Bentota To Galle Day Tour
“Why anyone should make a Bentota to Galle day tour? and what can we see on the Bentota to Galle day tour?” someone might ask you, well what would be the answer for it? You might be wondering. I justify the Bentota to Galle day tour in this manner, “Well it’s the best way to see one of the best-preserved Dutch forts in the world…
Table of Contents
- What is Bentota To Galle Day Tour?
- What are the 10 best things to do on the Bentota to Galle day tour?
- What are the 10 best places to visit on the Bentota to Galle day tour?
- Why should I do the Bentota Galle day tour?
- The religious importance of Galle
- Visiting Fort on Galle tour from Bentota
- Indulge in the Ayurveda massage
- Using Ayurveda for tourism
- Must tour the Martin Wickramasinghe folk museum
- What to see in the museum
- National maritime museum of Galle
- What to see in the national maritime museum of Galle?
- Must see some underwater living beings
- Kathaluwa Buddhist Temple
- Galle Fort must include on the Bentota To Galle Day Tour
- Indulge your taste buds in mouth-watering seafood
- Must take a walk on the walking path on Sri Lanka trip to Galle from Bentota
- Tsunami monument Peraliya
- Visiting Kande Vihara on Bentota To Galle day tour
- If you wish to take this Bentota To Galle Day Tour please do get in touch with us on admin@seerendipitytours.com, this is a highly customizable day tour and most importantly this is a private tour.
What is Bentota To Galle Day Tour?
This is one day trip to Galle from Bentota. The tour intended to serve the large number of beach holiday lovers, who spend their beach holidays on the west coast beach. The Galle one-day tour from Bentota includes a large number of tourist attractions from the herbal garden to the Mask museum to the Galle fort and many more.
What are the 10 best things to do on the Bentota to Galle day tour?
- Indulge in the Ayurveda massage
- Visiting Museum
- Snorkelling/Glass bottom boat tour to see Underwater living beings
- Boating in Inland lagoon/bird watching
- Visiting Buddhist Temple
- Walking tour of Galle Fort
- Visit Tsunami monument Peraliya
- Shopping souvenirs
- Tasting delicious fresh seafood
- Stroll on the west coast beach
What are the 10 best places to visit on the Bentota to Galle day tour?
- Ayurveda herbal and spice garden
- Maskmmuseum, Martin wikremasinghe folk museum and Galle maritime museum
- Galle Fort
- Hikkaduwa marine sanctuary
- Koggala lagoon
- Kathaluwa Buddhist Temple
- Hikkaduwa beach
- Tsunami monument Peraliya
- Sea turtle conservation project
- Moonstone mines and Handicraft centre
Why should I do the Bentota Galle day tour?
“Why anyone should make a Bentota to Galle day tour? and what can we see on the Bentota to Galle day tour?” someone might ask you, well what would be the answer for it? You might be wondering. I justify the Bentota to Galle day tour in this manner, “Well it’s the best way to see the important tourist attractions on the west coast of Sri Lanka including the best-preserved Dutch forts, which were originally built by the Portuguese in 1505 and later occupied by Dutch and English.
The religious importance of Galle
Galle is the birthplace of Buddhist resurgent after the harsh British colonial rule, the home town of Galle district has the amazing collection of galleries, museums, shops, eateries, the vibrant and colourful city”. Outside of the city many important places such as marine sanctuaries, beaches, museums, wetlands, wildlife reserves, archaeological sites, and ancient religious institutions.
On reflection, most tourists that visit Galle are not really surprised at the banter. Galle and many attractions in the region are still under the cosh of its popularity as being run-down and a little unpopular. Yet Galle, especially the Galle Fort, has spent the last several decades going through a resurgent process where forlorn mansions and iconic buildings have been and are still being restored. Galle city was given a facelift in the past to make it one of the most attractive cities on the island.
Visiting Fort on Galle tour from Bentota
The Fort is the most historical part of the city and is included in most Sri Lanka tours. The buzziest part of Galle is the fortress, where the largest concentration of hotels, bars, museums and many other tourist attractions are concentrated. A large number of well-preserved mansions and houses, dating back to the 15s and 16s are converted to hotels, bars, restaurants, galleries, shops, and museums. Several well-preserved and partly restored churches are still serving the devotees.
