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Things to Do in Hambantota

Located towards the south of Sri Lanka, Hambantota is a well known biodiversity hotspot. The city was completely destroyed by tsunami in 2004, but now it is growing up to be the 2nd major city in Sri Lanka after Colombo. Hambantota boasts of various wildlife sanctuaries and national parks with a lot of colourful and vibrant animals. Hambantota is also famous for being a home to various heritage sites like Buddhist temples and stupas. It has the largest national park of Sri Lanka- Yala National Park which has got two holy places of Sithulpahua and Magul Vihara in its complex. Hambantota is well-known among travellers for its salt flats and intensely hot arid zone climate. With all encompassing sandy beaches on the side, it is a convenient base city for tourists exploring the nearby places. There are a plethora of things to do in Hambantota which you can indulge in while you are here. Known as a vibrant destination for party animals, there are various places in Hambantota to enjoy the nightlife in Sri Lanka. For foodies, there is an immense variety of mouth watering dishes where you get to choose from a variety of sea foods like crabs, lobsters, etc.

If you are a shopaholic, you will get a lot of junk jewellery, fancy showpieces, shells, etc. to buy from the street markets. To find some rare birds take a tour of Kalametiya Bird Sanctuary and see elephants and crocodiles in Buldana National Park. For adventure aficionados, a jeep safari is not something that should be missed. If you are planning to visit Sri Lanka in the near future add a trip to Hambantota to your itinerary and experience a blissful vacation. Enjoy a holiday in the lap of nature with a visit here by checking out our handpicked selection of best things to do in Hambantota.

Kumana National Park

An unventured area to watch the beauty of wildlife and bird life, Kumana National Park or Yala East National Park is a great place of natural beauty. Spreading over an area of 35,664 hectares Kumana National Park have around 20 lagoons and reservoirs to sustain wide variety of bird life with over 200 species of birds including migratory and endemic.

Kumana Villu, a mangrove swamp is sporadically flooded by sea water and supports varied bird activities. A number of threatened reptile species can also be spotted in the park. It also shelters some of the mammals from neighboring Yala National Park.

Best for: Bird watching around the lagoons and tanks.

Location: Ampara district. 391 Km away from Colombo

Best time to visit: April to July.

Price: Full Day Safari price is LKR 12,000 per jeep. Ticket price is LKR 2,000/LKR 1,000 per adult/child.

Timing: Full Day Safari 5.30am to 06.00pm

Bundala National Park

Home to a number of vibrant and colourful birds, the Bundala National Park in Sri Lanka is one of the favourite destinations for bird watchers all around the world. The park spans across an area of 6216 hectare within which it shelters around 200 different bird species out of which more than 50 are migratory bird species.

The topography is an amazing combination of scrubs, marshes, lagoons and sand dunes. Almost every species of water birds can be found in the park most of which are attracted to the lagoons.

Best for: Watching wide assortment of bird species and their activities around the four lagoons.

Location: 251 Km from Colombo

Best time to visit: September to March.

Price: Morning & Evening Safari price is LKR 7,000 per jeep. Ticket price is LKR 2,000/LKR 1,000 per adult/child.

Timing: Morning Safari from 5.30am to 09.30am and Evening Safari from 2.30pm to 06.00pm.

Tangalle Beach

A perfect remedy for your wintertime blues- Tangalle Beach, which showcases a wide stretch of sandy beaches. The turquoise water complemented with the lined palm trees and soft sand is what makes the Tangalle beach the ideal place to be in. The beach,located 160kms south of Colombo also offers some of the most beautiful and breath-taking sunsets which makes it the perfect place to sit by and relax.

If you dig a little deeper into the history of the Tangalle beach you will find that this beach was a small fishing village. Fishing, hence became the primary source of livelihood. The waves can be a bit violent which is why it is not considered an ideal place for swimming.

Highlights: There are some off shore reefs along the North West tip of the peninsula which is one of the finest diving sites. You can indulge in snorkelling which will be both adventurous and exciting.

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Hambantota Things To Do Reviews

Vasudev Singh

Reviewed: 08 Jul 2019

4.0/5

Booked:Yala Safari Day Tour

Enjoyed a thrilling wildlife adventure safari tour in Yala National Park, which has the highest density of Leopards including Sloths bears & elephants.