Bentota

Location: Bentota is located 64km south of Colombo in the South-western coastal belt of Sri Lanka.

Reaching Bentota: Bentota can be reached Colombo-Galle main road (A2) as well as by Colombo-Galle-Matara Southern railway line.

Bentota town: Just across the Bentota Bridge over the River Bentara is the coastal town of Bentota. The whole region is well sheltered with trees of all shades of green.

Bentota National Holiday Resort Complex: Bentota National Holiday Resort Complex occupies the prime land of Bentota: the strip of land between the Galle Road and the Colombo-Galle-Matara railway track that runs right behind the Bentota beach.

Bentota estuary: On the northern end of the Resort is the Bentota estuary formed by the broad Bentara River that flows into the Indian Ocean.

Bentota Bay Beach: At the northern end of the beach, is the estuary called "Paradise Island". At the southern end is the palm fringed pristine broad beach. Sri Lanka's most popular beach affords all the opportunities to the tourists to enjoy with swimming, surfing and a range of water sports.

River Bentara at Bentota: River Bentara, the legendary river at Bentota flows into the Indian Ocean forming a lagoon at the last section of the river. River Bentara set up the widest array of water sports among all the beach resorts of Sri Lanka.

Hotels at Bentota Bay Beach: The estuary at Bentota and the mainland is replete with international class hotels and boutique hotels providing the tourists all sorts of water sports at the beach, lagoon and river.

Shopping at Bentota: Bentota town as well as the Shopping Arcade located within the Bentota National Holiday Resort Complex are studded with an array of shops that enthusiastically engage in trading a wide variety of stuff: Batik, traditional masks and handicrafts, hats and clothes, brassware and wooden ornaments, semi-precious and precious gems of Sri Lanka are at the front line.

Excursions from Bentota

Induruwa: Induruwa located immediately south of Bentota with its offshore reef is another safe swimming beach.

Kosgoda: Kosgoda located 8km south of Induruwa is the most famous sea turtle hatching site along the western coastal belt. A community based turtle hatchery and turtle watching scheme are set up at Kosgoda by the Turtle Conservation Project (TCP) in association with Wildlife Department of Sri Lanka.

Madu Ganga river: Balapitiya located 8km south of Kosgoda is the launching spot of boat safaris along the Madu Ganga River. No fewer than 64 miniscule islands are strung along the extent of the river close to Balapitya. The safari affords the opportunity to enjoy the rich birdlife of the river.

Galapatha Buddhist Temple: Bentota is home to legendary temples too. The historic Galapatha Raja Maha Vihare (royal patronage temple) contains stone inscriptions, stone carvings, pillars, ponds and troughs from the medieval period.

Brief Garden: Brief Garden, 11km inland from Bentota, is magnificent eco park set up in 5 acre Garden. The nook, crannies and bowers of the garden in its shades of green and sculptu