Over one thousand kilometers
of palm fringed sandy beaches encircle the Island. Sri Lanka is
never out of season for a beach holiday.The beach resorts in the
West Coast, South Coast and the East Coast are the most popular with
people who enjoy taking a dip in the warm waters and relaxing on the
sandy beach.
West Coast Beaches
The West Coast stretches northwards from Mt. Lavinia a southern
suburb of Colombo. Mt. Lavinia and Negombo are the best developed
beach resorts in this region.
Mt. Lavinia
Eleven kilometers south from Colombo along the road to Galle is the
beach resort of Mt. Lavinia. The sea is safe for bathing and is a
popular bathing spot with clean sandy beaches. 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
which stood on the spot where now the Mt. Lavinia Hotel is located.
Negombo
The major beach resort in the West Coast is Negombo. The wide sandy
beaches and the safe sea are the major attractions of Negombo, a
traditional fishing town. Besides the beach, the fish market is
worth visiting where busy trading of a variety of fish including
prawns, crabs and seer takes place in the mornings when the fishing
crafts return to the shore with their catch. The most popular
fishing craft is the outrigger canoe called oruwa dug out from a
huge log and is seen in large numbers in the Negombo lagoon.
South Coast Beaches
The southern coastal belt is the most popular and comes to life
mainly from October through April when the monsoon moves north east
and the sea becomes calm with blue skies. It is an ideal place to
spend the Winter vacation. The main beach resorts are at Beruwala,
Bentota and Hikkaduwa having several beach hotels with their
exclusive beachfronts. Another interesting stretch of beach in the
south is Unawatuna
Beruwala
An hour's drive from Colombo along the south coast will take the
visitor to Beruwala that marks the beginning of the South Coast
Beach Resort. Beruwala is considered to be the first Muslim
settlement in the Island established by the Arab traders as far back
as the 8th century. There is a famous Muslim mosque at the beachhead
close to which is a light house one of several erected along the Sri
Lankan.
Hikkaduwa
99 km. from Colombo, this is the place for underwater delights where
there is a marine sanctuary abundant with rare corals and tropical
fish. The underwater world of colourful corals and beautiful shoals
of fish can be explored either by snorkeling or taking a ride in a
glass bottom boat.
Unawatuna
Four kilometers south of Galle is Unawatuna (120 km. from Colombo),
a beautiful stretch of beach in the south safe for bathing. The road
leading south from Colombo passes through the Southern Beach Resorts
winding its way through stretches of coconut land. Along the drive,
you could spot a man high up in the air crossing from tree to tree
on two ropes tied tightly to the trees like a tight rope walker in a
circus. He is a 'toddy tapper' getting about his daily chores
tapping the sap off the tender inflorescence of the coconut trees
which is used to distill Sri Lankan Arrack and other alcoholic
beverages.
East Coast Beaches
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 have
developed in Nilaveli, 16 km. From Trincomalee and Kalkudah, 32 km.
north of Batticaloa.
Trincomalee
Horatio Nelson, the British admiral of the 18th century had on
arriving at the Trincomalee harbour described it as the finest
harbour in the world. It is a beautiful natural harbour worthy of
that description and had been in use from the days of the early
Sinhala kings. The old Portuguese/Dutch Fort reminiscent of the
colonial rule of the Island has the year 1676 inscribed above its
entrance by the Dutch. It was subsequently named Ford Frederick by
the British.
Nilaveli
This is a prime beach resort in the East Coast. It is ideally suited
for sun bathing, sea bathing and diving. A few meters off shore is a
small rocky island good for snorkeling.
Kalkudah & Passekudah
These are very fine beaches in the East Coast. Kalkudah Bay is a 2
km. long wide stretch of beach well protected from the monsoon by
the off shore reef. Passekudah Bay is another wide beach 4 km. long
just south of Kalkudah. The combined area of Passekudah and Kalkudah
is an ideal stretch for bathing, windsurfing and water skiingnd
beautiful shoals of fish can be explored either by snorkeling or
taking a ride in a glass bottom boat.
Batticaloa
Like most other coastal townships, Batticaloa was under Portuguese
and Dutch rule. A Dutch Fort stands close to the Batticaloa lagoon.
The most famous attraction of Batticaloa is its 'Singing Fish'. On
full moon nights a faint but distinct musical sound rises from the
lagoon waters. This is attributed to a noise emanated by a kind of
fish found in the lagoon.
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