A popular destination for its awesome, tantalizing and warm surf. It is a pretty wide, long & deserted shoreline to get horizontal, kick back, relax & unwind. It’s close proximity to the Blue Lagoon, Seafood, the Capital Colombo & the airport highway makes it even more attractive. Plenty of water sports are an attraction to this mesmerizing ‘long beach’ of the west coast.

Colonial & Christian influences have left behind numerous pretty monuments & buildings designed with attractive architecture & grace to match the architecture of the entangled culture of the resplendent isle. The large blue lagoon, blue green Sea, estuaries & creeks, brooks & streams enable a substantial catch of fish in order to supply an increasing demand for seafood by large hotels in Negombo, its suburbs & adjacent settlements.

The Old Dutch Hamilton Canal passing through from the north to the south enabled convenient transport of seafood from the very olden days. Still it is an alternative mode of transport of goods, seafood & people, especially when the highways get jammed.

Negombo Dutch Fort, St. Mary’s Cathedral, Guruge Water Park, Morawala Pebble Beach, St. Sebastian’s Church, St. Stephen’s Anglican Church, Bird Watching at Muthurajawela Marsh Estuary, Hamilton Canal, Fish Market, Bodhiraja Temple, Blue Lagoon etc. are some of the main attractions in Negombo to visit. A busy fishing Harbour with its hive of activity offers a wide variety of fish and other seafood to town & suburbs in the neighborhood.

Dikwella, meaning long beach in Sinhalese, is an emerging beach destination on the southeast coast of the Island for having a ball on an alluring seashore full of enjoyable attractions. Certainly a dazzling beach including a stirring surf, fun filled watersports activities, balmy sunshine, white sand, aquamarine sea & a long wide shore of a bay. A beautiful palm fringed shore with up and coming kajjan huts to kick back, relax and unwind. Juice bars, ayurveda massage parlors, yoga & meditation retreats are slowly coming up to meet the modern and healthy demands of foreign travelers who want to enjoy a short vacation of life on a beach, and here at Dikwella, ‘life’s a beach’.

Fishermen with wooden boats, far from and ‘not yet’ motorized and together with their ‘neighbors’ pulling long nets of fish from the water, give it a natural old fashioned feel for a shoreline which appears pretty legitimate, almost deserted and untrudged. A short stroll to the east from here, one shall find yet another tranquil beachfront known as Hiriketiya, which has been affectionately shortened to simply sound like ‘Hiri’ by the foreign guests’ who found it for it’s promise. It is now slowly getting popular for its remarkable surf, sand and palm fringed ‘sandwalk’ around a round half circle bay area with friendly locals to interact with.

Well known for its pristine honey coloured beaches, views of metaphoric watersports in the sea, lake, lagoon, river & estuaries. Bird watching amidst the water hides is an exciting adventure. Bentota is home for numerous five star resorts, hotels & Ayurveda wellness retreats for healing, convalescence, health & beauty treatment which includes the chic Robinson Resort in an atoll across the lagoon, lake, river & the sea. Plenty of estuaries in the area attract birds to sing, fish, fishing enthusiasts & wildlife including iguana & numerous varieties of tortoise & crocodiles. Saman Villas by the Laccadive Sea, Gardens of Bevis Bawa, Kosgoda Turtle Sanctuary, River Safaris, Kayaking, Canoeing, Boat rides to Cinnamon Isle are some attractions here. Plenty of boat rides take the discerning traveler throughout the numerous estuaries in the vicinity as the river & lake discharge its contents to the sea while the sea reciprocates on high tide.

Great place for banana boating, water sports like jet skiing, speed boating, wakeboarding, paddle boarding, Kite Surfing, seaplane rides, windsurfing, scuba diving, snorkeling, lagoon fishing, bird watching & observing small creatures getting into their regular synchronization, as there are millions of creatures such as crickets, frogs, fruit flies, dragonflies & fireflies who get into sync every night. There are a small number of stilt fishermen in their meditative angling in this incredibly organic settlement. A fisherman was observed to be catching far more fish than several others in the vicinity, when the others went to check how he was excelling, they found that he was using barbequed worms as bait.

