Sri Lanka travel Forum

Matara
Hikkaduwa Beach © Sri Lanka Tourist Board
Matara is the largest town on Sri Lanka's popular south coast, and the end of the railway line from Colombo. Today it is a quiet town, but in past centuries was a thriving port central to the spice and gem trade with the East and Holland.

Matara was originally established on a narrow peninsula in the estuary of the Nilwala River, which was fortified by the Dutch. The original walls still stand, containing some rather dilapidated old buildings dating from the Dutch colonial era. The town also contains a number of beautiful temples, including the enormous Buddha of the Weherahena Temple; and the oldest and most beautiful lighthouse in Sri Lanka, located at Point Dondra.

Matara was severely damaged by the 2004 tsunami, however the city is still bustling and there are plenty of interesting markets and shops, as well as some good restaurants.

Matara is scenically attractive, surrounded by paddy fields and tea estates on the fertile river floodplain. The area also boasts some sandy, safe beaches with coral reefs good for snorkelling (although hungry crocodiles mean swimmers should stay out of the Nilwala River). These assets have ensured that the town is a popular tourist destination removed from the trouble spots in the north of the island, where civil unrest remains a threat.




Attractions

Hikkaduwa Beach © Sri Lanka Tourist Board

Beaches

The southern beaches of Sri Lanka are the most popular for tourists, the main season extending from October to April when the monsoon has moved on and the sea is calm and tranquil under bright blue skies. Bentota is one of the loveliest...  see full details



Galle © hashmil

Galle

The port town of Galle, about 60 miles (100km) south of Colombo and a short distance west of Matara, is steeped in the heritage of the Dutch presence in Sri Lanka, dominated by the 36-hectare (89-acre) Dutch Fort, built in 1663, with its...  see full details



Matara Fort © Explore Lanka

Star Fort

During their occupation of Sri Lanka the Dutch built a small outpost fort on the north bank of the Nilwala estuary at Matara in the form of a five-pointed star, in order to guard the river crossing. The fort, dating from 1763, now...  see full details



Laughing Buddha © suchitra prints

Wewurukannala Temple

Not all Buddhist temples are ancient, nor are they all conservative affairs. The colourful, somewhat garish, modern Wewurukannala Temple at Dikwella village near Matara is quite an eyeful, featuring hundreds of brightly painted and gilded models depicting scenes from the life of Buddha, and...  see full details



Elephant in Yala

Yala National Park

Elephants are the most often-spotted inhabitants of the vast Yala National Park in the southeast of Sri Lanka, east of Matara, but they share the reserve with 130 different species of birds and other creatures like sambhur, spotted deer, sloths, crocodiles, monkeys, wild boar...  see full details



Events

Books © Paull Young

Galle Literary Festival

The Galle Literary Festival allows visitors the opportunity to appreciate the works of Sri Lankan and international authors, take part in literary discussions and enjoy other activities. Set in and around the UNESCO World Heritage city of Galle, writers from around the country and the...  see full details


Sri Lanka travel Forum
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