Awesome Places in Southern Province Sri Lanka

 TissaMaharama






 Kushtarajagala - Weligama

Weligama Beach

Matara Bodhiya

Tangalla Beach

Galle Fort

Galle Fort

Tissa Wewa




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POPULAR BEACHES in Sri Lanka

MOUNT LAVINIA 

12 kms from Colombo

Mount Lavinia is located 12 kms from Colombo is a historical city from the British colonial period. The Governors House of Sir Thomas Maitland, built in 1805, has become a star class hotel today. The fantastic beach is crowded on holidays with locals who enjoy the beach sports activities such as swimming and surfing.

 KALUTARA 

42 kms from Colombo

Kalutara is located 43 kms from Colombo. It was an important spice trading centre from colonial times. The city also named as one of the sacred city of Buddhists in the country has a large hollow Dagoba (Buddhist shrine) near the River Kalu.

BERUWALA

From Colombo 55 kms

Beruwala is 58 kms south of Colombo; an hour's drive. Beruwala marks the beginning of 130 kms stretch of South Coast beach resort and located close to the famed tourist spot of Bentota.  At the beachhead of Beruwala is a lighthouse and has excellent water sport facilities. It also offers   good bathing facilities round-the-year.

BENTOTA 

From Colombo 64 kms

Bentota is another celebrated Sri Lankan beach, renowned for its top quality hotels, built mainly for tourists. It is very hard to book a hotel near the Bentota beach during the holiday season, which falls on November to February. One reason the Bentota beach is popular among tourists as it is not that far from Colombo and also the beach is quieter compared to other beaches near Colombo.  

HIKKADUWA 

From Colombo 99 kms

Hikkaduwa is a small town on the south coast sited 99 kms south of Colombo. Well-known for its beach, surfing, corals and night life mainly a tourist destination, and serves as a great beach with options to snorkel and sun bathe. The town is arranged around the main road which runs from Galle to Colombo and very heavily trafficked. Tourists are advised to take extra caution when crossing. It has a reputation for vibrant nightlife and very popular with board-surfers and a famed international destination for board-surfing.

UNAWATUNA

From Colombo 124 kms

Unawatuna, described as most wonderful beach location by the nature, and it is a celebrated beach for Scuba Diving, Surfing and Sea Food in Sri Lankan Style. The Jungle Beach, Rhumassala Hills, Kathaluwa Temple, Galle Fort are nearby exciting places to visit.

KOGGALA 

From Colombo 130 kms

Koggala is 12 kms from Unawatuna. The road passes a domestic airport and nearby is a small turtle hatchery, which buys turtle eggs from the fishermen in an attempt to discourage them from poaching and selling the eggs for food. Witness how the newborn turtles are being cared for until they are ready to be released back to the ocean. The wide sandy beaches are utilized by turtles to lay eggs. The commonest of these are the Loggerheads and the Leathery turtle while the green turtle is a less common visitor.

WELIGAMA 

From Colombo 143 kms

Weligama is a unique bay beach, long and wide located close to Matara. The tiny Island once owned by French Count de Maunay, built a beautiful house on it. The Bay is famous for its remarkable fishermen for stilt fishing. One can buy handmade lace and see Devil Dance Shows. Weligama is   wonderful for Scuba Diving and Surfing Location and famed for its sea food.

MIRISSA 

From Colombo 145 kms

Mirissa is a beautiful small rocky beach calm, relaxing and almost private. Whales and Dolphin watching, Deep Sea Fishing, River Trips, Snorkelling and Bird watching are activities you could do while in Mirissa Sri Lanka. Mirissa is a paradise for Whale and Dolphin watching. The best times to watch the whales In the Indian Ocean off the Mirissa harbour is in November to April.

POLHENA 

From Colombo 160 kms

Polhena beach is about 2 kms inside to the Matara city. This is ideal place for scuba diving, surfing and sunbathing. It’s a highly famed destination as of its natural swimming pool created by the coral reef. It is not only one beach, It is consisting of bunches of beaches along the coastline.

TANGALLE     

From Colombo 195 kms

Tangalle is 35 kms from Matara. It has a natural palm fringed sea bay and a fishing harbour offering great sea food. The long and great beach and the coral reef are best attractions. The Dutch Fort built with corals now used as a prison.

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Waterfalls in Sri Lanka

 BAKERS FALLS

Baker's fall is a beautiful waterfall in Horton Plains and in height it’s about 22 metres.  On the way to Worlds End gap via Horton plains it is easy to access to the waterfall. There are two main access roads from Nuwaraeliya and Bandarawela Entrances. It’s about 35 kms from Nuwaraeliya to Pattipola and its 4 Kms walk and about 40 Kms from Bandarawela or 30 Kms from Haputale via Boralanda and Ohiya. There is a special access to Horton plains and the falls via Kalupahana. The waterfall looks like steps from different views. On top of the fall is a long pool. There is a point in the fall which divides for more than thousand of parts and makes it beautiful. Below the middle part there is another fall. The tree in front of Baker's Waterfall gives more value to the falls. Taking photographs is somewhat a difficult task. Camping close to Bakers Falls is permitted with permission from Wild Life department.

