Things to do
6-
Dutch Reformed Church
Built in 1755 on the site of a Portuguese convent, this barrel vaulted church paves its floor with the gravestones of colonial officials, skulls and coats of arms cut into the slabs. An organ loft and a carved pulpit survive. Services are still held, the doors close in the afternoon, and the visit is short.
-
Galle Fort
Dutch engineers rebuilt a Portuguese stockade into ramparts that still hold back the sea, and the grid inside is a living town of churches, mosques, warehouses and verandahed houses. Walking the full circuit of the walls takes about an hour, best late in the day when the stone cools and cricket starts on the green.
-
Galle Lighthouse
White and slim above the eastern rampart, the lighthouse dates from 1939 and replaced an earlier tower lost to fire. It is closed to visitors, so the draw is the corner it stands on: coconut palms, a narrow beach below and a clear line along the walls. The spot crowds at sunset and quietens by mid morning.
-
National Maritime Museum
Inside a Dutch warehouse on the rampart wall, the maritime collection covers the spice trade, shipwrecks off the point and the whales that pass offshore, with recovered cargo and a full sized whale skeleton. The 2004 tsunami destroyed much of the earlier display, and the rebuilt version is modest. Half an hour suits it, mostly for the building.
-
Rumassala
Jungle covers a low headland above Unawatuna, where legend places a piece of Himalayan mountain dropped by Hanuman, and unusual herbs are still pointed out as proof. Trails lead through the trees to the peace pagoda and to rocky coves with snorkelling on the reef below. Shade is constant, the ground is uneven, and monkeys are frequent.
-
Unawatuna Beach
A curved bay a short tuk tuk ride east of the fort, Unawatuna has a reef that keeps the water calm enough for swimming through the dry season, which is rare on this coast. Restaurants and bars line the sand and it gets busy from December. A path at the far end climbs to the Japanese peace pagoda.