A trip to Sri Lanka is not complete without a visit to the coastal town of Bentota. Travel time from Colombo, the country’s capital is a short one and a half hours along the Southern expressway. Galle Road, the coastal route, will also get you to Bentota and will take longer but makes for a much more scenic drive. The beach is Bentota’s biggest allure. Water sports like water skiing, jet skiing, mono skiing, wake boarding, banana boat rides, wind surfing and cannoning are popular.Bentota sees its fair share of tourists and has a string of hotels along the beachfront; one being, AVANI Bentota Resort & Spa, a hotel property designed by Sri Lanka’s best known architect, Geoffrey Bawa. The architect’s own country home, The Lunuganga Estate, is also located in Bentota. The gardens of the estate are open to visitors from 9 am to 5 pm daily, guided tours are available and an entrance fee is charged at the gate.
Located in the Southern Province, the town is home to shady palms and a large fishing community. Brief Gardens is a popular attraction in Bentota. The property includes a house and garden that was landscaped by famous landscape architect, Bevis Bawa, brother of Geoffrey Bawa. The Gardens, which were formerly a rubber plantation, were taken over in 1929. Today, the property is something of a museum and contains a Japanese garden and sculptures by Bevis and other artists.
Also in Bentota, you will find the Madu Ganga River and together with the Randombe Lake, it is considered Sri Lanka’s second largest wetland, known as the Madu Ganga wetland. The creek, speckled with thirty two mangrove laden islands, forms a delicate coastal wetland ecosystem. It is home to over three hundred plant varieties and nearly two hundred and fifty species of vertebrate animals. Visitors can take a two hour boat ride to see the flora and fauna of this area.
Pushpitha Wijesinghe is an experienced independent freelance writer. He specializes in providing a wide variety of content and articles related to the travel hospitality industry.
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