Unawatuna
How to get there
The suburb (not city) Unawatana is located at the beach between Hikkaduwa and Matara on the south-coast. It is a really cute small village next to the ocean with its own small beach.
where to stay
the prices start at 1000-1500 single or dorm. from the bus stop it is about hundred meters to reach the first guesthouses. the whole street down are many of them. you will find a good one matching your needs. Pink Elephant is one of the dormitories for 1000/- clean, nice and friendly stuff, bar/restaurant downstairs.
where to eat & drink
- Le Café Francais Boutique – best coffee and croissants
- Authentic – small inconspicuous place with good fruit musli with cord and syrup
- Sunil Garden – also best coffe with garden around. very silent place
- Almost all the small Rotty Shops have great Rice & Curry for about 150
what to see around
At the end of the beach is a Buddha Statue next to the sunset viewpoint. the sunset viewpoint is at the cliff and the waves are going up crashing at it in the middle of the sunset. also down at the small jetty is a good spot for astrophotography. still much light pollution but there’s no other spot around.
Else there are all the offers to make a one-day-trip to Kandy or tea-plantations or the national parks. 2km west is a smaller beach great for surfing and beginners as well. 10 minutes and 20 Rs. by bus is the Galle Fort first built by the Portuguese and excessively extended 100 years later by the dutch, why it is called the Dutch Fort. don’t stay there it is horribly expensive but it is pretty nice for a day trip. many small places shops and restaurants. and don’t go there during the weekend except you want to find yourself in the middle of hundreds of tourists. in the evening for the sunset school classes arrive with hundreds of students as well, but this is always fun.
at the north end of the main street follow the signs through the jungle to the Jungle Beach. It is a small nice beach with a bar (the same place as for the jungle beach party) but during the day it is good for swimming and chilling around. in the north you can see the Galle Fort. going to the end of jungle beach find the trail into the jungle turn left and follow the coast to another jungle beach called white beach. it is emptier and even nicer. small place for food and drinks and really nice water for swimming.
While walking through the jungle you pass the crossing to the sunset viewpoint which is a little bit south. just follow the signs again. another thing is a white temple on top of the hill. in the evening the monks sing and play for a meditation, and it is a nice spot for photos during sunset.
how about the nightlife
there are parties as well especially one every Wednesday the ‘jungle beach party’.
my story behind
After not doing anything special in Hikkaduwa we moved on. the friends I had been with moved further Mirissa and I took a break in Unawatuna to see another place and meet some people I met on my way before. I like this place a lot! it is a small village not at the big ocean street. small places, of course some bigger, too, I found a dorm with friendly people and checked in. I missed the suggested great party due to a light cold and stayed at the guesthouse talking to the people around having a few drinks. the next day’s enjoying the beach checking out places where to start surfing. walking around taking photos of the sunset and the milky way (yes finally captured a new part at 3am in the morning) not great but not too bad :D
***visit crossing-trails album on NW-Photography.de for more pictures***
