BEACH
Over one thousand kilometers of
palm fringed sandy beaches encircle the Island. Sri Lanka is never
out of season for a beach holiday. There is always some part of
the beach that has friendly and warm waters. The beach resorts in
the North Coast, West Coast, East Coast and the South Coast are
popular among the tourists who enjoy taking a dip in the warm
waters and relaxing on the sandy beach.
North Coast
Jaffna
Situated in the north 398 km away from Colombo, Jaffna has an
austere kind of beauty that is vastly different from the rest of
the island. A vacation on its virgin beaches, coralline coast, off
shore islets, and in the peninsula that is expressing a very
distinctive way of life can be an enigmatic experience for a
traveler. Not to be missed are the sand dunes of Manalkadu - a
miniscule desert whose sheer wildness - that impresses most
visitors. Casuarina Beach is situated at Karainagar and there are
good beaches as well at Santhakulam and Thondaimannar.
Mannar Island
The Island is probably the driest, most barren area in Sri Lanka.
The landscape features many baobab trees, probably introduced from
Africa by Arab traders centuries ago. Mannar, the major town on
the island, is at the southern end, joined the mainland by a 3 km
causeway. It's not interesting apart from its picturesque
Portuguese/Dutch fort. Talaimannar, near the western end, is about
3 km from the pier that was the arrival and departure point of the
ferry for India that operated until 1984. A little farther west,
an abandoned lighthouse at South Point marks the start of Adam's
Bridge, the chain of reefs, sandbanks and islets that almost
connects Sri Lanka to India. In the Ramayana, this is the series
of stepping stones that Hanuman used to follow Rawana, the demon
king of Lanka, in his bid to rescue Sita.
West Coast
The West Coast broadly stretches
from Mt. Lavinia, a southern suburb of Colombo to Mannar Island in
the lower northwest. Mt. Lavinia and Negombo are considered the
best developed beach resorts in this region. Isolated hotels have
sprung up in most places along the western coastal stretch.
Negombo
The major beach resort in the West Coast is Negombo which is a
characteristic fishing town in Gampaha district, 37 km north of
Colombo, merely 6 km from the International Airport. The wide
sandy beaches and its safe sea attract thousands of visitors to
Negombo. Set amid lush groves of coconut palms, it breathes the
spirit of the sea. Negombo is also a gourmet's paradise with
seafood in plenty. The fish market where there are busy trading of
a variety of fish, prawns, crabs and seer that take place lively
in the mornings, when the fishing crafts return to the shore with
their catch, is a worth visiting place. The most popular fishing
craft is the outrigger canoe called 'oruwa' dug out from a huge
log which is seen in large numbers in the Negombo lagoon.
Mount Lavinia
Situated in the South Colombo 12 km away from the city, Mount
Lavinia is a suburb of always well known beach since the colonial
time. The sea is a safe and popular bathing spot. Its clean sandy
beaches, lies alongside a wind swept headland, are jutting into
the waters of the Indian Ocean with softest sand and the calm and
clear water. The name Lavinia reminds of a secret love affair
between a British Governor and a local damsel who used to meet at
the holiday house of the Governor, built in 1805 by Sir Thomas
Maitland, which now became part of the famous Mount Lavinia Hotel.
East
Coast
From April to October, the East
Coast comes to life. It is one of the best stretches of beach in
Sri Lanka. The Eastern beaches stretch for over 300 kilometers
along which tourist resorts are developed.
Trincomalee
Situated 257 km from Colombo, this city is the ideal refuge for
the beach addicts. It comprises a fine natural harbor and
excellent beaches. Horatio Nelson - the British admiral of the
18th century - had, on arriving at the Trincomalee harbor,
described it as the finest harbor in the world. This beautiful
harbor was in use since the days of the early Sinhala kings. At
the site there is an old Portuguese/Dutch Fort which has an
inscription above its entrance, made by Dutch in 1676, is
reminiscent of the colonial rule. It was subsequently named 'Ford
Frederick' by the British.
Nilaveli
Located in Trincomalee district, 271 from Colombo or 14 km from
Trincomalee, Nilaveli is a prime beach resort in the east coast.
It is ideally suited for sun bathing, swimming and diving. Also,
at few meters off shore, there is a small rocky island that is
good for snorkeling. All water sports are available here including
fishing and sea angling and whale watching in the sanctuary. In
1985, Nilaveli was the venue for the 1985 International Funboard
Championships.
Arugam Bay
Further east, 314 km from Colombo, in Ampara district is a most
beautiful bay good for surfing. Arugam Bay is a fishing village
with a wide, sweeping beach in front of the village itself that
has a low promontory and is good for swimming. The East coast
offers unlimited possibility for many kinds of water sports and
underwater photography. The many ship-wrecks of the coast are a
tempting challenge to many divers.
Kalkudah & Passekudah
A 2 km-long Kalkudah Bay, 32 km north of Batticaloa, is one of
fine beaches in the east coast that is well protected from the
monsoon by the off shore reef. Passekudah Bay is another wide
beach with the length of 4 km located to the south of Kalkudah and
is a lovely bay with clear water. The combined area of Passekudah
and Kalkudah was declared as a National Holiday Resort in 1973.