In any case, Galle, part of the southern province of Sri Lanka, is known for several amazing attractions, most of which are very important for the island’s economy. One important attraction of Galle is the pristine beaches with torque water, an amazing collection of natural attractions such as lagoons, diving sites, patches of forests and cultural attractions along with colonial heritage are the other key tourist attractions in Galle.
Indulge in the Ayurveda massage
Rejuvenate you with Ayurveda- Ayurveda is one of the most ancient healing systems in the country and it is being practised in the country for more than 2000 years. Our featured resort has a well-equipped Ayurveda treatment centre and provides a wide range of Ayurveda healing packages that can be differentiated into rejuvenation packages, body purification packages, slimming packages, Body Immunization packages, Stress Management packages and Beauty Care packages.
If the guests do not wish to have a comprehensive Ayurveda package they can choose a small Ayurveda treatment such as 30 minutes head massage or full body massage or else they are also free to refrain from using Ayurveda at all.
Using Ayurveda for tourism
Sri Lank is a country with a well-developed Ayurveda healing system and is very popular among the local people. Maybe it is not very popular among foreign travellers, however, Sri Lank attracts a large number of foreign travellers, who are enthusiasts of Ayurveda treatments. There is a large number of hotels that are particularly targeting those Ayurveda treatment seekers. Most such Ayurveda health retreats are to be found in beach areas such as Bentota beach, Beruwal and Kalutara.
Must tour the Martin Wickramasinghe folk museum
Galle has a long history connected to the veteran writer Martin Wickramasinghe. Martin Wickramasinghe is widely known as the father of modern Sinhalese literature. Most of his works were carried out in search of the lifestyle and cultural aspects of the Sri Lankan people. He was very keen to explore and apply modern knowledge in social and natural science, linguistics, literature, education, the arts, philosophy, religion and comparative religion.
What to see in the museum
The museum is one of the important places to visit on Sri Lanka’s south coast. A visit to the Martin Wickramasinghe museum is a must if you are an enthusiast of foreign culture, history and lifestyle of the people. The museum is a large snapshot of Sri Lankan life depicted through a massive collection of items such as arts and crafts, kitchen utensils, household items, farming items, fishing gears, hunting equipment, furniture and even bullock carts.
At the martin Wickramasinghe museum, you will get to see the well-preserved village house of Martin Wickramasinghe along with his household items, such as beds, writing tables, chairs etc. The museum exhibits a large collection of items dating back many generations. The folk museum is visited by many hundreds of people and schoolchildren every day.
National maritime museum of Galle
You can also visit the maritime museum of Galle, which is located within the borders of Galle Fort, near the Wolvendaal church. The maritime museum showcases a large collection of artefacts discovered in the sea off southern Sri Lanka. Most of these artefacts were rescued from the merchant ships that perished in the sea. The museum itself is housed within one of the oldest buildings of the fort. It had been the storage complex of the Dutch East India Company, where the large stock of export products such as spices, ivory, and gems was stored before the shipment.
What to see in the national maritime museum of Galle?
There is an impressive collection of artefacts numbering more than 200 in the museum that are recovered from the seabed during the exploration and some of the items are nearly 800 years old. Some of the important artefacts recovered from the seabed represent a ship anchor of a ship that sank in the 1800s, the soda bottles dating back to the 1600s and the remnants of the ship that was transporting them, fossils of sea creatures and a miniature skeleton of a whale.
One of the most important exhibits of the museum is a diorama of historical inhabitants in the Hambantota district. They are believed to be lived about 7000 years earlier. Another valuable artefact is a tri-lingual stone inscription that is written in Chinese, Tamil and Persian languages. It is believed to be written 600 years earlier in China and later brought to the island.
It also shows the methods of traditional fishing, fishing gears and fishing vessels of the country. Some of the articles among the exhibits are ropes used in vessels, old canons, porcelain items, smoking pipes, maps, and shipwrecks. A valuable artefact of the museum is the model of the ship Avondster (evening star) that sank in the port of Galle. The model of the ship and the artefacts recovered from the ship can be witnessed in the museum. The ship perished in 1659 AD.
