©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd The West Coast Includes ¨ Why Go? North of Colombo ....89 You don’t have to be on Sri Lanka’s west coast for long to Negombo ............89 realise that the coastline has something of a multiple person- Waikkal ..............94 ality. North of the capital is Negombo, a cheerful beach town Negombo to crowned with church spires that is, thanks to its proximity Kalpitiya .............94 to the airport, a staple of almost every visitor’s Sri Lankan journey. Head further north, though, and you enter a wild Kalpitiya Peninsula ...95 and little-visited region that seems to consist of nothing but Wilpattu coconut plantations and lagoons, sparkling in the sun and National Park ........96 filled with dolphins. South of Colombo ....97 South of Colombo’s chaos is a world that oscillates be- Bentota, Aluthgama tween the dancing devils of traditional Sri Lankan culture & Induruwa ..........97 in Ambalangoda, the chic boutique hotels and uncluttered Hikkaduwa golden sands of Bentota and the slightly scrappy but ever- & Around ...........101 popular backpacker party town of Hikkaduwa. Whichever part of the west coast you choose, a beach stay here makes for the perfect beginning or end to your Sri Lan- kan adventure. Best Places to Eat ¨ Lords (p93) ¨ Home Grown Rice & Curry When to Go (p105) Negombo ¨ Petit Restaurant (p93) °C/°F Temp Rainfall inches/mm 40/104 16/400 ¨ Spaghetti & Co (p105) 30/86 12/300 20/68 8/200 Best Places to Sleep 10/50 4/100 ¨ Ging Oya Lodge (p94) 0/32 0 J FDM A M J J A S O N ¨ Shangri-Lanka Villa (p98) Jan Schools of Mar–Apr Sri Nov If you prefer ¨ Saman Villas (p100) dolphins party Lanka’s Christians your beaches daily in Dutch Bay; stage Easter (mostly) tourist ¨ Camellia Dwellings backpackers party passion plays in free, November (p103) nightly in Hikka- Negombo and is the month to duwa. Talawila. come. #\ #\ #\ 88 Mod Tantirimalai#\ Ka ereg na Medavachchiya am dar #\ Portugal A M a O West Coast ru Paymadu a y Bay #\ lw a Karaitivu a ôSA9 tu Highlights T #\ Wilpattu a O Rambewa 1 la y Kalpitiya a National Park w e ôSA12 (p95) Scanning #5 O #\ y #ä Mihintale a ^# the horizon for Dutch Bar Reef Hunuvilagama #\ Anuradhapura schools of playful Bay #\ Maragahawewa #\ dolphins or learning #\ Galkulama Kalpitiya##\1 Talawa #\ to kitesurf in Kala Oya#\ Saliyawewa #\ protected lagoon #\ Ritigala Strict Thambuttegama waters. Talawila #\ ôSA12 Nature Reserve ôS 2 Negombo Alankuda Nanneri A28 Ù# Puttalam #\ Oya Kekirawa #\ #\ THE WES (p89) Finding your Beach #\ Sellankandal Galgamuwa feet and strolling the #\ ôSA9 #\ beach after a long #\ flight in this oh-so- Madurankuli #\ Moragollagama #\ Madagalla #\ T easy resort town. Anamaduwa Maho #\ Dambulla COAS ôSA10 #\ #\ 3 Bentota Mundalama Daladagama Wewa (p98) Feeling the Galewela #\ Udappuwa#\ ôSA28 #\ Rambe T stress levels drop as ôSA3 Naula #\ W you are pampered #\ Padeniya #\ est Melsiripura under palm trees Hettipola #\ #\ Wariyapola ôSA6 Munneswaram ôSA9 in one of the area’s #\#\ #ä CO Chilaw Panduwasnuwara boutique hotels. Chilaw #\ Ibbagamuwa Murugan Lake Kurunegala ast 4 Muthurajawela (Kataragama) Temple #Þ Kuliyapitiya ^# Matale #\ #\ (p91) Ticking off #\ Mahawewa #\ #\ H Narammala Malwatagama Marawila #\ egrets and herons ôSA6 #\ I G during a waterborne Polgahawela hli S #\ birdwatching safari ôA3 Waikkal haOya Kandy ^# G through this salt #\ Bandaranaike a #\ M #\ Kegalle #\ hts marsh. Kochchikade International Airport #\ Warakapola Kadugannawa Negombo##]2 ôSA1 5 Gampola Wilpattu #– Veyangoda #\ Katunayake #\ #\ National Park #\Nittambuwa ôSA5 Pamunugama ôSA21 (p96) Scouring Ja-Ela #] #\ Gampaha the undergrowth for #\ Anguruwella #\ 4 Ragama Muthurajawela Marsh # #\ #\ Nawalapitiya leopards and spotted Weliweriya R Wattala ôSA7 #\ #\ Kitulgala #\ deer from the back of #\Kelaniya #õ #\ Avissawella #\ ôSA4 Talawakele #\ a safari jeep. #\ COLOMBO#_ Kotalawala Norton #\ #] #\ 6 Mt Lavinia #\ Sri Jayawardenepura-Kotte Bridge Brief Garden Padukka Hatton Ratmalana#– #\ (p97) Enjoying the #\ Adam's PeakR Air Force Base Parakaduwa (Sri Pada) Peak R artful horticulture of (2243m) Wilderness Moratuwa #\ Ingiriya Sanctuary Bevis Barwa’s former #\ KaluGan ôSA8 ga #÷ #\ home near Bentota. Panadura#\ #\ Horana ^# Ratnapura #\ 7 Hikkaduwa Wadduwa ôSA4 (p101) Raising a ôSE01 Kahawatta #\ toast to the sunset Kalutara#\ Mipagama Matugama Agalawatta #\ after a hard day’s ôSA2 #\ #\ Dharga diving and surfing in #\ #6 Brief Garden Hinipitigala Beruwela Town this lively backpacker #\ #\ Migahatenna (1171m) ôSA17 Aluthgama #\ hangout. Sinharaja R Bentota#3 Forest #÷ Induruwa#\ Pitigala #\ Reserve #\ Kosgoda#\ Deniyaya I N D I A N #\ Hiniduma #\ Elpitiya O C E A N #\ #\ #\ Udugama Morawaka Ambalangoda ôSE01 #\ N i l #\ Baddegama w a #\ #\ l #7 a Hikkaduwa #\ Hikkaduwa ôSA2 G a Kirinda National Park Kottawa n g #\ #\ Galle^# Conservation a #õ Forest 0 40 km #\ e# Weligama#\ Matara #\ 0 20 miles #\.