After visiting the hill stations and the places with historical significances, it is the time to hit the beach.  I have jotted down the journey till Ella in this post.

From Ella there are regular buses to Matara. Matara acts as a major junction for onward buses to the beaches. Major beaches like Mirissa, Unawatuna, Hikkiduwa, and Galle can be accessed from Matara by the bus which is going towards Galle as the bus travels on the coastal road.

The bus charged me Rs 60 from Ella to Matara and Rs 240 from Matara to Unawatuna.

I booked Suny and Fun hostel on the main coastal road at a reasonable rate of $6 per night. The beach and major restaurants are at walking distance from this hostel. Moreover, it is very convenient to travel to other places from here since it is on the main road.

 

 

Sunny and Fun hostel is inside a big villa on the first floor. It has many rooms and couple of bathrooms and so doesn’t feel congested.

On the first evening in Unawatuna, I spent my time visiting the Japanese pagoda which is located just the on the beach. The sunset view was breathtaking though the instance when the sun sets can not be observed as it is west coast.

 

 

P.S: There is a good opportunity to learn diving and snorkelling in Unawatuna as it is Coral reef region.

The food is little expensive on the beach and one can have a good meal in the lane just behinds the shacks. Coincidentally, I met one of the hostel mate from Ella when I was searching for a dinner place. We spent couple of hours at night on the beach and regretting of never doing it before. There is nothing better than listening to the waves under the twinkling stars.

 

 

The next morning, I went to the beach for jogging and came back with the memories of having coffee with a new friend !

David, a hostel mate, from Australia and I decided to watch the “interesting” cricket test match in Galle which is approx. 6 kms from Unawatuna. It was Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh and Sri Lanka was batting when we reached the stadium.

After the Sri Lankan made 20-30 runs in 2 hours we left to see the Galle Fort. The fort is at a walkable distance from the bus stand and the stadium. Certain part of the fort is now converted to law offices and the remaining are cafe and tourist hotspot. From the flag baston one can have a breathtaking view of the ocean reaching the infinity.

David suggested to visit the Jungle beach in the evening which is mid-way between Unawatuna and Galle. The way to the beach is couple of kms uphill and then to reach the beach the down hill trail is beautiful. It is covered with trees on all the sides and the arrows made on the stone makes it a perfect trail for the tourists. I heard it is a party place on certain days of the week.

 

Next morning I left for Colombo about which I will update in the next post.

The two days cost in Unawatuna:

Hostel: $6 * 2 = 12 USD = 2000 LKR

Food and Drinks: 500 LKR * 4 = 2000 LKR

Local transportation: 400 LKR

Cricket match fee: 300 LKR

And so within 5000 LKR my two days in Unawatuna were heavenly spent.

Let me know how did you spend in Unawatuna. Cheers !