Galle maritime museum was established by the Central Cultural Fund of Sri Lanka under the conservation program of the Galle world heritage site. The museum showcases the cultural and religious aspects of the people of southern Sri Lanka. It gives an idea of the convergence of Sri Lankan culture, trade, language and tradition with other foreign nations.
One of the important functions of the museum is to educate the people on the fragile maritime ecosystem of the sea. It shows a specimen of a large number of sea creatures such as fish, corals, seagrass and algae. One can see the causes of sea pollution and coastal erosion and precautions that one needs to observe to stop the destruction.
One can visit the laboratory of the archaeological museum and witness the process of conservation of items with historical value. It provides a rare opportunity of acquiring hands-on experience in conserving items in a laboratory. The historical value of the artefacts represents the period from 8000 B.C to the present millennium.
Must see some underwater living beings
Unawatuna located about 10 km from Galle city, is the most loved beach holiday destination in the region and it is the home to a cluster of small hotels, guest houses and rest houses with occasional star-class accommodation providers.
Unawatuna beach just south of Galle is one of the all-year-round sea bath places in Sri Lanka. Unlike many other sea bathing areas on the southern and west coast of Sri Lanka, where sea baths can be dangerous during the southwest monsoons, Unawatuna enables you to dip into the ocean and have a sea bath at any time of the year. The coral reef off the sea of Unawatuna provides protection against the underwater current while downgrading the force of waves. These coral reefs also harbour a large collection of exotic fish species, sea turtles, sea plants and many other sea creatures.
Kathaluwa Buddhist Temple
In addition to the natural attractions and scenery, Kataluwa Purana raja maha vihara (Kathaluwa Buddhist Temple) is one of the important cultural, religious and historical attractions in the lagoon and is included in most Bentota to Galle day tours. The temple featured very valuable Buddhist paintings dating back more than a century. Some paintings are depicting scenery from the colonial era and in one of the paintings, Queen Victoria commemorates her support for local Buddhism while the British government supports the British missionary Christianity in the backdrop.
Galle Fort must include on the Bentota To Galle Day Tour
Galle Fort is the iconic tourist attraction in Galle and naturally, it is a part of every Bentota to Galle day tour. For an unforgettable eyeful of splendour take a tour of Galle Fort, hundreds of thousands of architectural masterpieces ornate the Galle Fort, which is one of the most popular landmarks in southern Sri Lanka. Galle Fort is a UNESCO world heritage site and the fort is surrounded by a gigantic wall. The fort served as the administrative capital of southern Sri Lanka during the Dutch colonial era. Today it serves as the single most important tourist attraction in Southern Sri Lanka and is included in most tours such as 5 days southern Sri Lanka trip. Dutch Fort enables the tourist to see many hundreds of well-preserved Dutch architectural buildings dating back to the 15s.
The Portuguese arrived in Galle in 1505 AD and built Galle Fort, on the southwest corner of the island, bordering the Indian Ocean. Galle is the major city between Deep South Sri Lanka and the commercial capital of Sri Lanka known as Colombo. Later, the Dutch and British left their mark. The old town (Galle Dutch fort) occupies the western corner of Galle city and lies well above Galle city.
Without a doubt, the Galle Fort is very easy on the eye. Picture a scene of tightly packed stone dwellings scattered on a flat surface, houses and buildings are so tightly compact that most of the time there is no distance between 2 buildings. All building is in Old Dutch style with a steep roof, a big verandah, big windows and large doors.
Rows of picturesque houses, shops and mansions line the narrow cobbled streets painted in various distinctive pastel shades and the view from the southern part of the rampart is dominated by the Wolvendaal Church, originally built by the Dutch as a church.
