South Coast & Whales
Galle Fort's Dutch ramparts, blue whales off Mirissa, stilt fishermen at Koggala and enough unstructured beach time to make the rest of it land.
- Duration
- 6 days, 6 nights
- From
- $780 pp
- Group
- Private — your group only
- Best months
- November to April — whale season and the south coast's dry months coincide
The south coast is the easiest part of Sri Lanka to enjoy and the easiest to do badly. Most itineraries treat Galle as a two-hour photo stop on the way to a beach hotel, and book the whale trip through whoever is standing in the lobby.
Two things matter here. The first is the whale boat: Mirissa has a lot of operators and some of them chase animals, which is both unpleasant to watch and against the guidelines. We use one that keeps its distance and turns the engines down. The second is time. Six days gives you two evenings inside Galle Fort instead of one afternoon, and that is when the place is actually worth seeing.
What you'll do
- Blue whales off the continental shelf, six nautical miles out from Mirissa
- Galle Fort at six in the evening, when the ramparts fill up and the heat goes
- A morning with the stilt fishermen at Koggala — the real ones, not the posed ones
- Turtle hatchlings released at dusk near Rekawa, in season
Day by day
- 01
Wadduwa
We pick you up from the airport and drive an hour south to our home stretch of coast. Nothing scheduled. Swim, sleep off the flight, eat rice and curry at a place we have been going to for twenty years.
- 02
Down the coast to Galle
The coast road south through Kalutara and Bentota, stopping wherever looks good. Afternoon inside Galle Fort — Dutch ramparts, a working lighthouse, and streets narrow enough to stay shaded. Evening on the walls.
- 03
Galle and Koggala
Morning at the stilt fishermen at Koggala, early enough to see them actually fishing. Handunugoda tea estate for white tea, then Unawatuna or Jungle Beach in the afternoon. Back in the fort for dinner.
- 04
Whales off Mirissa
On the water by 6.30am. It is roughly a ninety-minute run out to the shelf where blue whales feed, and sightings run about eighty per cent between December and April. Back on land by noon. Afternoon on Mirissa beach or asleep — the boat takes it out of you.
- 05
East to Tangalle
Quieter coast. Dondra Head, the southernmost point of the island, then the beaches past Dikwella where the crowds stop. Evening turtle release at Rekawa if the season is right.
- 06
Back up the coast
The drive back to Colombo or the airport takes about four hours on the expressway, or six on the coast road with stops. Your call — we tend to recommend the coast road.
What's included
- Private vehicle and driver-guide for six days
- Whale watching boat, licensed operator, with breakfast on board
- Five nights accommodation with breakfast
- Airport transfers both ways
Not included
- Galle Fort museum and site entries
- Lunches and dinners
- Turtle hatchery donation
- Tips
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