Location: Tangalle
Top Things to do in Tangalle
Top Restaurants in Tangalle
9 Nature & Wildlife Areas in Tangalle That You Shouldn't Miss
Tangalle (Sinhala තංගල්ල [ˈtaŋɡalːə], Tamil: தங்கல்லை) (also known as Tangalla) is a large town in Hambantota District, Southern Province, Sri Lanka, governed by an Urban Council. It is one of the largest towns in southern province. It is located 195 km (121 mi) south of Colombo and 35 km (22 mi) east of Matara. It has a mild climate, in comparison to the rest of the district, and sandy beaches.
Restaurants in Tangalle
1. Ashram Sri Lanka - Sri Lanka itinerary
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 47 reviews
At Ashram Sri Lanka, our tranquil retreat is more in-line with the Ashrams of the past. We offer simplicity. We offer a clean and peaceful space. Our Ashram is nestled in a beautiful environment, surrounded by nature in all its magnificence, with fields of greenery and flowers that envelop the senses. We share in nature’s space. We nurture our environment and show it compassion. We believe that our oneness with ourselves and our shared environment ultimately connects to the larger universe and beyond. A retreat with us will provide you with the time and space you need for introspection, reflection, contemplation and meditation. The ultimate aim of meditation is to seek freedom from the wheel of ‘sansara’ – the cycle of birth and death. Even though it is a difficult task, it can be obtained through effort and dedication. And if one aspires to achieve spiritual growth and its benefits through serious meditation Ashram Sir Lanka is the place for you.
Reviewed By Clavetteur - Marlow, United Kingdom
I had misgivings about booking a tour guide and driver for 20 days, but Sam's outstanding feedback here, and his very reasonable price tipped the balance. I'm happy to say it was a good decision. Sam has a thorough knowledge of great places to visit, and was always ready to adapt plans to suit us. He is also a very interesting person who makes new friends constantly, and who dedicates much effort and money to providing drinking water filters to disadvantaged families. At one point my wife said that I should try to find a Sam in each country we visit, but of course he is a one-off. Sam likes to show Sri Lanka as it is, and how the local people live. So lunch would often be typical Sri Lankan food in a roadside cafe (often rice and curry sauces) eaten with the fingers of the right hand. Unfortunately our stay at the Ashram was spoiled by the booming base sound coming from a three-day party in the local village. But Sam was quite willing to cut short our stay and move on. The Ashram is a place for chilling out and winding down, not suitable if your looking for action. Sri Lanka is a beautiful island with so many things to see and do. With hindsight, we would have liked more than two nights in Eliya, and would probably give Colombo a miss. Thank you to Sam for helping us fall in love with Sri Lanka.
2. Kalametiya Bird Watching & Ecotourism
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 91 reviews
Kalametiya is a coastal wetland area that has an especially rich bio-diversity and is situated on the picturesque southeastern coast of sri Lanka. In the year 2008, Mr. KTH Gayan Geeth started a first Eco-friendly bird watching boat tour in Kalametiya Birds Sanctuary. Our love of the great outdoors and many years of experience has enabled us to develop some of the most exiting adventure and wildlife trips.
Reviewed By rosieglo
We had a very special couple of hours on this lovely lagoon. We arrived at 8am, although if we could have risen earlier for sunrise it would have been even better. Gayans communication was excellent and he also waited on the road to make sure we didn't get lost. He then guided us to his boat a few minutes off the road, where we got on a small pontoon type boat. Chamila was our guide and he spoke good English and was friendly and knowledgeable. He knew the names of the many birds we saw. We were able to use their binoculars, which was great. If you like nature and want to experience it somewhere quiet and beautiful, I thoroughly recommend it.
3. Mawella Bird Sanctuary Bird Watching
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 11 reviews
"Color is considered the essence of life". Who doesn't like the sight of these natural vibrant colors living before their eyes? Yes, I am talking about the spectacular birds that add cheer to the wilderness in the jungle making it a more wonderful experience for every visitor there.
4. Kalamatiya Bird Sanctuary
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 62 reviews
Reviewed By jeffwS8480OZ
We were staying at Turtle Bay Resort and had an arranged early morning boat trip through the Bird Sanctuary. Our boatman came and met us at the hotel at 6:30 am and it was only a five minute walk to the lakeside. We were blessed with a beautiful bright calm tranquil morning. It was a fabulous way to spend a couple of hours, with just the sound of the water as our boat was being expertly punted through the lagoon, including heavily weeded areas. There were a couple of other boats on the water too but the reserve is large enough that we were on our own for 95% of the time. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable in knowing where the best locations were to see birds and he could identify them easily for us. He was also well prepared with binoculars and the Birds of Sri Lanka Guide book, as well as water and fruit for breakfast. Now my wife and I don't confess to be "twitchers" but we really enjoyed the experience, and counted 33 different species, including eight completely new ones to us. We also saw some black faced monkeys (grey langurs), and most memorable - a newly born water buffalo calf, so young it couldn't yet stand up, and our guide felt it was under 2 hours old. So...we Highly highly recommend Kalamatiya Bird Sanctuary with the guided boat trip. You don't need to know anything about birds to take pleasure in the reserve, and if you venture out early like we did you'll still be back in time for breakfast. .
