Matara, an underrated attraction | travel segment 02 | 5% to @sl-charity

Hey guys so my last post was muted because this community doesn't allow cross posting so if you guys wanna check it out leave a comment below. It's about a mountain hike.

So to the topic at hand "Matara". I visited the place last week and spent few days there, and I've been going to Matara at least once a year for as long as I can remember so i felt like doing a blog about it.

I'm pretty sure you guys know the highway network connects Kadawatha to Matara. For a small car the price is Rs 600. If you are going by bus you can take a highway bus from Colombo fort, Makumbura ( near kaduwela), Kadawatha, Maharagama and a lot of other places along the way. You can get a bus which goes in the normal Galle road too and the fair is lower but it takes a long time.

Now there are plenty of hotels in the Matara area and these days they are cheaper than usual because of the lack of tourists.

If you are looking for beaches, the most famous spot for a swim is "Polhena" beach. It's quite crowded almost all the time so if you are a bit concerned about covid and want a more secluded experience, try "Madihe" beach or if you are staying at a beach side hotel you can get a recommendation for a small beach area with lot less people. I went to such place this time so I'll post pic of that. (This place is right infront of The Doctor House and 360 restaurants)

Once you are done with swimming then you'd want to check out the two forts in Matara. The first one is the smaller "Star Fort". You'd have to go there during the daytime because they close it down. There is a small museum inside. I'll post a pic and you can check out the rest cause i don't wanna spoil too much. The big fort is near the bus stand and it's open even at nights. It's not as famous or as big as the famous Galle fort but it's a sight you should see. I think the star fort was built by the Dutch colonialists but I'm not sure.

star fort

If you are travelling with your grandparents in which case going to a religious place would be a must, you can go to "Weherahena" temple. There is a huge statue of the Lord Buddha which is something you should see. In addition the Devundara Dewalaya is within a 20 min car ride. If you are going to devundara check out the lighthouse as well.

Weherahena temple

the light house. (you can climb up)

Coconut tree hill is quite famous these days because there was a recent attempt to build a fence around that beautiful place and the concrete structures for the fence are still there even though it's freely accessible to all. I'd suggest you to check it out because in few months it may be closed off (who knows SL works in weird ways) if you are going there for the best photograph go in an evening or early morning to capture yourself with the sun, the beautiful sky and the sea. (a photo in this place is great for instagram.)

well what else......

oh yeah there is a small island connected to the mainland by a bridge near the central bus stand. Do check it out if you have the time.

Those are the places i went to during my brief visit. I'm pretty sure there are some other places in Matara which i missed. Please be kind enough to leave a comment about any place in Matara you know of

thanks for reading guys. I'll bring another blog ASAP