Nearby Attractions
The Kalametiya Bird Sanctuary is one of Sri Lanka’s oldest Bird Sanctuaries . The sanctuary is a wetland with two salty lagoons, mangrove swamps and open areas with pockets of scrub jungles.
The Park is a very important site for migrant shorebird and is quite famous for its flamingoes, Black Capped Purple Kingfisher and many other migratory birds.Birds such as the Asian Open Bill, Eurasian Spoonbill, Purple Swamp Hen Glossy Ibis, Common Snipe, and Black Winged Stilt are also quite frequently seen at the Kalametiya Bird Park.
Rekewa Beach is one of the world’s most famous nesting beaches for Turtles.Five species of marine turtles visit the shores to lay and nest their eggs.Spare few hours at Rekewa to see the life of Turtles. You can see almost the full life journey of Turtles in this sanctuary. Waiting to watch turtles is an exciting night time adventure.
The massive turtles are slow in their journey on to the shore and easily frightened away. However once they start to lay the eggs, the trance-like state they fall into allows visitors to observe them freely.
The Turtle Conservation Project (TCP) was started in 1993 and started its programme in Rekewa with the collaboration of the Department of Wildlife Conservation. Visitors to the beach are treated to a presentation on the nature of the marine turtles, their nesting habits and their poaching.
Visit the website to learn more on turtles and Rekawa
Rekawa Lagoon is a unique natural resource and one of the most significant aquatic habitats in southern Sri Lanka.Most parts of the lagoon are encircled with a mangrove belt.This area experiences strong winds, in particular along the coast from June to September. It is in vital importance for fishing of prawns.
Galle has one of the most beautiful old Dutch / Portugese forts in all of South East Asia. It is a port town and there is a thriving neighbourhood with the fort walls .Once inside you can walk around the old fort and get lost amongst all the small streets. Grab something to eat or quench your thirst with a orange coloured King Coconut and sit on the old walls and look out over the ocean.
Tangalla is a medium sized town celebrated for its sweeping bays and beautiful sandy beaches. It is one of the nicest spots along the coast, particularly if you just want somewhere to relax and soak up the sun. The town itself is an easy-going place with some reminders of Dutch days. Heading southwest there is a whole series of smaller bays and beaches. From a distance it looks idyllic, but up close it is another story.
Yala or commonly known as Ruhunu National Park offers dense jungle to scrubland and also to open parkland. Different methods of adaptation of plants to the drought are really interesting such as the trees being rather short, sometimes with spines and a reduced leaf- surface. The most prominent wild life species found in the Yala wild life reserve in Sri Lanka are the elephant and the leopard., but there are other several species as deer, sambur, bear, wild boar, wild buffalo, peacock, crocodiles and many varieties of birds including migratory species.
Kataragama is one of the most important religious pilgrimage site in Sri Lanka. It is a holy place for Buddhists, Muslims and Hindus, and the sprawling religious complex across the Menik Ganga contains buildings of all three religions.In July and August, the predominantly Hindu Kataragama festival draws thousands of devotees, who make the pilgrimage over a two-week period. Apart from festival time, the town is busiest at weekends and on poya days.
Bundala national park is a shallow lagoon teems with colour as thousands of migratory birds seek shelter from the northern winters. Flocks of flamingos, plovers,ducks and other migrants share the wetlands with resident storks,herons.and egrets.The park also offers a chance to spot elephants , crocodile jackal and other wildlife.
Hambantota is the fast developing area as the future industrial capital of Sri Lanka with Harbour, International airport,International conference- centres , Expressways, railway line and many other infrastruacture. Big business, foreign investors and banks are bound to move into this new commercial hub in Sri Lanka to avail themselves of the economic bounties that will open up. Not only are that, There number of attractions for tourism around Hambantota
Udawalawa national park consists of dry lowland forest, riverine forest, thorny scrublands and grasslands. One special attraction of the park is the Udawalawe reservoir and the Walawe River which flows through the park.This Park comprises grasslands and thorn scrubs and many valuable species of trees are found within it. Large herds of Elephants,Leopards and Deer species such as spotted Deer, Sambhur, Barking deer and Langur, Wild Boar, Water Buffalo, Jackal are some of the prominent wild animals found in this Park.
Located on a rock about 40 ft above sea level, this magnificent site is breathtaking to view.Volumes of sea water whistle through a natural fine hole from beneath a massive rock in the sea. It happens when rough and high waves pushing water into the triangular based rock bottom, and forcing it through a hole at the bottom of the rock with very high pressure with the sound of a blow.
Mirissa which is increasingly becoming popular as a beach holiday destination because of the stunning beach, whale watching opportunities, fishery harbor, still fisherman and as a surfing paradise.
This rock temple has beautiful pictures painted on the walls and carvings done inside the temple, which is an artistic style dedicated to Mulkirigala itself. It is on an imposing rock which lies about 20km north of Tangalle with remarkable ancient cave temples. It has amazing cave paintings depicting various sins and demons eating people. There are over 500 stairs and it’s a bit of a climb. At the top there’s a Bo tree, and to get the best view you have to climb the step off the platform and go through the underbrush to the right. It is breathtaking to see the view especially at sunrise and sunset. The place is worth preserving and is a wonder of art.