# Bentota *The stretch two brothers made interesting to people who do not care about beaches* Region: South-west coast · https://srilankatour.travel/places/bentota For the last three kilometres of its life the Bentota river runs alongside the sea rather than into it, held apart by a sand spit narrow enough to be crossed on foot in a minute. Hotels sit on the spit; the surf breaks on one side and the river lies flat on the other, which is why the water sports and the swimming happen in two different places here. It is also the nearest resort coast to Colombo, about 65 kilometres by expressway, and that proximity has shaped it. Bentota is package-holiday country — big hotels, pools, marked-out water sports — and it makes no attempt to be anything else. ## Our verdict Bentota is the easiest coast in Sri Lanka to reach and the least like the rest of the island, which is either the point or the problem. It works for a honeymoon that wants a pool, a family that wants calm water, or a first or last night off the airport road. It is a weak base for a south coast trip, which really starts an hour further down. ## Highlights - **Two waters, ten metres apart.** The sea side has the beach and the surf; the river side is flat, sheltered and where the jet skis, banana boats and windsurfing operate. Families with small children generally end up on the river. It is worth understanding this before booking, because a hotel can be on the spit and face either way. - **Brief Garden.** Bevis Bawa — aide-de-camp to four British governors, and Geoffrey Bawa's older brother — spent most of his life turning a rubber estate inland from the coast into a garden. He called it Brief, after the legal brief that paid for the land. The Australian artist Donald Friend stayed for years and left work all over it. Reported entry was 2,000 to 3,000 rupees per person in 2025–26; confirm on arrival, as it is privately run and prices move. - **Lunuganga.** Geoffrey Bawa bought a rubber estate on a peninsula in the lake nearby in January 1948 and spent the next fifty years shaping the view from it. Guided tours run daily at 11am, 2pm and 3pm and take about 90 minutes; the Geoffrey Bawa Trust listed USD 20 for foreign visitors as of 2026. Book ahead. If you only do one garden, this is the one that explains Sri Lankan architecture. - **Madu Ganga, and what a river safari actually is.** The serious mangrove trip is on the Madu Ganga at Balapitiya, a short drive south — a Ramsar-listed wetland and the island's largest surviving mangrove swamp. Boats run about 90 minutes. Note that the standard route includes commercial stops: a cinnamon-peeling demonstration and a tank of fish that nibble your feet. Ask for a route that spends its time in the mangrove tunnels instead, and go early, before the outboard traffic builds. - **Turtle hatcheries: what to look for.** Several operate along this coast and they are not equivalent. Good signs: staff who will not let visitors handle hatchlings, few animals per tank, a clear explanation of exactly why any individual turtle is still in captivity, and releases within days of hatching. Bad signs: adult turtles living permanently in small concrete tanks, hatchlings passed around for photographs, and vague answers about how long anything stays. Ask the questions out loud — the honest places answer them readily. ## Practical - **From Colombo:** About 65km — around an hour and a half on the Southern Expressway, exiting at Welipenna - **Best months:** December to March — the southwest monsoon runs roughly May to September - **Lunuganga:** Tours 11am, 2pm, 3pm; about 90 minutes; USD 20 for foreign visitors as of 2026 - **Time needed:** Two or three nights as a resort stop; a day if you are only here for the gardens - **Suits:** Couples and families wanting a pool and sheltered water ## Nearby - [Colombo](https://srilankatour.travel/places/colombo) - [Galle](https://srilankatour.travel/places/galle) - [Unawatuna](https://srilankatour.travel/places/unawatuna) - [Kalutara](https://srilankatour.travel/places/kalutara) - [Hikkaduwa](https://srilankatour.travel/places/hikkaduwa) ## Frequently asked questions **What is there to do in Bentota?** Water sports on the river, a beach you can walk for kilometres, a mangrove boat safari on the Madu Ganga at Balapitiya, and two of the best gardens in South Asia — Brief and Lunuganga, made by the Bawa brothers. Two full days covers all of it without rushing. **How far is Bentota from Colombo?** About 65km. On the Southern Expressway it is roughly an hour and a half, leaving at the Welipenna exit, which is around 10km from the coast. The old coast road is slower and considerably more interesting. From the airport at Katunayake, allow closer to two and a half hours, since you have to get past Colombo first. **Are turtle hatcheries in Sri Lanka ethical?** Some are, some are not, and they look similar from the car park. The ones worth supporting release hatchlings within days, keep very few animals per tank, do not let visitors hold them, and can tell you precisely why any long-term resident is not in the sea. Places that hand you a hatchling for a photograph, or keep adults in small tanks indefinitely, are running an attraction rather than a conservation project. Asking direct questions sorts them out quickly. **Is Bentota good for families?** It is one of the better coastal choices for young children, because the river side is flat and sheltered when the sea is not, the hotels have pools, and the transfer from Colombo is short by Sri Lankan standards. Note that the sea itself has surf and a shore break like the rest of this coast, particularly outside December to March. --- Source: https://srilankatour.travel/places/bentota Published by Sri Lanka Journeys, operated by Clever Hub (Private) Limited (Sri Lanka company no. PV00308620). Enquiries: info@srilankatour.travel · +94 77 793 6904 (phone and WhatsApp).