Over one thousand kilometers of palm fringed sandy beaches encircle the Island. Sri Lanka is never out of season for a beach holiday.The beach resorts in the West Coast, South Coast and the East Coast are the most popular with people who enjoy taking a dip in the warm waters and relaxing on the sandy beach.

West Coast Beaches :
The West Coast stretches northwards from Mt. Lavinia a southern suburb of Colombo. Mt. Lavinia and Negombo are the best developed beach resorts in this region.

Mt. Lavinia : Eleven kilometers south from Colombo along the road to Galle is the beach resort of Mt. Lavinia. The sea is safe for bathing and is a popular bathing spot with clean sandy beaches. The name Lavinia reminds of a secret love affair between a British Governor and a local damsel who used to meet at the holiday house of the Governor which stood on the spot where now the Mt. Lavinia Hotel is located.


Negombo : The major beach resort in the West Coast is Negombo. The wide sandy beaches and the safe sea are the major attractions of Negombo, a traditional fishing town. Besides the beach, the fish market is worth visiting where busy trading of a variety of fish including prawns, crabs and seer takes place in the mornings when the fishing crafts return to the shore with their catch. The most popular fishing craft is the outrigger canoe called oruwa dug out from a huge log and is seen in large numbers in the Negombo lagoon.

South Coast Beaches :
The southern coastal belt is the most popular and comes to life mainly from October through April when the monsoon moves north east and the sea becomes calm with blue skies. It is an ideal place to spend the Winter vacation. The main beach resorts are at Beruwala, Bentota and Hikkaduwa having several beach hotels with their exclusive beachfronts. Another interesting stretch of beach in the south is Unawatuna

Beruwala : An hour's drive from Colombo along the south coast will take the visitor to Beruwala that marks the beginning of the South Coast Beach Resort. Beruwala is considered to be the first Muslim settlement in the Island established by the Arab traders as far back as the 8th century. There is a famous Muslim mosque at the beachhead close to which is a light house one of several erected along the Sri Lankan.


Hikkaduwa : 99 km. from Colombo, this is the place for underwater delights where there is a marine sanctuary abundant with rare corals and tropical fish. The underwater world of colourful corals and beautiful shoals of fish can be explored either by snorkeling or taking a ride in a glass bottom boat.


Unawatuna : Four kilometers south of Galle is Unawatuna (120 km. from Colombo), a beautiful stretch of beach in the south safe for bathing. The road leading south from Colombo passes through the Southern Beach Resorts winding its way through stretches of coconut land. Along the drive, you could spot a man high up in the air crossing from tree to tree on two ropes tied tightly to the trees like a tight rope walker in a circus. He is a 'toddy tapper' getting about his daily chores tapping the sap off the tender inflorescence of the coconut trees which is used to distill Sri Lankan Arrack and other alcoholic beverages.

East Coast Beaches :
From April to October, the East Coast comes to life. It is one of the best stretches of beach in Sri Lanka. The Eastern beaches stretch for over 300 kilometers along which tourist resorts have developed in Nilaveli, 16 km. From Trincomalee and Kalkudah, 32 km. north of Batticaloa.

Trincomalee : Horatio Nelson, the British admiral of the 18th century had on arriving at the Trincomalee harbour described it as the finest harbour in the world. It is a beautiful natural harbour worthy of that description and had been in use from the days of the early Sinhala kings. The old Portuguese/Dutch Fort reminiscent of the colonial rule of the Island has the year 1676 inscribed above its entrance by the Dutch. It was subsequently named Ford Frederick by the British.


Nilaveli : This is a prime beach resort in the East Coast. It is ideally suited for sun bathing, sea bathing and diving. A few meters off shore is a small rocky island good for snorkeling.


Kalkudah & Passekudah : These are very fine beaches in the East Coast. Kalkudah Bay is a 2 km. long wide stretch of beach well protected from the monsoon by the off shore reef. Passekudah Bay is another wide beach 4 km. long just south of Kalkudah. The combined area of Passekudah and Kalkudah is an ideal stretch for bathing, windsurfing and water skiingnd beautiful shoals of fish can be explored either by snorkeling or taking a ride in a glass bottom boat.


Batticaloa: Like most other coastal townships, Batticaloa was under Portuguese and Dutch rule. A Dutch Fort stands close to the Batticaloa lagoon. The most famous attraction of Batticaloa is its 'Singing Fish'. On full moon nights a faint but distinct musical sound rises from the lagoon waters. This is attributed to a noise emanated by a kind of fish found in the lagoon.