Tangalle & Unawatuna

Thangalla and Unawatuna

The south coast, unhurried. The reward for everything north of it.

Thangalla is a small fishing town with a calm bay and a beach that the mainstream tourist route bypasses. Unawatuna, the sheltered bay 6km south of Galle, offers the clearest swimming water on the south coast inside its reef.

Experiences at this stop

• Thangalla fishing harbour at dusk

The fishing boats return at dusk. Walking the harbour --- watching the catch unloaded, the nets repaired --- is the southern coast without any tourism layer.

• Unawatuna reef snorkelling

The reef that protects Unawatuna bay sustains a small but healthy coral ecosystem. Sea turtles are regularly encountered directly from the beach.

• Japanese Peace Pagoda

A 15-minute walk through jungle reaches a 1976 Buddhist peace pagoda with a fine view over the bay.