Beaches of Sri Lanka

Unawatuna is a cautionary tale for the rest of Sri Lanka’s south coast. Where there was once a flawless crescent of golden sand that swept along a palm-lined shore with turquoise waters that had just enough surf to make for ideal swimming conditions, there is now one of Sri Lanka’s less appealing beach towns.

The beautiful water is still there and you can still find decent patches of sand, but in several places greed has replaced good taste and common sense. Bulldozers have pushed huge boulders right up to and beyond the high tide line, allowing for the construction of some especially ugly hotels and cafes. Ironically, authorities have actually enforced setbacks on the west half of Unawatuna’s beach and the result is much more salubrious.

Unawatuna makes for a good, quick beach escape from Galle’s Fort: it’s only 6km southeast. Otherwise it offers a cheap and cheerful sandy idyll, at least on the bulldozer- and boulder-free west end.

These spectacular back-to-back beaches, 34km north of Batticaloa, present as stark a juxtaposition as you could imagine.

On one side of a narrow peninsula, the breathtaking white sands of sickle-shaped Passekudah beach are being developed as a kind of mini-Cancun, a government-driven ‘Special Economic Zone’ with 14 luxury hotels ultimately planned to ring the bay. Fishermen have also been ordered to move their boats away from the main beach. Sure, it’s a glorious stretch of sand, but for the next few years the immediate surrounds are a mess, resembling a building site, as edifices in various stages of construction emerge from scrubland.

Passekudah’s extremely shallow water heats up to bathtub temperatures on sunny days (you’ll have to wade out some distance for a good swim). There’s also lots of sharp coral mixed in with the sand, so take care if barefoot. You’ll often find busloads of Sinhalese tourists here; try walking north along the shore to avoid the crowds.

In contrast, Kalkudah beach, 2km away over the headland to the south, is deserted – save the odd fisherman and his boat. This fabulous stretch of golden sand was once lined with hotels, but these were destroyed in the civil war and 2004 tsunami. There’s little shade, but it’s a delight to explore; just wander along the shore until you find your own private patch of sand.

Wadduwa and Kalutara initially developed as resort areas due to their relative ease of access to Colombo Airport. Transfers using the Southern Expressway usually take between 2 and 2.5 hours depending on Colombo traffic.

A string of 3, 4 and 5 star resort hotels line the beaches to the south of Colombo. At the northern end, Wadduwa is the closest to the capital with Kalutara being located to the south, a beautiful location where the Kalu Ganga River estuary meets the Indian Ocean in a huge lagoon.

• The beaches are long and straight with lots of coconut palms and a thickly populated coastline of fishing villages and market towns.

The Kosgoda beach is a popular destination for marine life enthusiasts, as it is home to many marine turtles and turtle hatcheries. The marine turtles come ashore at night and lay their eggs in tiny holes. Then they cover up their eggs and return to the sea before dawn. Many turtle hatcheries have been set up along the coast to protect the eggs and turtles from predators. The hatcheries care for the turtle hatchlings till they are about 2-4 days old and then released back to the sea. October to April is the main laying season, but some eggs can be found at Kosgoda throughout the year