Want to take a sea bath? want to do some surfing? want to take pictures of a beautiful sunsets? then Unawatuna is the place for you.
How to Get there
You have to go along the Galle- Matara highway towards Matara and turn off towards the sea. The beach is really easy to find as there are many signs pointing there and as this is a popular location among locals and foreign tourists. If your coming by car you can park it in the huge car park near the beach, you might have to pay a fee of about 50- 200 Rupees for this service. there are many shops along the way to buy souvenirs, beach wear and beach items. We also noticed a place where you can rent scooters, which is useful for traveling in the city.
| By Car by car you just need to follow the highway A2 or Galle road as its commonly known without any turn offs. Condition of the road is excellent, other than for areas that are under construction. Traffic conditions are varied as there might be some traffic blocks from Colombo fort to Moratuwa, and in major towns and cities along the way. There are number of renting option if your looking to rent a vehicle. 2.5 hours. Once you are in Galle move along the Galle Mathara Road after about 2.5kms turn right (Best Option is to from someone) By Bus
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Interesting Places / Details
Unawatuna Beach
one of the greatest bathing beaches in Sri Lanka. this is a main attraction for Sri Lankan tourists. people from all over Sri Lanka come here to spend the day and have fun with their family. With little or no waves this beach is one of the safest. natural rock barrier prevents any major waves from coming to the beach letting you enjoy your leisurely swim. But if you move a bit away from the crowds you can get to the part of the beach where there are waves. Waves are needed for surfing, so if you want some good size waves you need to swim off from the rock barrier to the more open seas where there are some considerable waves. But these waves are not good for surfing all the time so its better to ask from the local surfing shop for details and times, they will also provide you with a beach boy / guide to help you catch some amazing waves.
Temple
A beach is not a good place for a temple but in unawatuna there is a sizable Buddhist temple. you can go in after taking off your head wear and foot wear and take some pictures of the pagoda and the buildings. there is a stair way going up on the side of the temple to the top of the mountain that is near by, when you get to the top there is a another pagoda which will let you get some more beautiful photos. anyway you have to climb to the top to get to the sunset point.
Sunset Point
when you climb the mountain by the stairs on the side of the temple you come to the pagoda, when you move past that pagoda you come to a place like no other, a rocky plain that streches for about two hundred meters. on top of this there is a deck built and you can wait till about 5.00-6.00 in the evening you will be able to witness one of the most beautiful sunsets of your life time. this is a good place to come and think about life as you look at the sunset. this place is very popular with foreign tourists and they come mostly as couples and stay till late in the evening watching the sunset. if you can manage it you can climb on to the rocks at the other side which is shaped like an elephants head, you can get a another view.
