Unawatuna or Hikkaduwa? Choosing a Beach Near Galle

Unawatuna and Hikkaduwa are the two best-known beach towns near Galle, on either side of it: Unawatuna about 5 km to the south-east, Hikkaduwa about 17 km to the north-west. Both are on the coastal railway, both are busy in the same season, and both are built-up rather than wild. So the choice of Unawatuna or Hikkaduwa comes down to what you want from the sea, and from the evenings.

In short: Unawatuna for a sheltered bay to swim in and Galle Fort on your doorstep; Hikkaduwa for surf, sea turtles and a livelier, longer beach.

Unawatuna: the bay

Unawatuna is a curved bay closed off by the wooded Rumassala headland. Recent visitors (2026) describe its beach as shallow and protected, usually calm enough for an easy swim in season, with restaurants along the sand and cheaper rice-and-curry places one street back. For snorkelling, visitors say the best reef is at the eastern end, under Rumassala, a few minutes’ swim from the sand.

Its other big advantage is location. Galle Fort is a short tuk-tuk or train ride away, so you can walk the ramparts at sunset and be back by the sea for dinner. Over the headland are the white Peace Pagoda and the small cove of Jungle Beach, 30 to 45 minutes on foot.

The downside is that it’s no longer quiet. A Daily Mirror writer visiting in early 2025 described busier roads, more bars and new buildings. For calmer sand nearby, visitors suggest Dalawella and Thalpe.

Hikkaduwa: reef, turtles and surf

Hikkaduwa is a long beach along the main road rather than one bay, and different stretches suit different plans. In front of the town, the shallow reef lagoon is protected as Hikkaduwa National Park, about 101 hectares, and glass-bottom boats go out over it. Sea turtles graze in the shallows a few metres from the sand, and Turtle Beach, at the northern end, is a popular place to see them. Narigama, another stretch, is mostly a surf area.

Sri Lanka Tourism gives November to March as the best time for surfing here. Hikkaduwa also has a reputation for nightlife, so choose a guesthouse away from the busiest stretch if you want to sleep.

Don’t expect bright, healthy coral. Bleaching in 1998 cut live coral cover from 47% to 13%, and much of the reef is dead or slowly recovering.

Side by side

• Swimming: Unawatuna’s sheltered bay is the easier swim in season. Hikkaduwa’s currents can be strong; stick to where the flags and lifeguards say.
• Snorkelling: both have reef close to shore. Hikkaduwa’s lagoon is a protected national park with turtles; Unawatuna’s eastern end has coral a few minutes from the sand.
• Surf: Hikkaduwa, from November to March.
• Sightseeing: Unawatuna, for Galle Fort next door. From Hikkaduwa, the Madu Ganga boat trips and the Ambalangoda Mask Museum are up the coast.
• Evenings: Hikkaduwa is livelier. Unawatuna has beach restaurants, seafood stalls and low-key music.
• Getting there: both have stations on the coastal line from Colombo. Hikkaduwa is about 98 km from Colombo on the A2, Unawatuna just beyond Galle.

Season and safety

The two share a season. Sri Lanka Tourism says the sea on this coast is calm and the weather sunny from November to March. The south-west monsoon, from May to September, brings the main rains and rougher sea to both.

Both have had drownings. In June 2024 a visitor died after being caught in rip currents off Unawatuna, and in January 2025 a young visitor was swept away off Hikkaduwa after ignoring the warning signs. Swim where the flags say it’s safe, ask locally about the day’s conditions, and read our guide to swimming safety.

Leave the turtles and the coral alone, at both: don’t touch, feed or chase turtles, and don’t stand on the reef.

Which should you choose?

• First trip, want to swim and see Galle: Unawatuna.
• Surfing, or learning to: Hikkaduwa, in the November to March season.
• Travelling with children: Unawatuna’s sheltered bay, with close supervision as on any beach.
• Want a lively evening: Hikkaduwa.
• Want quiet: neither, really. Try Dalawella or Thalpe, or look further along the coast in Mirissa or Unawatuna and Mirissa, Weligama or Hiriketiya.

They’re close enough to combine: stay in one and take the train or a tuk-tuk to the other for a day. Coming from Colombo? Hikkaduwa is the nearer of the two, and Bentota or Hikkaduwa compares it with the resort beach further north.

Header photo: Kondephy / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Last checked 22 October 2026