In a sense, the so-called Deep South is the best holiday region of Sri Lanka, because it has the best crescent-shaped beaches, several ancient sites of very diverse types plus important remnants from the colonial period, and the island's largest tropical rain forest, which is also one of its best hiking destinations. But first and foremost, the southern plains are undisputably Sri Lanka's wildlife destination number one. Number one for spotting leopards and sloth bears is Yala National Park. Number one for seeing numerous male loners and groups of female elephants with offspring is Udawalawe Nations Park. Number one for whalewatching is Mirissa. Number one for sea turtle observation is Rekawa Beach. Apart from that, there are several excellent birdwatching areas such as Bundala National Park.
location of Mulkirigala, one of southern Sri Lanka's most rewarding attraction for lovers of ancient Buddhist art
Let's introduce the major holiday destinations from east to west, from Galle to Kirinda, and afterwards explore the hinterland crowded with further cultural and natural attractions.
|
From Galle to Dondra Head - Sri Lanka's lush green south Coast
The historical town of Galle marks the southwestern corner of the island. As it's the capital of the Southern Province, too, it makes sense to mention it first. Galle is a World Heritage Site due to the best preserved colonial fort in Asia. It was founded by the Poruguese but is mainly from the Dutch period. It's possible to walk around the entire city walls. The fort has historical churches, museums, handicraft and last not least some stylish cafés in colonial houses. The harbour bay of Sri Lanka has been an important port since antiquity. However, parts of the bay have become a surfing spot in recent years.
A long series of attractive sandy beaches, each of it with very distinct characteristics, begins just east of Galle and stretches 130 km till Kirinda at the gates of Yala National Park in the southeast of the island.
In only 3 km distance from Galle is Unawatuna, the perfect crescent beach with a picturesque whit dagoba atop the promontory. Due to coral banks protecting the cove, Unawatuna is the safest beach for children. The village can be a little bit noisy, particularly during weekends when young people from Colombo like to spend their spare time in Unawatuna. Unawatuna is also a major destination for those looking for Ayurveda treatments in a more private ambiente in family-run spas instead of large hotels. The hinterland of Galle and Unawatuna is famous for the world's best cinnamon plantations.
Only 10 km east of Unawatuna is Koggala, which has a long sandy beach on a spit, but not crescent-shaped. Koggala is for those who like larger resorts. Sometimes, stilt fishers can be seen at the beach. The major attraction is the Koggala Lagoon. Boat rides are available in this perfect birdwatching area. The immediate surroundings of Koggala offer the two only turtle hatcheries along the southern coastline of Sri Lanka and the best opportunity to visit a lowland tea plantation and a herbal and spice garden.
Weligama 15 km east of Koggala is one of the loveliest beaches of Sri Lanka, because it is a wide cove with forested promontories and islands such as the famous Islet of Taprobana, the villa of which is now a hotel. The sandy beach is long and famous for colourful traditional fishing boats and opportunities to take photos of stilt fishers. Be aware, stilt fising is actually not fone for fishing any more, though it had been a traditional technique in this region. The main source of income during that morning hour of stiltfishing is not fish but tips for being photographed. Weligama village, a little bit further inland, has a traditional local market. Weligama is famous for lace weaving. Actually, this is a traditional handicraft since the Portuguese colonial period and produced in private households and not a industrial bric-a-brac for tourists made in Hongkong. Regrettably, travelers seem to take not enough notice of this skillfull art, as the lace weavering faces the risk of extinction. The most significant ancient site of Weligama is the so-called Leper King. It's a rock-cut statue only small in size but excellently carved and rich in details. It's definitely a Mahayana Buddhist statue, most probably depicting the savious Avalokiteshvara.
Mirissa is the eastern neighbour of Weligama, just across the small river known as Polwatta Ganga and at the opposite site of the green promotory. Mirissa has a crescent-shape beach and had been backpackers paradise until the early years of our century. However, it has become increasingly touristy for two reasons. Mirissa has surf breaks that are perfect for beginners and therefore surf schools run by locals are available. Surfing season in Mirissa is the local main season, from October to April, similar to Hikkaduwa 60 km further east.
Much more importantly, the port of Mirissa is the starting point of whale watching boat tours. Some say, whale watching in Sri Lanka is not as spectacular as in Canada or Mexico or South Africa. However, there is good reason to claim that Mirissa is the world's best whale watching destination at all. Firstly, due to the proximity of the edge of the continental shelf, blue whales do nowhere else swim so frequently so close to land. Secondly, Mirissa is the spot where chances are best to see blue whales and sperm whales on one and the same boat trip. Whale watching season in Mirissa is from November till begin of April, peak whalewatching season being usually during Easter Holidays.
