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• |
Walk the
ramparts of Galle old town
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| • |
Visit Galle’s
museums and arts and craft shops |
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• |
Seek out the elephants
at Uda Walawe game park |
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• |
Go jungle trekking
at Sinharajah rain forest
|
|
• |
Loll on the beach,
or swim, surf or scuba, at the beautiful
horseshoe beach of Unawatuna. |
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• |
Go sea fishing |
• |
Do volunteer work after the tsunami |
• |
Support turtle conservation projects |
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• |
Party in Hikkaduwa’s beach bars
– the most youthful spot on the coast
is 20 minutes away. |
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Galle has always been one of Sri Lanka's most historic
towns, the gateway to the seductive sandy coves of the
deep south. Now its appeal is growing apace.
Inside the 16C Dutch walls, which spared the fortified
old town from the worst ravages of the tsunami, one of
Sri Lanka’s most historic areas is getting a makeover.
Ancient properties inside the Dutch fort are being tastefully
converted into splendid villas and hotels, craft shops
and tiny coffees shops are opening, artists are replacing
con-artists, and the occasional writer pounds the harbour
walls in search of inspiration.
Galle - nominally Sri Lanka's fourth largest city, but
with a population of less than 100,000 – has a historic
quarter of which it can once more be proud. The feel of
Galle is artistic and imaginative, but not cheap and chatty.
This is truly is a town on the up.
The town was reputedly named by Portugese sailors, who
heard the crowing of cockerels -- "galo'' in Portugese
- as they sheltered in its natural harbour. Now, 500 years
later, the harbour is increasingly busy, and this is a
town crowing with confidence about the future.
Galle is well placed as a base to visit Sinharajah rain
forest and Uda Walawe game park. Its cricket ground, overlooked
by the ramparts, brings cricket fans from around the world.
If the west coast attracts the bulk of Sri Lanka's holiday
trade, the south-west coast has a subtler, more escapist
feel. It is blessed with a variety of stunning cove-like
beaches that cater to all tastes and interests, from those
wanting to laze quietly under a palm tree to those wanting
to swim, surf and scuba. The seas look particularly inviting
– although you need to check out the safe areas.
That popularity will increase once the new Southern highway
slashes the journey time from Colombo by half, although
the government has promised to control commercial development.
The seas look particularly inviting here, but they can
be rough and unsafe for swimming during the off-season.
Unawatuna, a couple of miles along the south coast from
Galle, offers a gloriously wide, curving bay, peppered
by a rash of guesthouses and beachfront cafes. The sea
is generally calm and safe and the thin beach is backed
by lush tropical vegetation. The reef shelters more fish
than the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and all efforts
to set up a reef sanctuary should be greatly encouraged.
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