Must-see attractions in The South

  • Mirissa Beach

    Mirissa Beach

    Mirissa

    A vision of tropical bliss, Mirissa Beach boasts powdery pale sand, while its azure water is framed by an arc of coconut palms. The west side is the…

  • Staircase at the Mulkirigala rock temple.

    Mulkirigala Rock Temples

    Tangalla & Around

    Dangling off a rocky crag 16km northwest of Tangalla and nestled away among a green forest of coconut trees are the peaceful rock temples of Mulkirigala…

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    Bundala National Park

    Bundala National Park

    Bundala National Park is a fantastic maze of waterways, lagoons and dunes that glitter like gold in the dying evening sun. This wonderland provides a home…

  • Tea tasting  in the he Handunugoda Tea Estate and Tea Museum.

    Handunugoda Tea Estate

    The South

    This exquisite tea plantation in the hills above Koggala offers (free) highly informative tours of the estate. You'll sample and learn how they produce…

  • Old fort, Galle, Sri Lanka

    Flag Rock

    Galle

    Flag Rock, at the southernmost end of the Fort, was once a Portuguese bastion. Today it is easily the most popular place to catch a sunset. During…

  • Star Fort in Matara.

    Star Fort

    Matara

    This fort was built by the Dutch to compensate for deficiencies in the neighbouring rampart, but it’s so small it could only have protected a handful of…

  • Dutch Reformed Church in the Fort Galle.

    Dutch Reformed Church

    Galle

    Originally built in 1640, the present building dates from 1752. Its floor is paved with gravestones from Dutch cemeteries, while other impressive features…

  • Tuk tuk drives through the entrance of the old Dutch gate with British Coat of Arms above.

    Old Gate

    Galle

    A beautifully carved British coat of arms tops the entrance to the Old Gate on the outer side. Inside, the letters VOC, standing for Verenigde…

  • Martin Wickramasinghe Folk Art Museum

    The South

    This interesting museum includes the house where respected Sinhalese author Martin Wickramasinghe (1890–1976) was born (the traditional southern structure…

  • The old fishing sailboat in the maritime museum in Galle, Sri Lanka.

    Marine Archeological Museum

    Galle

    This spacious maritime museum occupies a colossal old spice warehouse built by the Dutch and dating back to the late 17th century. The structure was…

  • Man near waterhole scouring landscape with binoculars in Yala National Park.

    Yala National Park

    Yala National Park

    With trumpeting elephants, monkeys crashing through the trees, peacocks in their finest frocks and cunning leopards sliding like shadows through the…

  • The gardens, lawn and pillars of the local popular Nupe Market, a grand old historical Dutch colonial building and center of trade for centuries.

    Old Dutch Trade Centre

    Matara

    On the western side of town, this magnificent T-shaped building (once the town's market) will fascinate architectural buffs: it has an imposing, steeply…

  • Rumassala Peace Pagoda

    Unawatuna

    On the hillside west of Unawatuna, this impressive pagoda was built by Japanese Buddhist monks of the Mahayana sect in 2005, as part of their scheme to…

  • Meeran Mosque

    Galle

    Facing the lighthouse, this beautifully maintained whitewashed building is a highly unusual construction combining eclectic architectural features that…

  • Kirinda Temple

    The South

    Kirinda centres on this imposing hilltop Buddhist shrine, which includes a stupa and huge standing Buddha. It's dedicated to Queen Viharamahadevi, who…

  • Jungle Beach

    Unawatuna

    One of those 'secret' spots that everyone seems to knows about, Jungle Beach is a pretty bay just west of Unawatuna. There are a couple of slim-line sandy…

  • Yatagala Raja Maha Viharaya

    Unawatuna

    Just 4km inland from Unawatuna, the Yatagala Raja Maha Viharaya is a quiet rock temple with a 9m reclining Buddha. The mural-covered walls are painted in…

  • Sudharmalaya Temple

    Galle

    Gazing over the lawns on the western side of Galle, this small whitewashed temple complex includes a prayer hall (the unusual design of which, including a…