Polhena Beach is close to Matara, the second largest town of Sri Lanka. Though in only about 2 km distance from the centre of the city, Polhena Beach is a quite tranquil place, because the coastal road is in almost a kilometer distance from the beach. The small crescent cove is protected by coral banks and Crow Island. However, it is not a sandy beach, a wide sandy strip is a few hundred meters further west. Polhena has mid-range and boutique hotels of a medium size. It's recommendable for families with children.
Like Galle, Matara has a colonial fort. Frankly speaking, it's not an attractive tourist destination, as it's not in a good state of preservation. However, the peninsula of the fort has a very long sandy beach. Matara is the town closest to Sri Lanka's "south cape", Dondra Head.
From Dondra to Tangalle - Southernmost Coast of Sri Lanka
Just east of Matara is Dondra Head with a lighthouse at the southernmost tip of Sri Lanka and South Asia. Dondra is not crowded with hotels and the coves are still charming.
Situated halfway between Dondra and Tangalle, Hiriketiya in a wonderfully tranquil omega-shape beach in a distance from the coastal road. Only recently, Hiriketiya Beach near Dikwella has become one of the island's best surf spots because of a left point break on the reef,t hat can reach 6 feet in height and allowing a 350 m ride. This surf break is available almost ten months of the year. Due to the protected beach it's perfect for beginners particularly during peak season from December to February.
Only 4 km east of Hiriketiya, as the crow flies, is the Hoomaniya Blow Hole, a pseudo geysers. Actually, blow holes are an even rarer natural phenomenon than geysers. Hoomaniya is among the top 3 in the worls concerning the heigt of the fountain. However, you should be aware, that the intensitiy of the eruption depends on the state of see. High waves cause high fountains.
While the beaches between Galle and Dondra Head belong to the monsoon and intermediate zone, Tangalle is situated in the dry zone of the island not affected by the main monsoon season. This is to say, Tangalle is a perfect beach holiday destination during the northern hemisphere summer month. Tangalle has earned the reputation of being a hub of familial or stylish boutique hotels. Tangalle has not one single sandy beach with lots of hotels or guesthouses but a series of very small cove. In a sense, many beachside hotels have their own little sandy beach, though not privately owned, as all beaches in Sri Lanka are open to the public by law.
From Tangalle to Yala - Sri Lanka's dry-zone South Coast
Tangalle is a perfect place for longer stays, as several major attractions of various kinds are within day-trip distance, namely the ancient sites of Mulkirigala and Ramba Vihara to the north and the national parks of Yala and Bundala to the east and Udawalawe to the north.
Udawalawe National Park is famous for wild Asian elephants. In contrast to the national parks to the north of the highlands, which are famous for seasonal gatherings, Udawalawe has large numbers of elephants throughout the year. It's almost certain you will see some loners who are usually bulls and some small herds of females with their offspring. Attached to the national park is the elephant transit home, where injured or orphaned elephant babies are nursed but not to be trained but to be returned to the wild.
Mulkirigala is situated 13 km north of Tangalle. It's the most attractive heritage destination of southern Sri lanka. In a way, it's a combination of Sigiriya and Dambulla, because it's an isolated steep monadnock and has several painted caves on different levels. Actually, the paintings from the Kandyan period belong to the best of its kind in Sri Lanka, surpassed in size and quality only by those of Dambulla. The paintings of the south differ in that they make use of the blue colour as well. In this respect, the Mulgirigala murals are even more colourful than those of Dambulla.
Within the immediate surroundings of Tangalle is Rekawa Beach, which is the most frequented nestling ground of sea turtles in Sri Lanka. To be honest, it's not only most frequented by turtles but also by tourists. This is to say, it has become a busy place at night and even disturbing the turtles. However, despite complaints on online platforms you should take into consideration: Without being an attraction and commercialised by the tourism sector the sea turtles would be even more endangered. The reason is: eggs and turtles had been collected and caught and sold by fishermen before the protection turned out to be more lucrative because it attracted visitors.
10 km east of Rekawa Lagoon is Kalametiya Lagoon, which is one of the best birdwatching areas in the Deep south of Sri Lanka. The beach along the spit is very lonesome. Accomodation is available only further west, at the opposite side of the opening lagonn, namely at Turtle Bay.
Adjacent to Kalametiya wetlands to the east is one of Sri Lanka's smallest national parks, Ussangoda. Actually, it covers only a kind of lawn and a promontory. The grassland is protected because of its unique flora. The soil is serpentine and this means there is a lot of heavy metals in it. Only very few species are adapted to such a strange environement. The coastline of Ussangoda is very lonesome and the beach is an attraction in itself. Chances are good you will enjoy your there completely alone.
Hambantota has been developed into tha main industrial port of southern Sri Lanka in the last decades. But it's not only an industrial town. It has a Botanical garden and a traditional fising harbour in its eastern outskirts. Just to the east of the fishing port is a popular long sandy beach.
The coastal line to the east of Hambantota is a protected area with several lagoons and swamps. It's Bundala National Park, a major destination of birdlovers. Wild elephants and crocodiles can also be spotted in this smaller "sister national park" of Yala.