Powerpark is what it means in Sinhalese, this deserted but marvelous shore is a Non Touristic destination as not many visitors are aware of this fabulous beach paradise on the way to Galle heading down south on the ‘Indian Ocean Boulevard’ far from the highway.

Alluring silicone sand, blue water, brisk sunshine, surfable surfs & palm fringed bay of tranquility attract no one in particular. It is deserted and empty indicating that there are only a few families of fishermen with their boats parked on the sand to be seen.

According to the locals, the Sea Warriors — ‘Muhudu Weerayo’ originate from this area on the west coast. These warriors are said to have been defending the shores with boats, swords & daggers which they used for fishing in the Indian Ocean. Compared to the Stilt Fishermen found further south these warriors were good enough to spike at sharks found further deep into the Ocean. However, on the arrival of Buddhism into the country about 2500 years ago, these warriors converted their lives to become more & more passive, non violent & peaceful.

Awesome Enticing Beachfront of glorious silicone, scenic islands like Seenigama, Coral Gardens, Moonstone mines, & the tranquil lake in Hikkaduwa are the major attractions. Seagulls & Crows are flying all over the seashore waving & chirping to welcome the visitor. One doesn’t miss this magnificent sight of the birds in the picturesque Hikkaduwa beach in this paradise. The black crow or Raven cawing to signal anything edible to their mates. This noisy black bird is the oldest known garbage picker provided by nature, since the time of the ancient kings and before.

One of the first destinations for foreigners traveling to Asia to check out was this golden sandy shore, sunshine, a variety of corals, blue-green colored Sea, cheap cabanas, food & elegant music. It became popular in the seventies during the time of rock & roll, hippie culture & the turning point towards alternative schools & thought.

Nowadays Hikkaduwa has lost most of the potential guests to other up & coming destinations in the southern coasts. Places like ‘Why not’ have survived a number of hard times like the ‘Tsunami’, Covid 19 virus pandemic & other undesirable events. “Wedihiti Kanda” viewpoint in the vicinity, is a popular place of interest, as it’s a nice trek up a hill not too high & not too far away from the sea, enabling a bird’s eye view of the Ocean, the beach front & the lush greenery of the vicinity.

Aquamarine sparkling bay packed with silica sand, coconut palms & corals with great surfs on the horizon, though light enough for a variety of water sports, sunshine, golden sand under the palms for sunbathing, tanning & simply kicking back to unwind, this is a magnificent shore.

Not too far about 90 meters to the south is Dalawella Beach which is almost entirely deserted, if one wants more privacy far from the crowds.

No large resorts yet, but sufficient restaurants, yoga, ayurveda massage spas and juice bars to serve large crowds of beach enthusiasts lined on the elegant shady palm fringed coast, which is pretty cool.

Water Sports such as scuba diving, snorkeling, windsurfing, kite surfing, fishing, & diving are popular on the breezy shore. Magical sunsets, fireflies, & wicked beach parties attract most visitors to overstay on this exceptional beachfront.

A somnolent but splendid old town on the south-west coast of the magical Isle. Formerly the capital of Ceylon, with a natural harbor during the time of the Portuguese period before the British changed the Capital to be Colombo. Apart from the dazzling beaches at Unawatuna Bay, Kaluwella (black sand shore), etc. it is full of attractions including the Madhu River for boat excursions into the nature & natural turtle farms on the shores.

The Galle Dutch Fort ( A UNESCO World Heritage Site ), a lively old township, is one of numerous attractions to visit. Originally built by the Portuguese, it was renovated by the Dutch & restored by the British replete with green ramparts, cannons, dungeons, stone bunkers & Stone Park benches. A stroll down the stone paved roads springs one the feeling of being in Rome, the architecture of the old buildings of this Fort are predominantly European. The old fashioned courtyards & sidewalks of the built up area of the little town offer the eyes, the comfort of ‘space’ to enjoy what one looks at & ‘see’ it. Stone parapet walls serve to classify the distinct areas of the ramparts, so are the massive walls on the perimeter of the fort, built wide & high enough to protect its ‘residents’ from any attacks by adversaries. There are dungeons built in the basements to contain trespassers or prisoners. On the green ramparts there are canons placed at strategic locations for defense purposes. From the eastern rampart, one can see the picturesque Galle International Cricket Stadium. Unawatuna bay & the deserted Dalawella beaches in the vicinity are wonderful pristine beaches like natural swimming pools about 9 km from town. Great place for snorkeling, scuba diving, jet skiing, kite surfing, windsurfing, sun bathing, sun tanning & other activities of an uncanny beach. Kaluwella is a deserted tranquil beach with clean black sand 4 km from town.

