6 Southern Coast Day Trips in Sri Lanka to Build a Day Around

1.Southern Sri Lanka Sightseeing Day Trip From Colombo & Negombo

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 128 reviews · from $85Our pick

Travel south from Colombo or Negombo with a private driver-guide such as Vidu, Glen, Indika, or Gihan. Visit Galle Fort, cruise Madu River, see turtle conservation work, stop at Unawatuna Beach, and try stilt fishing. The route is packed, so agree on priorities and extra costs before leaving.

“Driver was on time and car was clean and safe. This tour was a great option to get out of Colombo for the day and see Southern Sri Lanka. Loved the stop at the marine life rescue — very interesting to learn about the important conservation work occurring in Sri Lanka. Drove by the Dutch fort which was massive and filled with colonial history. Lunch was at a delicious seafood restaurant— highly recommend the lobster and the crab. Tour guide was accommodating to stop for souvenirs that we wanted to buy. Great day trip option!”

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2.From Colombo to Galle Fort and Unawatuna Beach Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 27 reviews · 1 day · from $48Best value

Travel from Colombo along Sri Lanka’s south coast with an English-speaking guide such as Dilip or Tuan. Visit Kosgoda’s turtle hatchery, Madu River, Meetiyagoda’s moonstone mine, Hikkaduwa, Galle Fort, and Unawatuna Beach. The $48 price includes transport and several entrance fees, but not the Madu boat safari.

“Not much information given my the guide about Galle Fort, was a little lost. Overall, an enjoyable day.”

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3.From Colombo to Galle Fort and Jungle Beach Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 26 reviews · from $70Top rated

Spend a full day traveling from Colombo to southern Sri Lanka with a private guide and driver. Visit Kalutara Temple, Hikkaduwa, a turtle center, Madu River, a tsunami village, Galle Fort, Jungle Beach, and stilt fishermen. Guides such as Manoj, Charith, and Shaminda are praised for friendly service and flexible stops.

“It was well planned out. Our guide was knowledgeable, spoke good English, and very helpful. He took pictures for us, drove to different parts of the fort so we didn’t have to walk, and waited for us patiently while we shopped or stopped for a drink. An excellent day and highly recommend this tour”

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4.Exclusive: Southern Sri Lanka Sightseeing Private Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 24 reviews · from $85

Take a private, guide-led day from Colombo, Negombo, or Mount Lavinia to Galle Fort, Ambalangoda’s mask museum, the Madu River, and a Kosgoda turtle hatchery. Guides such as Imran, Thusara, Damitha, and Saneth have led this route. Expect a long day, plenty of driving, and varied stops.

“Certainly worth doing when you're in Colombo. Here's why i only rated it 3 stars: The good: 1. My driver was very professional, polite, and knowledgeable. He was also a very calm driver despite the craziness of the other drivers around him. 2. The Old Dutch Fort reminded me of Manila's Intramuros, although the former was much well preserved. Nice to see how they lived back in the day. 3. My favorite was the visit to the sea turtle hatchery. They're doing a great thing there. 4. the river cruise was 'ok.' We didnt see much wildlife although the visit to the small buddhist temple was fun. 5. Sri Lankan's…”

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5.Galle Day Trip – River Safari, Sea Turtle & Stilt Fishermen

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 16 reviews · 9 - 11 hours · from $80

Travel by private vehicle with an English-speaking driver-guide to Galle Fort, the Bentota River mangroves, a turtle project, Buddhist temple, mask factory, and stilt fishermen. Samir leads the river safari and Dinesh has driven guests safely between stops.

“We had a really good day out. Nothing was too much trouble. We called to watch fishermen bringing in their nets and to a busy local fishing harbour. The river trip was excellent and we saw a lot of wildlife including crocodiles, monkeys, fruit bats, monitor lizards, a snake, lizards etc. I had always wanted to see the fishermen at Galle and it was great to see them catch fish from the stilt fishing poles. We called in at other sights as well including the turtle sanctuary and the Galle Fort. We were picked up from the harbour at 5.30am and returned bang on the 6pm arranged time to catch…”

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6.2-Day Whale Watching & Southern Sri Lanka Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.8 · 6 reviews · 2 days · from $292

Travel from Colombo to Mirissa with a small group of up to 10 people. Visit Galle Fort, Bentota, Hikkaduwa, a turtle centre, spice garden, temple, and mangroves, then join a whale-watching trip. English and German guides are available, with boat fees paid separately.

“The tour was everything I had expected and envisioned it to be - we had a very friendly and knowledgeable guide, who explained to us certain histories and information about the places we passed, or was going to. He made sure we were well settled into our hotel for the night, and was ready to help us at any of the other excursions. I really enjoyed the river cruise - as I did not know what to expect, and saw the amazing wildlife the mangroves had to offer us! My only complaint is that the hotel room we stayed at had very little air conditioning, and the room and bathroom…”

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