Negombo
Population: 140,000
Distance from Colombo: 35 km
A characteristic fishing town north of Colombo, it is a mere 6 km from the international airport. Set amidst lush groves of coconut palms, it breathes the spirit of the sea. Negombo is a gourmet’s paradise with sea food in plenty. Old - world fishing craft, like the outrigger canoe and the catamaran, bring seer, skipjack, herring, mullet, pomfret and amber jack, while lobster and prawn are caught in the lagoon.

Mount Lavinia
Population:
Distance from Colombo: 12 km
Mount Lavinia is an ideal place to relax and enjoy the sea. The beach is crowded on Sundays and public holidays with large crowds gathered to participate in many beach sports activities such as swimming, surfing etc. The Governors House built in 1805 by Sir Thomas Maitland , now forms part of the famous Mount Lavinia Hotel.

Kalutara
Population: 1,060,800
Distance from Colombo: 42 km
More or less synonymous with rush and reed ware, (try to visit the permanent exhibition in the town’s Basket Hall), Kalutara was also a famous spice-centre in the 16th to 18th centuries. There are fine beaches safe for swimming . Immediately south of the Kalu Ganga Bridge on the main road is the Gangatil Vihara, which has a hollow dagoba (Buddhist shrine) with an interesting painted terior. By the roadside there’s a small shrine and the bodhi tree where drivers often stop to make offerings to ensure a safe journey to Wadduwa ,8km north of Kalutara.

Beruwela
Population: 136,000
Distance from Colombo: 55 km
South of Colombo, Beruwela marks the beginning of a 130 km-stretch of beaches, where resort development has made immense strides in recent years. Good bathing in the bay all year round.

Bentota
Population: 48,000
Distance from Colombo: 62 km
Bentota Resort complex is a romantic rendezvous of river and sea with several hotels, railway station, post office, shopping arcade, cafeteria and an open - air theatre showing folk and mask dancing with clusters of palms overlooking everything.

Hikkaduwa
Population: 990,539
Distance from Colombo: 99 km
The first area to be developed for tourism, this is still one of the most popular of our beach resorts. Hikkaduwa is famous for its coral and sub tropical fish. The reef, which runs parallel to the shore and is only a few metres below the water, can be explored with snorkel and fippers, or in a glass-bottomed boat. There are several wrecks in the area which offer interesting dives. Scuba equipment and the services of licensed instructions are on hire from PADI centers. A little further down the coast, there’s good surf for board or body-surfing. There is a generally a community of international surfers in and around Hikkaduwa.

Galle
Population: 97,000
Distance from Colombo: 116 km
In this costal town, the Dutch presence is still visible. Galle was an ancient port (said to be the legendary Tarshish of the Bible), and our first international commerce and trade centre. Today, Galle is the bustling provincial capital and administrative centre of the south. It is famous for its lovely Unawatuna Bay, where the sea is reef protected and therefore safe for swimming. The old Dutch ‘Star’ fort (a World Heritages Site) covering 36 hectaers, the well-preserved Groote Kerk (Dutch Church), Dutch Government House, the New Oriental Hotel (built in 1684) old bell tower and a tide-based Sewage-System, also introduced by the Dutch. In Gale they still make the Dutch ‘pillo-lace’ and do fine ebony-carving and gem-polishing.

Koggala
Population:
Distance from Colombo: 130 km
Koggala beach is about 12 kms south of Galle. Stilt -Fisherman are a familiar sight here.

Arugam Bay
Population: 147,000
Distance from Colombo: 116 km
Arugam Bay is a fishing village 3km south of the small town of Pottuvil at the remote southern end of the east coast. It probably has the best surf in Sri Lanka, which forms near a low promontory a little further south, and because of this it has developed into a hang-out for low-budget travelers. There’s a wide, sweeping beach in front of the village itself which is good for swimming; and south of the surf promontory a long, deserted beach leads down to ‘Crocodile Rock’, from where wild elephants can quite often be seen. The best period for surfing is between April and September and during this ‘season’ the number of travelers – most of whom are diehard surfers – visiting the area increases. When the season ends the place empties and some guesthouses and restaurants shut up shop, but this may be just what you’re after.
Since the troubles began, Arugam Bay has been on and off the ‘safe’ list, not only because of incidents in Arugam Bay itself and Pottuvil, but also because vehicles on