Reasons to Visit Tangalle – Attractions that Made Tangalle Famous

It's easier to hire a vehicle and let a driver take care of the journey. You can, of course, use the public transport system, but it's going to wear you off senseless.

Being a tourist destination, there are many accommodation options strewn all over town. From Sri Lanka luxury resorts which includes the likes of Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle Resort to budget hotels, Tangalle is wrought with accommodation options.

Despite being the home to a busy market and a fishing harbour, the town has a quaint, peaceful air to it. Beaches there are known to be calm and free of commotion. A few beaches you'd find to your liking are Rekawa, Goyambokka, Marakolliya, Medaketiya.

Being a coastal town, Tangalle offers its visitors a range of watersports. The most popular are swimming, surfing, snorkelling and diving. These activities are available in the villages Mawella, Medilla, Seenimodara, Pallikaduww.

One other thing Tangalle is famous for is turtle watching. Situated 10km away from the town are Rekawa and Kahandamodara beaches which are known for turtle watching. The best time for the spectacle is the period between April and September – turtles trudge up to the beach at night to lay eggs, you can also see baby turtles flapping their way into the ocean.

The best thing about Tangalle is seafood. At every restaurant and every roadside stall, you'll find delicious bits of Sri Lankan cuisine which revolves around seafood. Your guide will – if you are with a guide that is – recommend you the best spots for you to have seafood, or you can always talk to a passerby.

Tangalle boasts the synthesis of beaches and wildlife. The town offers you a beeline to some of the most popular national parks in the country. You can easily access Yala National Park, which is famous for sloths and leopards. If you want to see elephants, Udawalawe National Park is a mere hour away. To see flamingos, you have to drive about 40 minutes to Bundala National Park.

The ancient Buddhist temple has history shining upon it. The temple is built on a rock which earned it the name punchi Sigiriya. Though it is not that popular with the locals, it is said that this particular rock is older than Lions Rock. If you decide to visit the temple, you'll be presented with great architecture, sculptures and paintings.

The sanctuary was established in 1984, Kalametiya Bird Sanctuary is one of the oldest in Sri Lanka. Visitors can see over 150 species of birds including over 50 migratory birds.

After all the excursions you've had, you might want to rejuvenate all that energy you've spent. If yoga is what you have in mind, you can find a centre in Medaketiya.