The town of Tangalle (Sri Lanka) is located on the southern coast, in the province of Hambontota. Tangalle, one of the largest population centers in the province, is 240 km from Bandaranaike International Airport and 200 km from Colombo, the unofficial capital of the state.
Tangalle is considered one of the most beautiful resorts in Sri Lanka. In Sinhala, the name of the city means “made of rock”, which indicates the rocks that form the local coastline.
The entire resort coast is dotted with small coves, where coconut palms grow on the banks, and in the main bay there is a fishing port.
Tangalle Beaches
Tangalle beaches are different from other beaches on the island – they are especially beautiful, clean, and deserted. But swimming in the ocean is difficult (sometimes impossible), as the coast itself has a large depth and strong waves. In order not to depend on the ocean for swimming, you can stay in a hotel that has a swimming pool on its territory.
Tangalle beach area consists of several beaches with different atmosphere and infrastructure.
Medaketi Beach
The length of the beach is 2 km, suitable for the very borders of the town of Tangalle. It originates from the Kirama Oya Lagoon and extends to the north, and south of the lagoon is a fishing harbor. This beach almost always has high waves, but there are several stone breakwaters where you can swim.
Medaketi is one of the beaches where the infrastructure for tourists was created first of all. Now everything here is built up with inexpensive guesthouses and restaurants.
Medilla Beach
Further beyond Medaketi is Medilla Beach, which extends even further north. Medilla is a wide and clean mountain strip, framed on one side by the ocean and on the other by a lagoon. This is a beach with an even more peaceful atmosphere than Medaketi: it is far from inexpensive guesthouses, there are only a couple of hotels here, there are bars.
Rekawa Beach
It is located along the Rekawa Lagoon and reaches the borders of the Kalametiya Nature Reserve. On this territory, the infrastructure is only for tourists, there are a lot of really good hotels. It’s a long way to get from Rekava to Tangalle every day, unless you can rent a motorbike.
Parevella Beach
This is already the opposite direction from the starting point, from Medaketi. Parevella is also adjacent to the fishing harbor, but it is located to the south of Karima Oya. There is nothing remarkable here: this is an ordinary modest beach for the local population.
Goyambokke
Even further away, 7 km from Tangalle, is Goiambokke Beach – a small but extremely beautiful bay. The entrance to the water here is gentle and comfortable, the sand is soft. There are few tourists on the beach, and the garbage is cleaned regularly.
You can swim here almost all year round, as the waves are much smaller than on Medaketiya.
Until recently, there was only one Palm Paradise hotel and several dozen eco-boars made of wood on the shore, and a couple of small hotels a little further from the shore. But in the fall of 2015, the luxury 5*Anantara Hotel was opened on Goyambokka, so now you can relax comfortably in an almost wild bay. From other infrastructure facilities, there are several modest cafes where you can have a snack at affordable prices.
What can a tourist do in Tangalle?
The best thing to do in Tangalle is to sit on one of the endless beaches and indulge in thoughts, dreams, meditations, reading. This resort is designed for those who want to be alone – there are no night clubs and various entertainment programs.
Well, if such a holiday seems too boring, you can see cultural and historical attractions-although in small numbers, they are still there.
Mulkirigala Buddhist Temple
The most famous attraction is the Buddhist temple of Mulkirigala, located on a separate cliff 200 m above sea level. Legends say that this rock was chosen according to the instructions of the ancient Vedas. Mulkirigala Temple is a complex of 5 terraces and 7 caves with Buddha statues located in them. The walls of this building are painted with colorful historical and religious frescoes. From the top of the mountain, you can enjoy views of the densely green surroundings.
The temple is located 17 km north of the city. You can reach it by bike or tuk-tuk (1500-2000 rupees) in 30-40 minutes. There are 533 steps leading up to the top of the monastery. Wear comfortable shoes and take water with you when going to the sights. Before entering the temple itself, you will need to take off your shoes.
The cost of a visit is Rs 500.
Rekawa Lagoon
There is a wonderful lagoon in Tangalle – it is clearly visible from the beach, you can see both herons standing on the sand and buffaloes resting in warm waters. If you want, you can arrange a boat ride along this lagoon – this service is offered in all hotels. If you are lucky, you can even see crocodiles during the walk. Monitor lizards and peacocks are also found.
Whale watching
Since 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 for whales to feed during their migration, which lasts from November to April. To admire these huge mammals, you can go for a boat ride. Such trips by sea are organized from almost all city hotels.
Kalametiya Bird Sanctuary
To the east of Tangalle, approximately 20-25 km away, is the unique Kalametiya Bird Sanctuary. This natural park covers an area of 2,500 hectares, and 180 species of birds live among the mangroves.
The Ceylon jungle chicken is an endangered species-it lives only in Sri Lanka, which was the main reason for declaring it a national bird.
Yala National Nature Park
Yala National Park is 70 km from Tangalle, and safari tours are organized in almost all hotels in the city. We are talking about a jeep ride that makes a powerful impression on almost all tourists due to the fact that you can see many animals in the wild.
Tangalle weather and climate
As with all other resorts in the southern and western parts of Sri Lanka, the weather in Tangalle is best suited for holidays from November to April.
The air temperature here is almost the same throughout the year – about +30 °C-only because of clouds in the off-season it can be a little cooler. The water in the ocean also has approximately the same temperature: +24-28 °C.
During 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
Transport links are quite well developed, and Tangalle bus station is served by transport from different directions.
From Colombo
Bandaranaike Airport is served by a 14: 30 Negombo-Matara Express bus, which 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 Colombo on another flight.
You can take the 32/4 bus from Colombo Bus Station to Tangale, or you can go to Matara and then change trains. Matara is a 2.5-hour express bus ride from Bastian Mawatha Bus Station.
Bus # 2 takes 6 hours to get there, as it follows the old highway.
The most convenient, but also the most expensive way to get to Tanngale is to order a taxi. Approximately the service will cost$125-150.
From Matara
Tangale can be reached from Matara Bus Station in just 1 hour by bus 333/4. You can also take the 334/1 Matara – Tissa bus.
From Galle
From the bus station of the administrative center of Galle, there is a bus 32/9, the journey time is 2.5 hours. The 32/4 bus from Colombo is also suitable.
From the mountainous regions of Sri Lanka
It takes 5-6 hours to get from Ella to Tangalle bus station. Any flights to Vellawaya passing through Ella will do, and from there there are buses to Matara every 20 minutes. You can take the passing buses 31/1 Nuwara-Eliya – Matara, 31 Bandarawela – Matara.
From Nuwara Eliya to Tangalle Sri Lanka, you can take the 31/1 Nuwara Eliya Matara bus, there are 2 flights a day, the trip time is 6-7 hours. You can also go to Colombo, and from there get to Tangalle bus station.