One of the most adored destinations for Spotting Blue Whales & Dolphins as the density of these awesome creatures is pretty high just across the horizon from Mirissa & the vicinity. Ferry Boats take discerning visitors from the fascinating beachfront out into the Ocean for Whale watching and playing with dolphins a few hundred meters into the Ocean.

A sparkling beach with golden sand, southern sunshine, balmy temperature with a cool breeze is ideal for suntanning, walking, and simply dipping in the warm blue-green water. Challenging & Tall surfs attract many to indulge in Surf boarding & other water sports all across the bay with special guidance & training offered for wanna-be surfers to quickly learn how to surf over the gleaming waves.

The ‘Surfers Paradise’ of Sri Lanka, but twice as unpretentious. The discreet atmosphere here welcomes one to expect less surfers & beach enthusiasts since it is certainly difficult to get there, as there aren’t any direct roads to reach this hideaway on the east coast. So it is still non-touristy with Incredibly Extensive Golden Beaches to trudge, sunbathe, sun tan, watch the surfing or just chill out. The laid back atmosphere enables one to relax & perhaps read a book or just kick back & unwind. Tall waves attract surfers from all over the world, especially from down under. Plenty of seafood at budget prices for the perceptive traveler to indulge.
Crocodile Rock, Peanut Farm, Pasarichenai & Pottuvil Point Beaches are almost deserted as surfers aren’t attracted to those beaches. Lagoon Safari is not too far to see a large variety of wildlife & indulge in riding on Elephants. There are splendid beach parties with cool music in the night to have lots of fun. Those who prefer a quiet night can watch how the frogs, crickets & fire flies get into sync either gnawing, screeching or lighting on & off, having begun to do what they adore to do after sunset, gnawing, screeching or lighting randomly at various places. These are some anomalous creatures that get into sync like flocks of birds or shoals of fish happen to suddenly turn altogether simultaneously. This phenomenon of synchronization is a show that awaits the discerning traveler. The Mangrove bushes enable fireflies to proliferate. All others just adore their habitat.

A Sensational beach located on the Northeast coast of the Island, north of Trincomalee is this gorgeous beachfront to relax & unwind. Tranquil and deserted, the golden sand, blue-green water, calm waves rolling over a shallow depth invites the discerning to take a walk in the crystal clear water of the bay while simply taking a dip into the warm sea.

Hardly any fishing boats in the vicinity to bother as the shore is too shallow for such ‘floatables’ in this haven for seagulls, turtles, fish, wild prawns, oysters, lobsters, crabs, calamari and other exotic creatures. Various atmospheric seasons determine which of the numerous species of creatures will frequent or proliferate, to be caught by fishermen.

Kick back, relax & unwind on this magnificent shore that is especially devoured by honeymoon couples for its serene beauty & tranquility.

Further south of Trincomalee is a splendid Marble Beach, pretty calm, quiet and tranquil to simply lie down, relax & unwind.

Yet another emerging destination for Surfing with tall surfs, like Arugam Bay, it is located further north on the East coast south of Nilaveli Beach. Impressive tall surfs, in this immaculate shoreline of pebbles, golden sand & almost green crystal clear Sea water attract the discerning surfer. Due to its unusual, uncommon & ‘not so well known’ name tag, most travelers who R & R here would want to keep it discreet, vetoing the almost deserted Beach to get crowded. Plenty of beach parties make it a happening destination fully worth going the distance & the crooked way to get there is certainly value for money, as those with two minds aren’t gonna come. So if somehow you manage to get there, keep it modest and have the fun with the least aggregate of holidaymakers to bump into on this tantalizing shore.

Watersports activities are picking up, as it is becoming a great place for snorkeling, scuba diving, jet skiing, kite surfing, windsurfing, sun bathing, sun tanning & other activities of ‘a life’s a beach’ destination.