Beach

Bentota, a mere 45 minutes away from Colombo along the Southern express way, hails as a premier resort town with no less than 15 Star class Hotels clustered together plus numerous other less than 10 rooms boutique style hotels with Sun, surf and sand. This gives the visitor an ideal chance to stay in one and savour many different above water activities, Bentota has always been renowned as the water sport capital of Sri Lanka.

Negombo, Situated six kilometres, a mere stones throwaway from the International airport of Sri Lanka, is a characteristic predominantly Christian fishing town with narrow streets and small boutiques and many a historic churches to visit and see, with its routes running back to the arrival of the Portuguese. Negombo is an ideal place to enjoy the traditional fishing methods of Sri Lanka, the out rigger canoe, the swifter catamaran and the lagoon famous for its promfret, lagoon crab & lobster during season.

One of the finest natural deepwater harbours in the world, located in the eastern seaboard of Sri Lanka approximately 245km from Colombo. There is an account of “Gokanna”, as it was known during the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa period, attracting great sea fares in the calibre Marco Polo and Ptolemy.

Two kilometres away from Galle is the famous beach resort town of Unawatuna, popular with foreign & local tourist alike for its placid turquoise blue sea, a fine reef for snorkelling also the only spot where one could spot whale shark, the largest know fish in the world and not a shark, and one should also know that sharks are unheard of in Sri Lankan waters.

Hailed as one of the best surfing destinations in the world, many events are held each year under the patronage of Sri Lanka Tourism Authority to promote this beach, the ones to watch are regional championships held each year in May – June. Arugambay is located on southeast corner of the island in close proximity to Kumana, which is one of the best places for birdwatchers, and Lahugala another destination to observe elephants in Sri Lanka.

Pasikuda, meaning “green-algae-bay” is situated in Eastern seaboard of Sri Lanka between Kalkuda and the Indian Ocean, approximately 35 kilometers from Batticaloa Town. The turquoise blue waters of the bay attracts local and foreign tourist to this wide sandy place under the hot tropical sun to surf, swim or just frolic in the water. Many other activities are available from kite surfing, boogie boarding to surfing and sailing across in a canoe.

Mount Lavinia is a suburb in Colombo,Sri Lanka. It is inside the administration boundary of Dehiwala-Mount Livinia Municipal Council. The area is a mostly residential suburb, known as Colombo’s beach retreat it is famed for its “Golden Mile” of beaches, and has long been a hot spot for tourism and nightlife. It is one of the most liberal regions in Sri Lanka.

The resort township of Tangalle, lying in the Deep South with nothing between it and Antarctica has some of the most beautiful un-crowded beaches in the island from Pallikkudawa to the famous pigeon bay with a small rocky islet off to a side to which one could walk over, where on one side a reef guards a rock pool with a myriad of marine life.

The Sinhalese chronicle Mahavamsa states that prince Vijaya landed in a place not too far from the present day Kalpitiya. A sandy headland which keeps the Kalpitiya lagoon sheltered from the Indian Ocean, the blue water with a calm surface beacons the kite surfers to try the breeze coming across the peninsular towards the land and enjoy a trouble free ride without the hassle of a sudden guest, which as every kite surfer knows can be a trifle more than tricky to handle on a board.

The BBC documentary titled “Ocean Giants” featuring the mesmeric world of Whales and Dolphins, and the scientist’s effort to shed light on their habits and why they grow so large were filmed around Mirissa Sri Lanka and according to them 30 Blue Whales were sighted in a single day!

The city gets its name from the “Kaluganga” river which flows past famous “Gangathilake” Temple with a hollow “stupa” and adored inside with many paintings, sits on the former location of the Kalutara British fort. First mentioned in the 11th century where a Tamil prince made this a temporary capital but was unable to hold it against the Sinhalese forces from the south.