elephant Gathering, when hundreds of elephants graze on the shore of the ancient Minneriya tank. Read more on our Minneriya National Park safari page. More day trips from Kandy Minneriya is one of many day trips from Kandy that we run with hotel pickup. For more wildlife, see our safari tours in Sri Lanka. See all day trips from Kandy → Highlights - Minneriya day tour from Kandy, pickup at 7:30 or 8:00 am - Private air-conditioned car (1–3 people) or van (4–7 people) with an English-speaking driver - About 4 hours on safari in Minneriya National Park - Free optional stops at Sigiriya Rock or Dambulla Cave Temple - Wild elephant herds and The Elephant Gathering (about July–October) - Transport from US$100 · add a private jeep for US$60 · entrance tickets extra Itinerary Your driver collects you from your hotel in Kandy at the time you choose when booking: 7:30 am or 8:00 am. Head north through Matale and Dambulla into the Cultural Triangle, reaching Minneriya at around 10:00 to 10:30 am. Spend around four hours in your jeep, following the forest tracks down to the shore of the Minneriya tank, where elephant herds graze and bathe. Look out for spotted deer, water buffalo, storks and fish eagles. The jeep and entrance tickets are extra; we can book a private jeep for you for US$60. Lunch at a local restaurant near the park (lunch is not included). Your driver will take you to a good place nearby. On the way back, stop at Sigiriya Rock or the Dambulla Cave Temple if you wish. There is no extra transport charge; entrance tickets are paid at each site. Return to your hotel in Kandy at around 5:30 pm, or a little later if you add Sigiriya or Dambulla. What’s included Included - Private air-conditioned car or van for the whole day - English-speaking driver - Hotel pickup and drop-off in Kandy - Optional stops at Sigiriya or Dambulla (no extra transport cost) - Fuel, parking fees and highway tolls Not included - Safari jeep (private 4x4 jeep for US$60, can be added when you book) - Minneriya National Park entrance tickets (paid at the gate) - Sigiriya and Dambulla entrance tickets - Meals and drinks - Tips for your driver (optional) FAQs Minneriya is about 2.5 hours from Kandy by road, through Matale and Dambulla. You can choose a 7:30 am or 8:00 am pickup from your hotel in Kandy when you book. About 4 hours in the park, followed by lunch before the drive back to Kandy. Private return transport costs US$100 for 1 to 3 people in a car or US$135 for 4 to 7 people in a van. The safari jeep (US$60 per jeep if you book it with us) and Minneriya National Park entrance tickets are extra. Yes. You can stop at Sigiriya Rock or the Dambulla Cave Temple on the way back at no extra transport cost. Entrance tickets are paid at each site, and the stops make you back in Kandy a little later. No. The price covers your private transport from Kandy. You can add a private 4×4 safari jeep for US$60 for up to 6 people in the booking box, and the park entrance tickets are paid at the gate. Usually from about July to October, peaking in August and September. Elephants are seen in Minneriya or nearby Kaudulla through much of the year.