Running from Tangalle in the south east to Galle in the south west, the south coast is the most popular beach destination during our winter months (November to April). The continuous ribbon of bays offers a wide selection of hotels from large developments, through hideaway luxury resorts down to colonial style villas.

South Coast Beaches - Perfect Place To End Your Touring Holiday

Tangalle is easy to add after a visit to Yala or Udawalawe or Gal Oya National Parks and boasts some of the most beautiful beaches in Sri Lanka backed by the bluest sea. To the west of the town you’ll find idyllic coves and bays largely taken up by luxury hideaway hotels and villas. Whilst the east lies on a spit of land between the Indian Ocean and a series of beautiful mangrove lined lagoons. These beaches are perfect for those looking to combine beach life with sublime natural surroundings.

Rekawa Beach is one of the most important places in Sri Lanka for turtle conservation, visited by five different species to lay their eggs in the sand most nights between January and April.

Head east and you reach magnificent Weligama Bay whose wide sand beach is covered with colourful fishing boats and is a great place to learn to surf. Just 5 minutes away is Mirissa Sri Lanka’s leading whale watching destination, including sightings of Blue Whale.

Continue west along a low-key stretch of coast and you find the beautiful beaches of Koggala and Thalpe in pretty little coves with pockets of luxury hotels, very quiet beaches backed by coconut plantations and interspersed with fishing villages. It’s also the best area to see the famous stilted fishermen. Inland you’ll find Koggala Lake, the perfect place to explore the tropical landscape by bike passing local farming villages, cinnamon groves and rice paddy fields.

The coast ends at Galle, which although is not really a beach destination is worth an afternoon’s visit. Behind the fortress walls, explore the narrow low-rise streets boasting beautiful boutique hotels that were once Dutch-period villas, galleries, shops, restaurants and cafes. There are several museums as well as the Dutch Reformed Church and the Arab Quarter. Finish the day watching the sun set looking out from the sea ramparts and your day is done.