This is an ideal site for bathing, windsurfing and water skiing
and is a well frequented tourist center with a modern hotel and
related facilities.
Batticaloa
The city is like most other coastal townships that were under
Portuguese and Dutch rule. A Dutch Fort stands close to the
Batticaloa lagoon. The most famous attraction of Batticaloa is the
'Singing Fish'. On a full moon night, between April and September,
there is a faint but distinct musical sound (described as the type
of noise produced by rubbing a moistened finger around the rim of
a wine glass) rises from the lagoon water, this sound is
attributed to a noise emanated by one kind of fish found in the
lagoon.
South Coast
The southern coast is the most
popular among tourists and comes to life mainly from October
through April when the monsoon moves northeast and the sea becomes
calmer with blue sky. It is an ideal place to go on a vacation.
The main beach resorts are at Beruwela, Bentota and Hikkaduwa and
Unawatuna.
Beruwela
An hour drive from Colombo along the southwest coast will take you
to Beruwela marked for the beginning of the 130 km stretch
southwest coast beach resort. Beruwela is in Kalutara district 56
km to the south of Colombo that is considered to be the first
Muslim settlement in the island established by the Arab traders of
the 8th century. There is also a famous Muslim mosque at the
beachhead.
Bentota
Situated in Galle, a district that is 62 km southwards of Colombo
or 4 km southward of Beruwela, the Bentota Resort Complex is a
romantic rendezvous of river and sea with several hotels, railway
station, post office, shopping arcade, cafeteria and an open air
theatre showing folk and mask dancing with clusters of palms
overlooking everything. There is also an abundance of water based
recreational activities in the area.
Ambalangoda
The beautiful coast of Ambalangoda is a half an hour drive from
Bentota or 86 km from Colombo. It is a fair-sized town that has a
beautiful sweep sandy beach to its north. It is also home of devil
dancing and mask making. Colorful masks worn during traditional
dance are carved out of soft wood and brightly painted. Other
products such as batiks and hand-woven cottons are also found
here.
Hikkaduwa
Located in Galle district 98 km south of Colombo, Hikkaduwa has
long been Sri Lanka's most popular beach spot. It is the place for
underwater delight where there is a marine sanctuary, abundant
with rare corals and tropical fish. The underwater world of
colorful corals and beautiful shoals of fish can be explored
either by snorkeling or taking a ride in a glass bottom boat.
Hikkaduwa is a fun and busy town, there are numerous and varied
restaurants, bars, clubs and cafés. Hikkaduwa has it all to
offer: coral for snorkellers, waves for board and body surfers and
good wide strips of sand if you want to just sit back and relax.
During May to October of monsoon season, many places close and
water can be quite rough.
Galle
Considered as the southern capital (116 km from Colombo), Sri
Lanka's fourth biggest town, Galle is the most historically
interesting living city. Its modern towns were gradually built
separately from the ancient one. It was the seaport of Sri Lanka
before the Colombo Port was developed in the late 19 century and
it still handles shipping and cruising yachts today. Its main
attraction is the Fort called 'Santa Cruz' that has been declared
a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The Fort was built by the
Portuguese in 1619 and subsequently expanded and developed by the
Dutch and the British the one time colonial masters of the island.
What now remains is mostly the work of the Dutch and the British.
Weligama
Weligama - means 'Sandy Village' - is situated in Matara district,
143 km from Colombo or 27 km from Galle with its sandy sweep bay.
It is indeed a very fishing town with less travelers visit. Very
close to the shore there is an off shore islet known as Taprobane
where a dream house of French Count de Maunay was built on,
Weligama is where you will see the famous stilt fishermen.
Unawatuna
Unawatuna is 4 km southeast of Galle or 120 km from Colombo, and
is a beautiful wide curving golden beach in the south that is
popular and safe for bathing by which there is a reef protecting
it. It is popular for travelers because at this beach there is no
annoying road right to the beach unlike some other places such as
Hikkaduwa. However, during public holiday, the beach can get very
crowded.
Going further south, 189 km. from
Colombo, is a blowhole, Kudawella, rare geological formation on
the rocky beach throwing huge columns of water high up into the
air with a loud noise like a natural spout. This noise has given
the village its name Hoommane. Huge ocean waves breaking on the
rocks are thrown up through an opening in the rock causing this
wonderful sight that should not be missed by anyone going along
the southern coastal road.
Mirissa
Situated on the Matara road 4 km southeast of Weligama, Mirissa
marks for one of the country's most beautiful beach. Its headland
separates its small fishing harbor from its beautiful curve of
sandy beach with calm, clear waters. Mirissa is the alternative
for quieter place to Unawatuna or Hikkaduwa.
Tangalla
Situated 195 km from Colombo, Tangalla is one of the nicest spots
along the cost, particularly if you want somewhere to find a place
to laze and soak up the sun. Tangalla's series of bays are the
modern attraction, white sandy beach of Medaketiya shimmer away
from the northeast to smaller bays on the west. However, some of
the beaches in these bays shelve off very steeply and the
resulting waves make them dangerous for swimmers. The town pretty
much reminds of the Dutch period, for example, the Rest House was
once home of the Dutch administrators. |
