Sri Lanka's West Coast

Lined by a string of fine beaches, along with tourist amenities of every conceivable standard and style, Sri Lanka’s west coast shows the island at its most developed, its most Westernised, and its most tourist-oriented.

Hub of Sri Lanka's tourist industry

A string of fine beaches, backed by hundreds of hotels and guesthouses of all sizes and standards, dot the coast from Negombo in the north to Hikkaduwa in the south. Despite increasing development in other parts of the island, the large resort hotels of Negombo, Kalutara, Beruwala and Bentota continue to serve as the main engine of the island’s substantial package-tourist industry, offering two-week stays to sun-starved European visitors, particularly during the northern winter.

West coast development

Development along the coast has been unplanned, uncontrolled and, in some places at least, decidedly unappealing – although even budget resorts like Hikkaduwa and Negombo have recently smartened up their acts, and almost all the massive damage from the 2004 tsunami has now been repaired. And yet despite the crassness of some parts of the coastal development, there is still much to savour along the west coast, and places that still justify the words of the late Arthur C. Clarke, once Sri Lanka’s most celebrated foreign resident, who described the coast thus; “And always it is the same; the slender palm trees leaning over the white sand, the warm sun sparkling on the waves as they break on the inshore reef, the outrigger fishing boats drawn up high on the beach. This alone is real; the rest is but a dream from which I shall presently awake.”

Places to visit on Sri Lanka's West Coast

Colombo

Under its crowded and chaotic surface lies a rewarding capital city. Read more about Colombo...

Bentota

South of Beruwala, its twin resort, Bentota, offers another superb swathe of golden sand and a further string of resort hotels – although development here has been more muted than at Beruwala, with hotels laid out at discreet intervals along the beach and a far more relaxed and hassle-free atmosphere. Bentota is also the water sports capital of the island; backing the beach, the calm waters of the Bentota Lagoon and river offer the ideal setting for myriad activities. It’s also possible to arrange interesting boat rides up the river, exploring the Bentota Ganga’s tangled waterways, mangrove swamps and marine life.

Lunuganga

Further inland up the Bentota River lies the magical country estate of Lunuganga. Lunuganga was the life’s work of the celebrated architect Geoffrey Bawa, who acquired the former rubber plantation and its bungalow in 1948 and spent the next half century landscaping the grounds and adding a sequence of engaging new buildings to it – a fascinating snapshot of his architectural career in miniature. The gardens ramble over two small hills, flanked by the waters of Dedduwa Lake, with artfully contrived terraces dotted with strategically placed artworks, opening up at moments to reveal carefully planned vistas over the surrounding countryside. The original bungalow itself was systematically adapted and expanded, while Bawa added a number of new outbuildings, ranging from the diminutive “Hen House”, constructed during the 1970s, to the beautiful Cinnamon Hill House of 1992.

Brief Garden

About 16km (10 miles) inland from Bentota

There was nothing remotely brief about Brief, which was a lifetime’s work for its creator, the landscape artist, sculptor and bon vivant Bevis Bawa (elder brother of architect Geoffrey Bawa). Brief got its name because Bawa’s barrister father bought the land with money from a successful legal brief. Bevis Bawa cleared the surrounding rubber plantation and went on to create a verdant romantic folly of inviting alcoves, nooks and bowers. The house is even more appealing, a beautiful colonial villa stuffed full of miscellaneous artefacts and artworks as well as assorted mementoes of Bevis Bawa’s life and times.

Ambalangoda

Ambalangoda is most famous as the centre of the island’s mask carvers, those responsible for the luridly painted images of demons and other figures which were originally used in performances of southern kolam and exorcism dances, and have now found new life as tourist souvenirs. Two mask museums stand opposite one another at the northern end of town. The larger and more interesting of the two is the Ariyapala and Sons Mask Museum, which has fascinating displays explaining the meanings and traditions behind the masks. The shop above has a huge selection of masks and woodcarvings, and you can also watch carvers at work in the attached workshop. 

Where to go from Sri Lanka's West Coast...

Visit Kandy, an easy drive from most West Coast resorts

Meet pachyderms at Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage

Kick back on one of our recommended top five beaches