Tangalle has the south coast’s best combination of quiet and beautiful - wide empty bays, the Rekawa sea turtle nesting beach, and resorts that have more space and more privacy than anywhere further west. Specifically well-suited to travellers who have done the southern circuit before and want something that hasn’t been commercially packaged.
Negombo
The coastal town that opens and closes every Sri Lanka journey
Seven kilometres from Bandaranaike International Airport and consistently underestimated. The Dutch canal network, the lagoon fish market at dawn and Portuguese Catholic church architecture give Negombo considerably more than its transit-stop reputation suggests. Worth an evening at minimum.
