Bentota, set beautifully by the coast in Southern Sri Lanka, is the quintessential laidback seaside getaway, with an endless stretch of beach to laze on, enclosed by swaying palms. Explore the remnants of the Dutch and Portuguese rule here, or just let out your languourous side.
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Bentota
Local areas in Bentota
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Galapatha Vihara
Galapatha Vihara
The Galapatha Vihara temple is believed to date back to the 12th century. After being destroyed by the Dutch in the 16th century, it was rebuilt in a more modern style, but you will still find elaborate decorative carvings dating back to the Kandyan period.
Explore The Local Shopping Institution
Explore The Local Shopping Institution
Find unique offerings from Sri Lanka’s iconic Odel brand at the Luv SL store in Galle, set in a beautiful building with Dutch and Portuguese architectural influences. Choose from distinctive souvenirs, clothing, resort-wear and stationery as well as exotic food items to take home.
Choose all things Sri Lankan at Luv SL
Choose all things Sri Lankan at Luv SL
Make time on your visit to Galle Fort to browse through the distinctively Sri Lankan products at Luv SL, housed in an impressive building with Dutch and Portuguese architectural influences. On offer are souvenirs, fashion, household items and food gifts – all from the iconic Odel brand.
Fall in love with baby turtles at Kosgoda
at Kosgoda along Galle Road
Fall in love with baby turtles at Kosgoda
Visit the Kosgoda turtle hatcheries to see volunteers work at saving baby turtles. They keep watch over batches of rescued turtle eggs till they hatch and then release the baby turtles safely into the sea. Sri Lanka has many turtle species, including green, hawksbill, Olive Ridley, leatherback and loggerhead.
Take Home A Decorative Local Mask
Take Home A Decorative Local Mask
Make a half-hour drive to visit the Masks Museum at Ambalangoda, which showcases the dramatic masks used in the kolam dances of the Karava – the local fishing community, of the western and south-western parts of Sri Lanka. You can buy your own distinctive pop-eyed mask at the workshop on-site.
Watch out for the whales
Watch out for the whales
Make an early start to the day with a whale-watching trip from Mirissa. With each mighty mammal, you are offered three chances to marvel: when it rises vertically from the sea, when it surfaces horizontally and when it flashes its tail before sinking below. Also look for dolphins and seabirds.
Kosgoda Turtle Hatcheries
Kosgoda Turtle Hatcheries
The turtle hatcheries at Kosgoda along Galle Road are all run by locals working to save the turtles that come to these shores to nest. Your contribution could allow volunteers to buy turtle eggs from fishermen, rebury them in safe locations till they hatch, and release the baby turtles safely into the ocean.
Go Whale Watching
Go Whale Watching
Sri Lanka offers great whale-watching and its waters are home to seven species of whale, including the blue whale. Take an early-morning whale-watching trip from Mirissa, down the coast. Along with the whales, you might also enjoy sightings of dolphins, flying fish and sea birds closer to shore.
Hit The Water At Bentota
Hit The Water At Bentota
The calm Bentota Lagoon is ideal for a variety of water sports. Go on banana-boat rides or a boat cruise, or try your hand at snorkelling. If you want to push the adrenaline levels a bit higher, there’s surfing, water-skiing, body-boarding, jet-skiing and diving available, too.
Brief Garden
Brief Garden
The home of artist Bevis Bawa, brother of renowned Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa, has a fascinating garden that looks like it belongs in The Jungle Book and urges you to get lost in its midst. The residence itself houses an eclectic art collection, from a Chagall-style mural of local life to intriguing sculptures.
Explore The Galle Fort
Explore The Galle Fort
Spend some hours at the UNESCO World Heritage-rated 17th-century Galle Fort in nearby Galle, which was one of the few structures to remain unharmed by the 2004 tsunami. Walk the sea wall, admire the pulpit and quaint mini pipe-organ in the Dutch Reformed Church or marvel at the exhibits in the Maritime Archaeology Museum.
Pick some souvenirs at Bentota Bazaar
Pick some souvenirs at Bentota Bazaar
If you are looking to take home some reminders of your time in Bentota, visit this local market, situated in the middle of Bentota town. Many of the shops here are government-approved, and you will find batik textiles, wood carvings and artefacts made by local artisans.
Wander around Galle Fort
Wander around Galle Fort
Explore fascinating Galle Fort, a seventeenth-century stronghold that is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Walk along the sea wall and through the lively streets, visit the Dutch Reformed Church with its impressive pulpit and mini pipe-organ, and wander through the impressive Maritime Archaeology Museum.
Buy yourself a dramatic local mask
Buy yourself a dramatic local mask
Drive down to the Masks Museum at Ambalangoda, 25 kilometres outside Bentota, to acquire a distinctive pop-eyed wooden mask for your walls at home. These masks are used in the kolam dances of the Karava (fishing community) of the Western and South-Western areas of Sri Lanka.
Ambalangoda
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Ambalangoda
Visit magical Brief Garden
Visit magical Brief Garden
Marvel at the interesting collection of art at Brief Garden, former residence of artist and landscape architect Bevis Bawa, brother of architect Geoffrey Bawa. Enjoy the fascinating sculptures in the garden, and the eclectic art in the house – including homoerotic sculptures and a mural of local life.
Browse Through Bentota Bazaar
Browse Through Bentota Bazaar
Wander through this market in the middle of Bentota town to find local souvenirs like batik textiles, wood carvings and mementos made by local artisans. Many of the shops are government-approved, which means the prices are fair, and you are sure to find something to remember Bentota by when you get back home.
