Hikkaduwa

By: Irvan Kosindra

Hikkaduwa is a small town on the south coast of Sri Lanka. It is a 5 hours journey from Colombo to Hikkaduwa by bus. This beautiful town is well known and loved for its Coral Sanctuary. The Coral Sanctuary is an enormous shallow body of water that is enclosed by a reef, which is decked by different types and colours of corals and is also the dwelling place for many vibrant coral fish.

There are many things to do in Hikkaduwa. For instance, the sea with it’s marine life is really beautiful, so snorkeling, boating, sailing, surfing, and diving are very recommended. There are many dive center in this place. They provide diving equipment as well as surfing gear. They also provide diving lesson and surfing lesson for beginner. So it is opened for everyone who would like to try diving as well as surfing.

Another interesting leisure activity here is getting on to a glass bottomed boat in order to explore the beauty of the deep sea which has proved to be an extremely popular item amongst tourists.

Tourists can also visit the turtle farm & hatchery to see baby turtles and rescued/recovering turtles. In this place, Tourists will get to learn about the turtle’s lifespan and environment as well as the issues facing these creature. This place is very recommended to visit as well.

Furthermore, tourists can also visit Seenigama village which is situated on the south-west coast on the main Colombo-Matara road way. It is located just before Hikkaduwa village. There is a famous temple in this village which is called Seenigama Devalaya Temple. This temple is devoted for Devol Deviyan ( God Devol) and around 300 years old. But some people believe that this temple has been there for more than 1000 years. The uniqueness from this temple that the temple is located on close by island. And it can be reached only by a boat. This village has an annual festival to honor God Devol. The festival is held on July for 6 days in a row. One may say you will persuade to see the festival once again once you watch it. So tourists who visit this village during festival season, watching the festival is a must!

What about the food? Do not worry, there are numerous beach side restaurants, guesthouses, bars and pubs to satisfy our taste buds.

And after finish with all the activities, you might want to go to street stalls that sell numerous products. You can purchase local handicrafts, batiks, masks, jewellery, gems and many other accessories in this place.