Things To Do In The West Coast Of Sri Lanka
The West Coast, between the cities of Colombo and Galle, was one of the first regions in the island developed for tourism, and its 100 kilometre coastline has the largest concentration of hotels and guest houses in Sri Lanka. Blessed with miles of palm-fringed golden beaches and tranquil mangrove-lined lagoons, the West Coast has been the primary value-for-money destination for travellers to the island.
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Lined by a string of fine beaches, along with tourist amenities of every conceivable standard and style, Sri Lanka’s west coast shows the island at its most developed, its most Westernised, and its most tourist-oriented.The region also features some of the island’s best craftsmen who produce a variety of artefacts and who are particularly adept in the restoration of antique furniture, which is found in abundance. The West Coast is also famous for its turtle hatcheries, a favourite among tourists who take delight in the ‘rubbery’ newly hatched turtles.
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The west coast is a great spot for watersports between December and April when the seas are calm. These include snorkelling, jet-skiing, scuba-diving, surfing and kite-surfing. Whale and dolphin watching boat excursions are also available.
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Attractions & Events
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Wadduwa
Located 35km South of Colombo, Wadduwa is a small fishing village famous for its toddy tapping. Toddy or palm wine is the fermented sap of the coconut palm and has a unique aroma which is repulsive to some but is considered a refreshing and not too intoxicating beverage by others. Toddy tappers agilely walk on single strands of rope tied between trees and collect the sap from the coconut flower in large earthen pots. The town is also famous for its coir products of rugs, brooms and carpets. The Kalu Ganga or river nearby is good for water sport activities and offers good for river safaris.
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Kalutara
The town of Kalutara, lying just South of Colombo is most famous for its sacred Bo tree which is a sapling of the Sri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura. The Gangatilaka Vihara just opposite the Bo tree was built in its honour and marks the site of an ancient temple that was once stood here, and its huge dagoba can be seen for miles around. The outer dome of the dagoba is hollow and has a beautifully painted interior which houses a smaller dagoba within it. It is a customary practice for passing travelers to stop and make a donation at the roadside tills to ensure the safety and success of their journey.
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Beruwela
Beruwela has many interesting locations for sightseeing such as the Turtle Hatchery, Mask Factory, Galle Fort, Mini Zoo, and the famous Brief Garden and “Lunuganga”, which are the creation of the world renowned architect Geoffrey Bawa. An excellent beach resort on the South Western coast with Beruwela has many hotels providing excellent facilities for tourists. It is also is one of the earliest Moor settlements in the country. Beruwela is one of the best locations for water sports such as water scooter rides, wind surfing, para-sailing, water skiing, and river cruising and it also has the facilities for deep-sea fishing and wreck and reef diving.
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Bentota
Bentota is the first National Holiday Resort project developed by the Ceylon Tourist Board as a planned resort and has six tourist hotels along the beach in a span of 7km. Water sports facilities are available as in the Beruwela Resort. Many interesting sightseeing tours are available from here, such as the Turtle Hatchery, Mask factory, Galle Fort, Mini Zoo, Brief Garden Brief and Lunuganga and boat trips on the Bentota River.
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Ambalangoda
Ambalangoda is a charming town on the coast most famous for its “devil-dancers” and mask carvers. You will be fortunate to encounter an actual bali (exorcism) or kolam (folk drama) performance as these rituals are not performed other than when the occasion calls for it. On the other hand, if you do manage to attend a ceremony, you can be assured that it is the real thing. The brightly coloured masks of Ambalangoda are created based on traditional masks used by shamanic healers for curing patients suffering from 18 types of ailments which they could suffer from.
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Hikkaduwa
Hikkaduwa is one of the most popular beach resorts in the South Western coast of the Island. The beautiful coral reef in shallow water protected by a rock formation is an excellent place for viewing the corals. A multitude of dazzling reef fish swimming among the corals is a huge attraction for many and snorkeling and diving facilities are available. Those who prefer not to get their feet wet can see the fish from the comfort of a glass-bottomed boat. More adventurous souls can go diving in the Black Coral Gardens, beyond the reef in deeper waters or explore any of the several shipwrecks around Hikkaduwa. Most hotels provide facilities for deep-sea fishing trips and there are several Diving Schools with “PADI” Dive Masters for instructors. Surfers find the break at Hikkaduwa very much to their liking as well. Bright batiks, masks, jewelry and other crafts are sold out of quaint shops all along Hikkaduwa’s Galle Road strip.
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Kosgoda turtle hatchery
The Kosgoda Turtle Hatchery breeds and releases five species of turtles – Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas), Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta), Leatherback Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) and Olive Ridley Turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea). Eggs laid by adult females are collected by villagers and fishermen are purchased by the Kosgoda Hatchery and kept in sandy pens until they hatched, and then kept in seawater tanks and released to the sea at night. The Kosgoda Hatchery has released more than 1,750,000 young turtles to the sea and was established through an endowment by the Hasselblad Estate.