South Coast of Sri Lanka

For the past 9 days we’ve been exploring the central region of Sri Lanka rich in heritage and legacy, passing through Kandy, Sri Lanka’s cultural capital and wandering across the tea plantations in Nuwara Elia, heading south to observe the wild life at Udawalawe National Parks and finally reaching the south coast. Our next stop was at Tangalle, famous for its turtle nesting beaches.

Tangalle and the Wellness Sanctuary

We arrived late in the afternoon to The Turtle Nest Hotel. Unexpectedly, it turned out that we booked ourselves a night at the Sen Wellness Sanctuary which was an affiliate of the holistic clinic in the medical district of central London. It had was established by the founder and osteopath, Dr. Sam Kankanamge.

To tell you the truth, we didn’t know much about him before our visit. Staying at the sanctuary was a unique experience by its own. From the reception area and the food to its Eco-friendly accommodation, it was simply relaxing. From one side, the sanctuary is embraced by a lake while from the other side, it overlooked an infinite white sandy beach and coconut trees along the shore. The rooms were half lit, probably to conserve energy, and the circular walls were made of wood allowing the air to circulate freely into the spacious rooms. A thin white mosquito net was hanging above the bed. Several earth colored linen curtains covered the glass windows across the room. The rooms had minimalist design concepts inspired by the surrounding nature. We took a bath in the open-air bathroom and headed down to have a mouthwatering dinner. 

People suffering from physical and psychological traumas usually come to this place and stay for a prolonged Ayurvedic treatment break. Although our stay was unplanned and short, Chantal managed to book the early morning Yoga class that took place at 6:00 am.

The Stilt Fishermen of Galle

The next morning, we checked out and hit the road to Mirissa located at the southern coast of the Island. Passing through Galle, we made sure we spot the stilt fishermen. Although the approach looks primitive and ancient, this fishing method was first introduced after World War II. This mode of fishing used to be widely seen along the southern coast until the 2004 tsunami which caused many of these fishing activities to temporarily cease.

“The fishermen sit on a cross bar called a ‘petta’ tied to a vertical pole and driven into the sand a few meters offshore. From this high position, the fishermen casts his line, and waits until a fish comes along to be caught.”

Source Amusing Planet.

Recently a large number of these fishermen took a more touristic direction. They resumed their fishing activities, but they now charge for any photos taken of them. They are willing to teach tourists but only in exchange for money. In some places it turned out to be more lucrative. In Galle, we were very overjoyed to spot these guys, but when I showed my camera, a guy approached me and asked for some money. We then knew that they were only standing on the stilts as a display for tourists.

Hiriketiya Bay

Later that day we stopped at the Hiriketiya Bay also known as the horseshoe bay. 30 minutes away from Tangalle on the way toward Mirissa, it’s is one of the renowned beaches on the southern coast, famous for surfing. We had a couple of beers (maybe a bit more), bathed in the sun and cooled down in the water while Edmond tried his luck surfing some waves.

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Mirissa, and a Luxurious Experience

Late that afternoon we booked at Mirissa one of the fanciest hotels of our whole travel adventure. We (or maybe I should say the ladies) felt the urge to spend some lazy time by the beach. We spent the last 2 nights at one of Lantern Boutique Hotel Villas. What was special about this villa was its intimate and contemporary environment with its open plan kitchen, dining and lounge area at the ground floor and the exquisite accommodation on the first floor.

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The end of our trip was approaching, and a slight feeling of melancholy started roaming around. We didn’t want this trip to end. We had spent some marvelous time over the past days and we were not ready to go back to our routine life, and not especially back to work.

Back to Negombo, on The Way to Colombo

On the last day we took off to Colombo and we checked out the famous Bearefoot stores in Colombo where we bought some handmade gifts for family and friends and spent the afternoon at the Barefoot café.

We wanted an accommodation close to the airport so we contacted Mme. Shithra the manager of Lanka Hut in Negombo where we stayed the first night upon our arrival. Unfortunately for us and fortunately for her, she was fully booked. We needed a place to stay for the night, so we started to search online. A few minutes later Shitra called us back and said that she’d managed to find us an accommodation at a nearby hotel through one of her friends.

Then again, I would say: “trust the locals!”

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Our 12 Day Trip Destinations Summary

To summarize the things we enjoyed the most during our 12 day trip through Sri Lanka, I prepared this not so short list:

Negombo, Dumbulla Cave Temple, Sigiriya fortress, Temple of the tooth in Kandy, Botanical Garden, Kandy, Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, Nuwara Eliya Tea Factory, Lovers’Leap, Adam’s Peak, Safari at Udalawawe National Park, Tangalle, Hiriketiya Bay horseshoe bay, Mirissa, the stilt fishermen, the Dutch Fort in Galle, Barefoot Stores an Cafe in Colombo, the floating market in Colombo.

To read more about this trip full of personal experiences and realizations, check the following links to other related posts

1. Exploring Sri Lanka in a Mini-Van 
2. Sri Lanka, it makes you wonder
3. Trust the locals
4. Home of Buddha’s tooth
5. A Lesson at The Royal Botanical Gardens
6. Pinnawala and the peer pressure
7. The Tea Factory at Nuwara Eliya
8. The pilgrimage, Adam’s Peak, Sri Lanka.
9. A Luxurious Stay, a Bank and an Unforgettable Safari

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