Unawatuna is one of our favorite places to stay in Sri Lanka. We love this southern gem for its beautiful beaches, and it’s only a couple of hours from the capital city of Colombo. Although the town itself is small, it offers excellent shopping, guesthouses, trendy restaurants, and nearby activities. We stayed for a few days, but you could easily stay here for a longer vacation. Here are our top tips!
Best Things to do in Unawatuna
1. Unawatuna Beach
Popular with both the tourists and the locals, the main beach in Unawatuna is busier than most. But we always found a spot! We rented a sunbed and chilled out on the long stretch of soft sand for the day.
- Beautiful water that’s perfect for swimming.
- Even after sunset, people stay on the beach for a buzzing evening vibe.
- Great location! The beach lies directly alongside the center of town, where we found plenty of restaurants and bars (our favorite was Lemongrass Cafe).
Also read: best beaches in Sri Lanka
2. Wijaya Beach (Beach Swing)
After a bit of searching, we found the best beach swing in the area! It’s Instagram famous as ‘the beach swing at Wijaya Beach’, but in reality, it’s actually just around the corner. We searched for Dream Cabana on Google Maps and found it in this exact spot. Oh, and if you do happen to go, say hi from us to the guys over there!
3. Jungle Beach Unawatuna
On the opposite side of Unawatuna’s main beach, we discovered Jungle Beach, a stunning golden beach lined with palm trees. It’s a bit hidden, so it took us a bit to find, but it’s so worth it!
- About a 10-15 minute drive from the center of Unawatuna town
- Surrounded by lush green hills
- Beautiful turquoise water
- Because it’s a bit further out, it’s also a lot quieter than the beach in town
Also read our: Sri Lanka itinerary (3 weeks)
4. Visit Galle Fort
While in Unawatuna, we wanted to do some daytrips, and Galle was first on the list, as it’s only a 15-minute drive away. The main reason to visit is to see the old fort, which is architecturally influenced by the Dutch, Portuguese, and British rule. We walked along the old walls for epic views across the ocean (best at sunset)!
We also found Galle to be an excellent shopping destination. Our favorites:
- Barefoot: This shop is the southern outpost of the stylish homeware shop we found in Colombo.
- Orchid House: Beautiful handicrafts, sarongs, and gemstones.
- Stick No Bills: Design shop selling fun and colorful graphics printed on postcards and wallpaper.
Continue reading: a day trip to Galle Fort
5. Surfing or SUPping
Between Unawatuna and Galle, we found the perfect beach to improve our surfing. The waves are fairly small here, which was perfect for our level. Our recommendation: We rented boards and had lessons at Ahikava Surf School. The instructors here are brilliant!
The best season for surfing in Unwatuna is November – May. If you don’t want to ride the waves, we saw people renting paddleboards instead.
6. Fitness in Unawatuna
We like to stay active while traveling, and we found a great gym: Unawatuna Fitness Center. Although we only visited a couple of times during our trip, it had all the equipment (and AC!) we needed.
We paid around 2 USD for a day pass, but they also sell a week pass for about 10 USD.
Tip: Make sure to chat to the locals at the gym. We got loads of great tips on what to do in the area!
Also read: Dikwella, the surf & beach gem of Sri Lanka
7. Unawatuna’s Best Infinity Pool
We found the perfect little escape between Unawatuna and Galle Fort: Luna Terrace (at the Closenberg Hotel). Perched above the coastline, this dreamy spot has an infinity pool and a bar with some of the best ocean views we’ve seen in Sri Lanka.
Tip: We rented a motorbike to explore the area, but you can also contact our friend Indi to arrange private transport during your trip.
8. Stay at Tri Lanka
We stayed at the sensational Hotel Tri for a couple of days and would recommend it to anyone visiting Unawatuna. This peaceful hideaway sits right on the edge of peaceful Koggala Lake, and has awesome views across the water and cinnamon plantations. Check out the sunsets we saw below!
9. Rent a Motorbike in Unawatuna
We found the best way to explore Unwatuna was by motorbike. It gave us greater flexibility to venture beyond town, to places like Koggala, Galle Fort, and Wijaya Beach.
We got ours from Kumari Tours and paid about 6 USD a day for a brand-new motorbike.
Don’t Visit: Turtle Hatcheries
We saw several small turtle hatcheries while traveling in the area, where they care for injured turtles. These turtles are saved from becoming entangled in fishing nets or plastic debris. It’s a good cause, but unfortunately, it has become a market for collecting and selling eggs to hatcheries and for charging tourists extra to hold baby turtles, which we don’t support.
Read more about wildlife tourism + the better alternatives.
How to Get to Unawatuna
To get to Unawatuna, we used a private driver (our friend, Indi), who charged about 40-50 USD.
Other Transport Options
- Rent a motorbike: It’s only 2 hours from Colombo!
- Tuk-tuk: We’re not sure about the price from Colombo, but we paid around 2.50 USD for a tuk-tuk ride between Galle and Unawatuna.
- Train: Look for trains from Colombo Fort to Galle (or Matara) and hop off at Unawatuna station (note that not all trains stop here) or Galle station. Then, take a tuk-tuk to Unawatuna.
We recommend to rent a car in Sri Lanka through Sunny Cars with free cancellation and insurance included. Book your rental car here.
Where to Stay
We found hotels and guesthouses in Unawatuna to be pricier than elsewhere in Sri Lanka, but we understand why, as they’re really beautiful! The area is popular, so book your hotel in advance, especially during high season (December – April).
Best Restaurants in Unawatuna
We tried a new dish for lunch/dinner every day in Unawatuna. Our favorite was Lemongrass, but there were so many great options!
- Lemongrass Cafe (our favorite!)
- Happy Spice (cheap + local)
- SkinnyTom’s Deli (best breakfast)
- The Social Unawatuna (burgers and seafood)
Best Time to Visit Unawatuna
The best time (but busiest) is from December to April and from July until the end of September. If you plan to surf, visit between November and May for ideal conditions.
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can’t find Luna Terrace anywhere
Hi Leo, it seemed to have closed doors! We will update our guide.
Looks like it’s at the Closenberg hotel