Indulge your taste buds in mouth-watering seafood
Hikkaduwa is one of the best places to feast on seafood. Hikkaduwa has one of the biggest fishing harbours on the island, therefore fresh seafood is freely available here. Seafood is a big scene here and hundreds of seafood restaurants line up along the beach. In all seafood restaurants, there are a plethora of fish species on offer but for me, the best seafood dish is the mixed seafood plate, which is comprised of dozens of fish varieties such as tuna fish, calamari, shrimps, barracuda, cuttlefish etc. For non-seafood lovers, there are items like meat items, salads, potatoes, pasta, pizza, spaghetti etc
Hotels, restaurants, pubs, shops, boutiques, money changers, tour operators, guest houses, rest houses, and diving centres are lined up along the main road due to the large concentration of foreign travellers in Hikkaduwa. Usually, all accommodation facilities are fully packed during the peak holiday season (November to April). Therefore do not expect to find a place for an overnight stay in Hikkaduwa at the last moment during this period. During the off-season (from April to November) you will not find crowded streets, beaches, restaurants and hotels due to the lowered number of foreign travellers.
However, November to April is the best season to encounter Hikkaduwa beach due to the nice and clear waters of the Indian Ocean with no alarm of underwater currents. November to April marks the dry season on the west coast of Sri Lanka resulting in very low rainfall dominated by warm sunny weather.
Must take a walk on the walking path on Sri Lanka trip to Galle from Bentota
The maritime walking path which stretches along the high-rise wall of the fort is quite something special every evening on warm sunny days when the diminishing sun reflects in the sea. It is a safe haven for many couples to enjoy the romance of nightfall. Many families are also occurring here as the days wind up to chill out by the sea breeze.
Tsunami monument Peraliya
The tsunami monument was built in view of remembering the people who were affected by the Tsunami in 2004, located in Peraliya between Galle and Bentota, along the main road. As the waves hit the ground a train was sub-merged killing more than 1500 people. Peraliya is the spot where the train was destroyed by the waves. Today near the railway track, where the train was destroyed is a monument to remember the people, who sacrificed their lives. Near the monument one can see a museum with a collection of photos of the Tsunami, however, it can not be recommended for sensitive people, because some of the photos are very tragic and shock visitors.
Visiting Kande Vihara on Bentota To Galle day tour
Kande Vihara Buddhist temple is located near Bentota beach and is one of the most visited Buddhist temples on the west coast of Sri Lanka. Undoubtedly Kande vihara is one of the most visited and sacred temples in the southern province of Sri Lanka.
Temple is visited by a large number of devotees from all parts of the country. Being situated very close to the popular holiday resorts of Bentota, Beruwala, Alutgama and Kalutara, it is visited by a large number of tourists, during their holiday in the country. The especially well-maintained temple has been able to convince foreigners about the commitment of Buddhists to their religion. The temple is able to create a good impression among foreigners about Buddhism.
This beautiful temple is located some half a kilometre from the Kaluwamodara Junction on the Colombo–Galle main road. The temple is picturesquely located on a mountain and surrounded by lush green vegetation.
The history of the temple goes back to the reign of King Rajadhi Rajasinghe. The temple started with a small dagoba during the Kandyan period and later developed to the present size. The temple had been started as a branch of the renowned Bentota Galapata Vihara, which was resided by Velivita Saranankara Thera.
The relic house of Kande Vihara is built to deposit the sacred relics same time it houses very valuable religious paintings that date back several centuries. The relic deposited here enhances the importance of this holy place. Another important part of the temple is the sacred Bo-tree (Ficus religiosa). It is planted in a house or Bodhigara, which is built in an octagonal shape; it is believed to be an architectural invention of ancient Sri Lankan architects.
Recently added gigantic meditation Buddha statue measured 107 meters, it is located near the entrance of the temple and adds grandeur to the temple. A beautiful image house is built below the statue. The entrance of the Image house is adorned by a rare type of Makara Thorana. The main doors of the image house are constructed with cement while figures of animals such as lions and floral decorations are carved on the doors. The image house shows a close relationship between typical Dutch architecture.
The temple is conducting many religious programs for visitors; daily Gilanpasa Pooja, Deva Pooja, annual Kiripidu Pooja and Muruten Pooja are some of the important events. Vishnu Devala of Kande Vihara is considered to be one of the most important places in the temple. It houses a beautifully decorated statue of God Vishnu.