  • Dutch Hospital

    Galle

    Now fully restored and home to myriad upmarket boutiques and restaurants, this vast, colonnaded colonial landmark dates from the 18th century. Its size…

  • Bandrawatta Beach

    Weligama

    This lovely natural cove beach is well away from the main highway, has sheltered swimming and also a surf break further offshore. Look out for stilt…

  • Buddhist temple in Sri Lanka

    Wewurukannala Vihara

    The South

    A 50m-high seated Buddha figure – the largest in Sri Lanka – is a highlight of this somewhat gaudy temple, which is often thronged with worshippers…

  • Amangalla

    Galle

    The Amangalla was built in 1684 to house the Dutch governor and officers. Later, as the New Oriental Hotel, it was the lodging of choice for 1st-class P&O…

  • Koggala Lake

    The South

    Next to the road, Koggala Lake is alive with birdlife and dotted with islands, one of which features a Buddhist temple that attracts many visitors on poya…

  • Matara Fort

    Matara

    This historic, though run-down district, was once the heart of Dutch, and later British, Matara. There are no real sights, but it's an intriguing area…

  • Historical Mansion

    Galle

    More of an antique store than a museum, this Fort townhouse (which dates back to the Dutch days) contains the private collection of a long-time local…

  • Ho-o-maniya Blowhole

    The South

    The Ho-o-maniya blowhole is sometimes spectacular and other times a fizzle. During the southwest monsoon (June is the best time), high seas can force…

  • Kataluwa Purwarama Temple

    The South

    Rarely crowded, this feels like the temple time forgot. Dating from the 13th century, it has some recently restored murals, including some large ones…

  • Taprobane

    Weligama

    Just offshore – you can walk out to it at low tide – is this tiny island. It looks like an ideal artist’s or writer’s retreat, which indeed it once was:…

  • Main Gate

    Galle

    The Main Gate in the northern stretch of the wall is a comparatively recent addition – it was built by the British in 1873 to handle the heavier flow of…

  • Weherahena Temple

    Matara

    On the east side of Matara, turn inland 1km off the main road for this gaudy temple that features an artificial cave decorated with about 200 cartoon-like…

  • Dutch Rampart

    Matara

    The smallish Dutch rampart occupies the promontory separating the Nilwala Ganga from the sea. Built in the 18th century to protect the VOC’s kachcheri …

  • Dondra Head Lighthouse

    The South

    The landmark Dondra Head Lighthouse provides an exclamation mark to the southernmost point of Sri Lanka. Visitors are not currently permitted to enter the…

  • Galle International Cricket Stadium

    Galle

    Once a racecourse for wagering British colonials, Galle's cricket ground was established over 100 years ago. Since 1998 it has been used for international…

  • Polhena Beach

    Matara

    The best beach in the area is a small sandy cove that's sheltered by a reef offshore. There's good snorkelling in the bay, and though visibility is not…

  • Parey Dewa

    Matara

    A pedestrian bridge near the bus station leads to a small island, Parey Dewa (Rock in Water), which is home to a tiny Buddhist temple with a very fancy…

  • Sun Bastion

    Galle

    Occupying the northeast corner of the ramparts, with magnificent vistas over Galle harbour and cricket ground, this large fortification was first…

  • National Maritime Museum

    Galle

    Nestled in the old walls, this small museum is worth a quick look for its skeleton of a Bryde's whale and a very useful model that explains how tsunamis…

  • National Museum

    Galle

    This museum is housed in what's thought to be the oldest Dutch building in Galle, dating back to 1686. Displays are somewhat dusty and dated but include…

  • Point Utrecht Bastion

    Galle

    The eastern section of Galle's wall ends at the Point Utrecht Bastion, close to the powder magazine, which bears a Dutch inscription from 1782. Today this…

  • Rest House

    Tangalla & Around

    The shady Rest House was once home to the Dutch administrators. It’s one of the oldest rest houses in the country, and was originally built (as a plate on…