Tangalle - Sri Lanka resort with many lagoons
The town of Tangalle (Sri Lanka) is located on the south coast, in the province of Hambontota. Tangalle, one of the largest settlements in the province, is located 240 km from the international airport Bandaranaike and 200 km from Colombo, the capital of the state.
Tangalle is considered one of the most beautiful resort places in Sri Lanka. In Sinhala, the name of the city means "created from the cliff", which indicates the rocks forming the local coastline.
The entire resort coast is strewn with small bays, where coconut palms grow on the shores, and a fishing port is located in the main bay.
Tangalle beaches
The beaches of Tangalle differ from the rest of the beaches of the island - they are especially beautiful, clean, deserted. But swimming in the ocean is difficult (sometimes impossible), since the shore itself has great depth and strong waves. In order not to depend on the bathing plan from the ocean, you can settle in a hotel on the territory of which there is a pool.
The Tangalle beach area consists of several beaches that have a different atmosphere and infrastructure.
Medaketia BeachThe length of the beach is 2 km, approaches the very borders of the town of Tangalle. It originates from the Kirama Oya lagoon and extends north, and to the south of the lagoon is a fishing harbor. There are almost always high waves on this beach, but there are several stone breakwaters, and you can swim there.
Medaketia is one of the beaches on which the infrastructure for tourists was first created. Now everything is built up with inexpensive guesthouses and restaurants.
Medilla BeachFurther beyond Medaketia is the beach of Medilla; it extends even further north. Medilla is a wide and clean stove strip, framed on one side by the ocean, and on the other by a lagoon. This is a beach with an even calmer atmosphere than Medaketia: it is far from inexpensive guesthouses, there are only a couple of hotels, there are bars.
Rekawa BeachIt is located along the Rekava lagoon and reaches the borders of the Kalametiyya nature reserve. In this area the infrastructure is only for tourists, there are a lot of really good hotels. Every day to get from Rekava to the town of Tangalle is far, unless you can rent a motorbike.
Parevella BeachThis is the opposite direction from the starting point, from Medaketi. Parevella is also adjacent to the fishing harbor, but it is located south of Karima Oya. There is nothing remarkable: this is an ordinary modest beach for the local population.
GoyambokkeFarther, 7 km from Tangalle, Goiambokke beach is located - a small but extremely beautiful bay.
You can swim here for most of the year, as the waves are much smaller than on Medaketi.
Until recently, there was only one Palm Paradise hotel on the shore and several dozen eco-friendly boars made of wood, and a little further from the shore a couple more small hotels. But in the fall of 2015, a luxurious 5 * Anantara hotel was opened in Goiambokka, thanks to which it is now possible to comfortably relax in an almost wild bay.
What should a tourist do in Tangalle?
The best thing to do in Tangalle is to sit on one of the endless beaches and indulge in thought, dreams, meditation, reading. This resort is intended for those who want to stay in seclusion - there are no nightclubs and various entertainment programs.
Well, if such a vacation seems too boring, you can see the cultural and historical sights - although in small numbers, they are still there.
Mulkirigala Buddhist TempleThe most famous attraction is the Mulkirigala Buddhist temple, located on a cliff 200 m above sea level. Legends say that this rock was chosen at the direction of the ancient Vedas. Mulkirigala Temple is a whole complex of 5 terraces and 7 caves with Buddha statues located in them. The walls of this building are painted with colorful frescoes.
The temple is well shown in the video at the bottom of the page.
Lagoon RekavaThere is a wonderful lagoon in Tangalle - it can be clearly seen from the beach, you can see herons standing on the sand, and resting in the warm waters of buffaloes. If you want, you can arrange boating on this lagoon - this service is offered in all hotels. If you're lucky, you can even see crocodiles during a walk. Lizards and peacocks are also found.
Whale watchingSince the continental shelf came close to the southern coast of the island, the deep coastal waters of the Indian Ocean have become the best place to feed whales during their migration, which lasts from November to April. To admire these huge mammals, you can go for a boat ride. Such walks by sea are organized from almost all city hotels.
Kalametiyya Bird SanctuaryEast of Tangalle, approximately 20–25 km away, is the unique Kalametiyya Bird Sanctuary. This natural park covers an area of 2500 hectares, and among the mangroves there are 180 species of birds.
The endangered species includes the Ceylon jungle chicken - it lives only in Sri Lanka, which was the main reason for declaring it a national bird.
Yala National Natural Park70 km from Tangalle is the Yala National Park, a safari for which is organized in almost all hotels in the city. We are talking about a jeep ride, which makes a powerful impression on almost all tourists due to the fact that it is possible to see many animals in the wild.
Weather and climate Tangalle
As in all other resorts in the southern and western part of Sri Lanka, in Tangalle, the weather is best for relaxing from November to April.
The air temperature here remains almost the same throughout the year - around +30 ° C - only because of the clouds during the off-season it can be a little cooler. Water in the ocean also has approximately the same temperature: + 24-28 ° C.
Find out RATES or book any accommodation using this formIn the low season, many days are cloudy and rainy, and the waves on the ocean are even higher than usual.
How to get to Tangalle
The transport connection is well developed, and Tangalle bus goes from different directions.
From colomboAn express bus leaves the Bandaranaike airport at 8:30 and 14:30 on the Negombo - Matara flight, and it takes 4 hours to reach Tangalle. At other times, you will have to go to Colombo by regular or express bus (the journey takes 40-60 minutes), and change to another flight to Colombo.
From Colombo bus station to Tangale, you can go by bus 32/4, or you need to go to Mattara, and then make a transfer. You can get to Matara in 2.5 hours by express bus or bus number 2.
Compare accommodation prices using this form
From Matara bus station to Tangale in just 1 hour can be reached by bus 333/4. You can also take the 334/1 Matara - Tissa bus.
From galleFrom the Galle bus station there is a 32/9 bus, the journey time is 2.5 hours. A 32/4 bus coming from Colombo is also suitable.
Schedule and prices on the page are for March 2018.
From the mountain regions of Sri LankaFrom Ella You need to go to the Tangalle bus station for 5-6 hours. Any flights to Vellawaya passing through Ella will do, and from there every 20 minutes buses leave for Matara. You can take the passing buses 31/1 Nuwara Eliya - Matara, 31 Bandaravela - Matara.
Note: Ella City - mountains, waterfalls and tea plantations.
From Nuwara Eliya Tangalle Sri Lanka can be reached by bus 31/1 Nuwara Eliya - Matara, flights are 2 times a day, travel time is 6-7 hours. You can also go to Colombo, and from there get to the Tangalle bus station.
The beaches and attractions of Tangalle are marked on the map in Russian.