Kalutara

Kalutara
(42km south of Colombo)
Kalutara is memorable to tourists passing through the town firstly for their driver’s obligatory stop at a temple where he deposits a coin into a till to pray for safe passage to their destination, and secondly for the bright purple heaps of locally-produced mangosteens during the season.
But on closer inspection it has much to explore. The temple – the Gangatilaka Vihara – whose striking white dagoba dominates your sight as you cross the bridge travelling south – is Kalutara’s most dominant landmark. It also marks the point at which Sri Lanka’s fourth largest river – the expansive Kalu Ganga (“black river”) from which the town gets its name – divides the place into its northern (Mahawaskaduwa) and southern (Katukurunda) areas. The sandy catamaran-scattered beaches to the north of Kalutara are often deserted and largely undeveloped – ideal for quick dips and long sunset strolls.