In between Yala and Bundala National Park is Kirinda Beach, which is Sri Lanka's number one resort fort wildlife enthusiasts, as three national parks are in the immediate surroundings, Yala, Bundala, and the rarely visited Lunumgamwehera at the largest lake of southern Sri Lanka. First and foremost, Kirinda is a starting point for leopard safaris in Yala National Park, which is definitely the most attractive wildlife area of the entire island, the diversity of landscape forms is unique on the island and the reason for the unrivalled biodiversity of Yala's fauna.
Hinterland of Sri Lanka's South Coast - More Heritage Attractions
The other hotel hubs near Yala National Park are Tissa and Kataragama further inland. Tissa ist the abbreviation of Tissamaharama, it was once the capital of the southern kingdom or principality of Sri Lanka. Rohana, as it was then known, or today's Ruhuna, was independent from Anuradhapura most of the time. This is why Tissamaharama likes to be called the "Anuradhapura" of the south. Like Anuradhapura, it houses several stupas of enormous size, most of them restored. But there are also excavations of ancient monasteries around the large domes of the stupas.
Kataragama is the major pilgrimage site of the Deep South of Sri Lanka, but only during the festival fortnight in late July. Kataragama is a very special sanctuary in that is sacred to four different religious groups. The main shrine is Hindu in the first place, but also venerated by Sinhalese Buddhists, who consider the local god, the name of which is Kataragama, too, as one of the four major guardian deities of the island and their Buddhist religion. In particular, Kataragama is the protector of the South. Close to the Kataragama shrine is a large stupa, which marks one of the 16 most sacred places on the island, believed to have been visited by the Buddha himself. Also Sufi Muslims have a shrine in Kataragama. But because Kataragama is said to have married a daughter of a local Wedda chieftain, his shrine is also sacred to the Wedda minority of Sri Lanka. Near Kataragama are two more important pilgrimage sites, namely on a peak and at the river, the latter place known as Sella Kataragama also being an entire plethora of shrines dedicated to various deities, the most importan one being the temple of Kataragama's brother, the elephant-headed Ganesha.
Not far from Tissamaharama and Kataragama is the most interesting excavation site of southern Sri Lanka, namely Situlpahuwa. It's a combination of both architectural edifices now in ruins and natural caves that once served as monks's cells and additional shrines. For archaeologists, Situlahuwa is most notworthy as the finding place of several historically important rock inscriptions and some Mahayanist sculptures, some of them still in situ. For today's travellers, Situlpahuwa is worth visiting because of the natural setting in which the ancient site is embedded. Actually, the temple euins are in a valley with a tank in between two rocky ridges, both of them crowned by a dagoba. The panoramic views from the dagoba terraces are fascinating, overlooking the entire plains of Yala National Park, with the ocean at the horizon.
Turning from Yala and Tissamaharama and Kataragama northwards, into the direction of the hillcountry, you will reach the area of Buttalam and Wellawaya, which has four fascinating ancient sites. The easternmost is Maligawila. It has the world's two largest free-standing Buddhist sculptures from antiquity. They had to be restored. But now they can be seen in their full glory and attracts many Sinhalese pilgrims. Surprisingly, not many tourists find their way to this extraordinary site.
On the way from Maligawila to Buttala is the Dematamal Viharaya. It has typical remnants of an ancient monastery including some excellent guardian stones. It's one of the very few places where females are depicted as well.
The largest stupa of southern Sri Lanka is that of Yudaganawa only a few kilometers to the northwest of Buttalam, just outside town. It is said to date back to the period of Dutthagamani in the second century B.C., when he fought a battle with his brother, in a war of succession. Actually, the place is named after that battle. However, due to its very specific shape it's more likely that this giant dagaba was erected or at least enlarged to its current form by Polonnaruwa's King Parakrambahu the Great in the 12th century A.D. The stupa is not a dome but only the lower part of it, it seems to be unfinished, because the upper part is missing. However, this is not the case, as the stupa has a wide flat terrace carrying another smaller stupa in its centre. This kind of stupa architecture is known from Polonnaruwa.
Further west is Buduruwagala near Wellawaya. This is a more famous place, better known to travelers, but still not overrun. Buduruwagala has the tallest rock-cut statue of Sri Lanka. But even more alluring are two groups of sculptures accompanying it. The six well-preserved smaller rock-cut sculpture are definitely Mahayanist, one is female and another one carries a Tantric symbol otherwise rarely seen in Sri Lanka's art. Buduruwagala is located at the end of a deadlock. However, the nearby Wellawaya is at the junction of two major roads of the island, viz. the road from the highlands to the south coast and the west-eastern road from Colombo and Ratnapura to Arugam Bay at the East Coast. In particular, Wellawaya is on the way from Ella to Udawalawa National Park, two very popular tourist destinations.
You would like to see improvements on this page or share your own travel impressions? Don't hesitate to comment...