5. Walawe River Safari
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 14 reviews
The Walawa River Boat Rides popular among locals and tourists will take you through a rich biodiversity area complete with six varieties of mangroves, 52 fish species, 72 bird species, 38 plant varieties and 28 animal species. There are trees that line the river that bats and cranes take shifts in inhabiting! Bats dangle from edges of branches like huge black buckets and cranes move in when the
Reviewed By GHILDAC - Amman, Jordan
We went at 4pm for the sunset boat ride. The trip takes about 1.5 hours and the diversity of species inhabiting the mangroves is stunning. Especially for bird watchers you can certainly spend a much longer time observing them. We saw monkeys, fruit bats and water buffaloes as well. The highlight was the river end where it meets the ocean. Magical! The guide/boat driver is kind and really helpful with the kids as well. Thé coconut drink on the return trip is a nice gesture. Would highly recommend.
6. Birds Research Center & Resort
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 49 reviews
Reviewed By nir0sh - Colombo, Sri Lanka
Birds park and research center is a new addition to tourist attraction list. It is a good collection of exotic and endemic birds. This is a good opportunity to watch colorful birds from other countries. It took about 2 hours to walk around the park and most enjoyable part was feeding birds. This park is well organized park and there are display boards at each cage. Really enjoyed the hours with birds.
7. Agro Technology Park
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 11 reviews
Reviewed By adminmonkey - Brighton, United Kingdom
We visited the agro park as a day trip from Tangalle (about 20 minutes in a tuk tuk) and had an excellent time. There’s an open air canteen to the left of the main entrance which serves a range of tasty snacks and curries for under 100 rupees, and give you a boost before a wander around (bring water with you as there aren’t any shop facilities inside). There are however several toilets. The gardens were a fascinating guide to the crops grown in the area; most had signage in English as well describing the plant (Latin name and local), uses, crop per hectare etc. It was nice to see the spices and herbs we’d eaten so frequently being grown. Some giant termite hills are also dotted around the site. Don’t miss the free “fish therapy” on the way in: step onto the floating platform and lower your feet (if you dare) into the water and a swarm of fish will gather around you and start nibbling. We couldn’t hold our feet in for longer than a few seconds...too tickly!
8. Turtle Watch Rekawa
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 9 reviews
Reviewed By eoinb370 - Dubai, United Arab Emirates
We arrived at about 8.30 on to the centre. Tickets are about 5 euro per person. It will depend on the day how lucky you are. But we got very lucky. We witnessed a green turtle laying her eggs. But also turtle eggs hatching and the baby turtles entering the sea for the first time. The only negative is lots of tourists and some are really annoying with their cameras. I think our group had maybe 30 people. Total time was about 3 hours. Amazing experience. Guides are very nice. You will find yourself standing around in the beginning not knowing what is going on, whilst guides are finding the turtles and getting the torches set up. Such a great experience.
9. Turtle Conservation Project Turtle Watch
Overall Ratings
3.0 based on 585 reviews
Our Turtle Watch was founded by the Turtle Conservation Project (TCP), a NGO that started the nature tourism program in Rekawa. It involves ex turtle egg poachers working as turtle nest protectors and tour guides has won several global awards in the appreciation of services provided to the community, environment, economy, culture and tourism. For more information, visit their (old) website. Since 2010, TCP stopped its activities and handed the conservation & eco-tourism program over to the local community. Our Turtle Watch is nowadays a small scale community-run project by NFR (Nature Friends of Rekawa) and is dedicated to providing a safe and secure nesting environment on one of Sri Lanka's most important turtle beaches. The project employs previous turtle egg-poachers as 'nest protectors' who monitor the beach 24-hours a day to ensure all nests are safe from both natural and human predators. Providing "in situ" nest protection is the most effective form of turtle nest conservation, and will help ensure these wonderful creatures are protected for future generations. What to expect during a Turtle Watch? We will be waiting at our visitor centre (or on the beach) until a turtle is spotted by one of our nest protectors, who are patrolling the beach. They will sign our guide & volunteers. For all information, please visit our website Our project asks a donation of 1000 Rs. per person (500 Rs. for children). 100% of the proceeds goes to our conservation activities and and the local community. We will ask you to pay the fee before we enter the beach. A reservation is not required. Please kindly note that our Turtle watch is run by locals, of which many do not speak English. Please refer to the multilingual information in the Visitor Centre or proactively approach one of our guides or volunteers with your questions. They'll be happy to answer them!
Reviewed By France606060
Wonderful experience and conservation work. Being able to observe these beautiful creatures in their natural habitat was a true wonderment. Our guide was very passionate about his work, it was a delight and I highly recommend it.
