Passikudah
A vast, shallow bay of crystalline water on the east coast whose extraordinary clarity and gradual depth create the closest natural equivalent to an infinity pool available anywhere in Asia – the water remaining knee-deep for hundreds of metres offshore in conditions that make it safe, beautiful, and completely compelling for swimmers and snorkellers of […]
Trincomalee
The east coast’s great natural harbour city sits above some of the finest white-sand beaches in Asia – Nilaveli and Uppuveli are wide, clear, and remarkably uncrowded even at the height of the May to September east coast season. The Koneswaram Temple on Swami Rock, dramatically positioned on a headland above the harbour, and the […]
Arugam Bay
Sri Lanka’s east coast surf capital produces one of the best point breaks in Asia between May and October, and the town around it has the easy, welcoming energy of a place that has been making travellers feel at home for decades without being commercialised enough to lose its character. Beyond the surf, Kumana National […]
Weligama
Sri Lanka’s most welcoming surf town for beginners and intermediates – a wide, forgiving bay with consistent waves that produce more first-time surfers than anywhere else on the island, a relaxed food scene, and an easy social atmosphere that makes it a natural south coast base. The view from the beach includes the Taprobane Island […]
Mirissa
The south coast bay that delivers blue whales, sperm whales, and spinner dolphin super-pods between November and April in waters that are among the most biodiverse cetacean environments in the Indian Ocean – and then relaxes into one of the most naturally beautiful and unhurried beach towns on the southern shore for the rest of […]
Galle
The 17th-century Dutch sea fortress on the southwest coast’s southernmost headland is the most complete colonial maritime fortress in Asia and one of the most genuinely atmospheric heritage environments in South Asia – its massive ramparts enclosing a living town of boutique hotels, independent cafes, galleries, and colonial-period architecture that make Galle Fort as enjoyable […]
Unawatuna
The sheltered horseshoe bay tucked south of Galle is one of those beaches that delivers precisely what its reputation promises – warm, reef-protected water that is genuinely good for swimming and snorkelling, a relaxed palm-shaded beachside atmosphere, and the proximity of Galle Fort just up the road to make a full cultural-and-coastal day one of […]
Hikkaduwa
The reef-fringed town that has been drawing snorkellers and divers to the southwest coast for decades – the Hikkaduwa National Park’s coral system supports marine turtles, parrotfish, and reef biodiversity in warm, accessible water alongside a beach town of genuine social energy and a consistent beginner surf break. Hikkaduwa works as a base, a half-day, […]
Bentota
Sri Lanka’s most resort-developed west coast beach combines a long, clean stretch of gold sand with the Bentota River estuary – sheltered enough for water sports, beautiful enough for a genuine beach day, and positioned close enough to the Madu River wetland system to make it the most naturally varied coastal base on the southwest. […]
Negombo
The gateway city that most travellers pass through in ten minutes deserves considerably more – a Dutch colonial canal town with centuries of Catholic church heritage, a working fishing community whose early-morning catch fills the best seafood restaurants on the west coast, and a lagoon that catches the sunset better than almost anywhere on the […]