> > by Craig Tansley
It’s been called ‘the best beach in the world’ and Sri Lanka’s Unawatuna Bay also won over writer Arthur C Clarke who wrote in The Treasures Of The Great Reef: “...and it’s always the same; the slender palm trees leaning over the white sand, the warm sun sparkling on the waves as they break on the inshore reef...”. Located on Sri Lanka’s southern coast, Unawatuna is five kilometres south-east of the historic Galle Dutch Fort and 116 kilometres south of the capital, Colombo.
Sheltered on one side by a sweep of palm trees and protected on the other by a double reef and overlooked by a pure white Buddhist stupa where pilgrims gather, Unawatuna offers blissful year-round bathing. You can also find some of the best seafood on offer in Sri Lanka at the beach’s seaside restaurants, and if you’re lucky, you’ll find turtles laying eggs along the shore. Perfect for the couple who:
Love diving and nature – the water is absolutely teeming with fish, there are more species here than even the Great Barrier Reef and the area has some of the best wreck dives in Asia. Couples can also hike the jungle beside Unawatuna, home to macaque monkeys, rare plants and herbs and over 60 species of birds.