Unawatuna
Unawatuna is a coastal town in Galle district of Sri Lanka.
Unawatuna is a coastal town in Galle district of Sri Lanka. Unawatuna is a major tourist attraction in Sri Lanka and known for its beach and corals. It is a suburb of Galle, about five kilometres southeast of the city center and approximately 108 kilometres (67 mi) south of Colombo. Unawatuna is situated at an elevation of 5 metres (16 ft) above sea level. Despite significant development in the last decade it is still home to the endangered and endemic purple-faced langur, an unusually shy monkey species only found in Sri Lanka's forests.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around Unawatuna
10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.
- 01Galle Fort
Galle Fort, in the Bay of Galle on the southwest coast of Sri Lanka, was built first in 1588 by the Portuguese, then extensively fortified by the Dutch during the 17th century from 1649 onwards. It is a historical, archaeological and architectural heritage monument, which even after more than 437 years maintains a polished appearance, due to extensive reconstruction work done by the Archaeological Department of Sri Lanka.
4 km · historic military fortress in Sri Lanka · Wikipedia - 02Roman Catholic Diocese of Galle
The Diocese of Galle is a Latin Catholic diocese of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka. Erected as the Diocese of Galle in 1893, the diocese is suffragan to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Colombo.
4.8 km · diocese of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka · Wikipedia - 03Galle International Stadium
Galle International Stadium is a cricket stadium in Galle, Sri Lanka, situated near Galle Fort and fringed on two sides by the Indian Ocean. It is considered to be one of the most picturesque cricket grounds in the world.
4.3 km · cricket stadium in Sri Lanka · Wikipedia - 04Galle Lighthouse
The Galle Lighthouse is an onshore lighthouse in Galle, Sri Lanka and is operated and maintained by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority. It is Sri Lanka's oldest light station.
3.7 km · lighthouse in Sri Lanka · Wikipedia - 05St. Mary's Cathedral, Galle
The Cathedral of St. Mary, Queen of the Holy Rosary, is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Galle.
4.8 km · Cathedral in Galle, Sri Lanka · Wikipedia - 06National Maritime Museum
The National Maritime Museum or National Maritime Archaeology Museum in Galle, Sri Lanka is situated within Galle Fort. It was first opened to the public on 9 May 1992 and is located in a 1671 Dutch Warehouse above the Old Gate of Galle Fort.
4 km · museum in Galle, Sri Lanka · Wikipedia - 07Meeran Jumma Mosque
The Meeran Jumma Mosque, commonly known as Galle Fort Mosque, is a mosque located within Galle Fort, Southern Province, Sri Lanka.
3.8 km · mosque in Galle, Southern, Sri Lanka · Wikipedia - 08National Museum of Galle
The National Museum of Galle is one of the national museums of Sri Lanka. It is located in the oldest remaining Dutch building in the Galle fort, Galle, a single storey colonnaded Dutch building built in 1656 as the commissariat store for the Dutch garrison at the fort.
4.1 km · museum in Galle, Sri Lanka · Wikipedia - 09Galle Fort Hotel
The Galle Fort Hotel in Sri Lanka is a 12-room boutique hotel, situated inside Galle Fort, Galle. The building was originally constructed in the 17th century, during the Dutch colonial period, as a private dwelling.
4 km · building in Galle, Sri Lanka · Wikipedia - 10Groote Kerk, Galle
The Groote Kerk or Dutch Reformed Church is located within the Galle Fort in Galle, Sri Lanka and is situated near the entrance to the fort. The church was built by the Dutch in 1755 and is one of the oldest Protestant churches still in use in the country.
4.1 km · church building in Galle, Sri Lanka · Wikipedia
Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What Wikivoyage says to see
- 01Japanese Peace Pagoda
A gift from the Japanese, this amazing pagoda is well worth a visit.
- 02Jungle Beach
This is the best place in the area for snorkelling, with easy access to the water and a sheltered bay from the stronger waves and currents in Unawatuna.
- 03Turtle Hatchery
A hatchery run just off the beach to conserve turtle eggs laid on the wide long beach stretching all the way to the hotels in Koggala.
- 04Yatagala Raja Maha Viharaya
Yatagala Unawatuna (turn off at Eramudugaha junction),.
- 05Handunugoda Tea Estate
The world's only producer of Virgin White Tea.
From Wikivoyage: Unawatuna, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Things to do
- 01Sea Horse Divers
One of the many diving centres on the Unawatuna beach, good instructors, possibility to dive for people without license with a discovery dive.
- 02Unawatuna
From the middle of the beach (Unawatuna Beach Resort area) it is safe to swim to the rock island, however climbing the rock island might be dangerous and is not recommended.
- 03Mihirripenna
Leaving the tourist area, walk along the main road towards Unawatuna town then take a right up the road next to the Unawatuna Tea Room.
From Wikivoyage: Unawatuna, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
In Unawatuna most guest houses have their own restaurant business. All over the beach and inside Unawatuna town you will find places to eat delicious seafood, rice and curry, vegetarian menus, roti, Italian food, etc.
- 01South Ceylon Restaurant
Wonderful service, reasonably priced organic food.
- 02Peacock
Comfortable place with affordable food and the best sea views.
From Wikivoyage: Unawatuna, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Unawatuna
- Airports
- Colombo Ratmalana (RML), 98 km · Bandaranaike International Colombo (CMB), 136 km
- Stations
- Galle Harbour, 4.6 km · Galle Railway Station, 4.6 km
- Colombo → Unawatuna111 km · quickest by road, 2h 39m · Rs1,160–1,550
- Jaffna → Unawatuna406 km · quickest by road, 10h 39m · Rs4,720–6,300
- Thiruvananthapuram → Unawatuna456 km · quickest by air, 9h 1m · ₹16,110–24,560
- Plan a tripFrom anywhereThe planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.
No local-transport research exists yet for Unawatuna
Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Unawatuna. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Get inFrom the Colombo Fort station, catch train bound for Matara (with ocean-view) and jump off in Galle (travel times 2-3 hours, tickets Rs 220 2nd class / Rs 120 3rd class) and take either a tuk-tuk (Rs 300-400) or local bus (Rs 15) from Galle to Unawatuna.
- Get aroundThe easiest way to get around is by tuk-tuk.
- Get aroundDay trips to Dutch Fortress in Galle (Rs 200 one-way), Martin Wickremasinghe Museum in Koggala, Hikkaduwa (Rs 1,000 one-way), Mirissa (Rs 900 one-way), Ahangama can be fun on a tuk-tuk.
- Get aroundTuk-tuks are sometimes metered, but if it isn't metered, aim for Rs 60-75 per km.
- Get aroundFrom here you can get buses onto Colombo (bus, luxury-AC minibus (approx.
From Wikivoyage: Unawatuna, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-03.
- 01130 km
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If you know how people move in Unawatuna – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.
Next door to Unawatuna
- Gallecity in Southern Province, Sri Lanka4.4 km
- Kalahevillage in Southern Province, Sri Lanka1.3 km
- Heenatigalavillage in Central Province, Sri Lanka1.3 km