South Coast

Curling surf, palm forests, sundowners on the ramparts.

What defines the South Coast.

Sri Lanka's most loved coastline runs from the Dutch ramparts of Galle through surf towns, turtle beaches and stilt-fisher villages. Warm, walkable and easy to combine with the hills and the wilderness parks inland.

November – April (south-west dry season)
Best time: 7
Main regions: 43
Landmarks

Every corner of the South Coast.

Explore the South Coast.

Browse the regions that make up this theme. Pick a place to see it come alive, then wander into the one that calls you.

Galle

A walled Dutch fort town facing the Indian Ocean.

Galle Fort is the most atmospheric town on the south coast — a compact peninsula of Dutch-colonial mansions, churches and cobbled lanes wrapped in sea-battered ramparts first built by the Portuguese and greatly extended by the Dutch in the seventeenth century. A UNESCO World Heritage site, it is the best-preserved colonial sea fortress in South Asia, and inside the walls boutique hotels, cafés, galleries and gem dealers fill the restored merchant houses. The lighthouse, the old gate, the bastions and the rampart walk are the set pieces, but Galle's real pleasure is simply wandering its quiet, palm-shaded streets as the town turns out to walk the walls at golden hour. It is also the launch point for the wider south coast, with surf, whales and beaches all within a short drive.

Explore Galle