DUNHINDA FALLS

Dunhinda is considered to be one of the most enchanting falls in Sri Lanka and is in close to Badulla. The water resembles a thin cloud as it cascades 63 metres downwards into a large pool. The backdrop to the fall is known as ‘Dunhinda Adaviya'. 'Dunhinda' translates to 'spraying/vapour waterfall' - the word 'dun' means 'gave/was given', while 'hinda' means 'evaporate'. This fall is spoken in history. The area was once inhabited by the Veddah tribe.  During the time of King Rajasingha, a giant fern got stuck at the top of the fall, which resulted in the flooding of Badulla town. Seeing the gravity of the situation, the king entrusted the task of clearing the sluice to a person named 'Ranhavadidaraya'. After toiling for three months he managed to clear the water and the town re-emerged. The fern was swept away but got stuck again at a place now known as Pussellawa ('pus' meaning fern). 

BAMBARAKANDA FALLS

Bambarakanda fall is the tallest waterfall of Sri Lanka sited in Haldummulla. In height it’s about 241meters. The waters fall down from a high rock on to others and add beauty to this fall. Water comes from a tributary from Horton plains. From there it goes to Samanala Weva, meaning the valley of butterflies. Finally falls to Walawe River. Travelling to this place is not easy as to the other falls of Sri Lanka. This fall is far away from the main road and the turning point is Kalupahana Junction (160 Kms from Colombo) and is the closest main road to fall. The distance between Kalupahana and the waterfall is about 5 kms. This 5 Kms is a narrow road a light vehicle can take you closer to the fall. 

DEVON FALLS 

It is entirely fitting that Sri Lanka is becoming more and more recognised as an activity and adventure destination. Not surprisingly, the hill country plays a vital role in tourism. Trekking and mountain biking readily come to mind. Devon falls, 6 kms west of Talawakelle, on A7 highway. The entire waterfall itself is in three parts: the top, middle and bottom. The top part is almost one tenth of the fall. From the very top, you will be able to rappel down about 5 metres along the rocks on the left side of the waterfall and be geared up in harness and helmet. A quick demonstration is given and those who had never rappelled before. The thrill comes when one has to walk along a narrow ridge. As a safety measure, however, a support system is set up to control the climber’s fall in the event of a slip 

DIYALUMA FALLS

Diyaluma Falls, the "Fall of Smoking Water" at 212 metres is the second tallest waterfall in Sri Lanka and the sixth tallest in the world. The Diyaluma or Diya Haluma collects its water from the Poonagalla Oya in Koslanda and Wellawaya. Located six miles from Koslanda and 13 miles from Wellawaya, its waters originate from the Mahakande Pass in Koslanda. With an appearance and location which often make people believe that it is the highest waterfall in the Isle; this tall and thin "Diyaluma" waterfall pours its way down and flows towards Kirindi Oya under a bridge on the highway from  Beragala to Wellawaya. The extent of water spilt downwards is great during the rainy season. Its geographical location by one of the mostly used highways spanning the Hill Country to the plains speaks for its reputation not only here but in other parts of the world as well. 

RAMBODA FALLS

The 109 metre high double fall is borne of the many convergent brooks in the area that flows into the Puna Oya Reservoir, a tributary of the Kotmale River. It is above 3200 feet above sea level. The first part is above the road and is in the jungle hidden from the view, second part is close to the road and the third part is below the road. To see this falls take the Gampola – Nuwaraeliya road. It is located 1.5 kms from the highway and 10 kms from Pussellawa Rest house. The fall can be seen from the Ramboda Bazaar or from Ramboda Falls Hotel. Most relaxed travellers on this route miss this falls as it is located below the bridge. From the road you can only see the upper segment of the fall on the mountain side. You need to climb down near the Ramboda Bridge to get a good view of this captivating Ramboda fall.

RAWANA FALLS

 Rawana Falls is located on the Ella – Kithalella road below the famous Rawana cave where Seetha was in captivity. It can be viewed by taking a walk along the railway track. The other route is along a farm road; over a small rock bridge you can have a close look at one of the most ignored waterfalls in the country that speaks of our pre history. There are many legends linking Rawana and Seetha and the falls.  According to legend, it is said that King Rawana (king of Sri Lanka at the time) had  kidnapped princess Seetha, and had hidden her in the caves behind this waterfall, now simply known as the Rawana Ella (Rawana falls) Cave. At the time, the cave was surrounded with thick forests in the midst of wilderness. There is small pool which consider as queen Seetha bathed in a pool that accumulated the water falling from this waterfall. Rawana cave is one of the most attractive places for both local and foreign a tourists. It is located rear Rawana falls it’s about 4,490 ft above sea level.

ST CLAIR’S FALLS

This twin St. Clair’s waterfall cascades over three rock outcrops into a massive pool and it is most conveniently seen by travellers on Hatton – Talawakelle Road. This beautiful fall is located among tea gardens, transmits a large volume of water, and is the widest waterfall in the country. One needs to walk down among tea bushes at a steep slope to reach it.  The proposed Upper Kotmale Hydro Power Project will affect the water resources of St Clair’s but for the benefit of the public a limited quantity of water will be released to prevent complete disappearance of the fall. Downstream to the main fall is a second waterfall of 50 metres in height called Kuda Ella, which is best visible at the curve near 90 kms post. St. Clair's fall is billed as Sri Lanka's Niagara, or 'king of waterfalls' due to its outstanding beauty. It is 80 metres in height and at 50 metres wide, and consists of two segments, known as 'Big St. Clair' and 'Small St. Clair'.