Things to do in Bentota
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Bentota
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
The season: calm swimmable seas, dry sun, everything open, peak prices, with Christmas and New Year the busiest fortnight.
Shoulders: April hot and turning, October and November inter-monsoon with heavy rain spells, flood risk and a sea that settles only by late November.
Southwest monsoon: rough red flagged sea, often unswimmable, heavy rain bursts, lowest prices; come for the river, gardens and Galle, not for swimming.
What's on
- Vesak Full moon in May
Lanterns, free food stalls and full temples mark the birth, enlightenment and passing of the Buddha; alcohol sales stop.
- Poson Full moon in June
Sri Lanka's second great Buddhist festival, marked fully at Bentota temples including Kande Viharaya, in monsoon season.
Best things to do in Bentota
Lunuganga Estate
Geoffrey Bawa's country home and lifelong garden experiment, seen on a guided tour that reveals the design in the lake views.
Brief Garden
Bevis Bawa's playful garden of hidden paths, ponds and statues, with his art filled house as the paid extra.
Kande Viharaya
A hill temple above Aluthgama fronted by a seated Buddha around 48 metres high, best at dawn or late afternoon.
Galapatha Raja Maha Vihara
An ancient village temple with 12th century origins and rock inscriptions, quieter than Kande Viharaya and rarely crowded.
Kosgoda Sea Turtle Conservation Project
Kosgoda's best known hatchery, with egg protection, hatchling tanks and injured adults, a short hands-on family visit.
Where to stay in Bentota
Paradise Island spit and river mouth
resort stays, families, river plus beach in one base
The narrow land between the Bentota River and the sea holds the big resorts, with water sports on the river side and sand on the other.
Pitaramba beach strip
mid-range and budget, eating out on foot
The Galle Road and Beach Road lanes south of the river hold the villa hotels, guesthouses and most independent restaurants.
Inland garden lanes, Kommala and Yathramulla
quiet, character, garden lovers
Green lanes a short tuk tuk ride from the sand, with boutique stays in old houses and gardens instead of a beachfront.
Aturuwella, south of the strip
couples and splurge quiet
A calmer headland and cove setting south of the main beach, worth it for Saman Villas itself.
Think twice about
- Aluthgama town side as a beach base
Across the river from the beach strip, busy with coast road traffic and the market, and every beach trip starts with a bridge crossing. Fine for the station, the temple and water sports, not for a beach holiday base.
Best restaurants in Bentota
Malli's Seafood Restaurant Riverside
The special seafood dinner in town, tables at the river's edge and on floating platforms, best booked for sunset.
Esprit Seafood Restaurant and Bar
Grilled seafood and cocktails on the sand at the EKHO Surf hotel, resort polish without needing to stay there.
Vintage Restaurant
Tiger prawns, tuna steak and Sri Lankan curries in antique filled open rooms by a stream, at mid band prices.
Golden Grill Restaurant
A big long established Sri Lankan and Indian restaurant by the station, with buffets and strong vegetarian choice.
Happy Garden Restaurant
The budget traveller's kitchen by the railway, rice and curry sets cooked to order at prices well under the resorts.
Outdoor things to do in Bentota
Bentota River
A two hour small boat safari through mangrove channels with monitors, monkeys, kingfishers and sometimes a small crocodile.
Sunshine Water Sports Centre
The biggest water sports base on the river, jet skis, banana boats and paddling on flat water that suits beginners.
Bentota Beach
Kilometres of broad golden sand between river and sea, a swimming and sunset beach in season, a walking beach out of it.
Madu River
A lagoon safari of mangrove islands, a cinnamon island and an island temple, the bigger half day river trip from Bentota.
Galle Fort
A UNESCO listed Dutch fort town of ramparts and cafes an hour south, best walked at sunset after the coastal train ride.
Best hotels in Bentota
Jetwing Saman Villas
A small adults only luxury property of suites and pool villas on a rocky headland, built for couples and quiet.
Taj Bentota Resort & Spa
The big classic full service beach resort where the river meets the sea, with spa, pool and several restaurants.
Cinnamon Bentota Beach
A Bawa designed resort rebuilt as a premium flagship, river on one side and beach on the other, strong for families.
Club Villa
A small villa hotel in tropical gardens near the sand, a handful of rooms and a pool at a mid-range price.
Nisala Arana Boutique Hotel
A 19th century planter's house in a big tropical garden inland, trading the beachfront for shade, space and character.
Hotel Susantha Garden
The long running budget favourite, colourful rooms in shady gardens with a pool, minutes from the northern beach.
Palm Beach Inn & Sea Shells Cabanas
Simple rooms and beach cabanas with home cooking at among the lowest nightly prices on the Bentota strip.
Is Bentota expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | LKR 9,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | LKR 25,000 a person |
| Splurge | LKR 90,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Lunuganga Estate: a few days ahead
- Jetwing Saman Villas: weeks ahead
- Taj Bentota Resort & Spa: weeks ahead
- Cinnamon Bentota Beach: weeks ahead
- Club Villa: a few days ahead
- Nisala Arana Boutique Hotel: a few days ahead
- Malli's Seafood Restaurant Riverside: a few days ahead
- Book rooms, Malli's Riverside and Lunuganga garden tours ahead in the December to March season.
- Agree river safari and water sports prices, duration and damage terms in full before boarding or riding.
Is Bentota safe?
- The sea is the main hazard: in the southwest monsoon, roughly May to September, Bentota surf and rip currents are dangerous, red flags fly and swimming is often impossible. Swim only where your hotel advises and respect flags year round.
- Adventure tourism safety standards are loosely regulated; check kit, insist on lifejackets and confirm insurance before water sports.
Bentota travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Jetty and beach touts selling river safaris, gem shop detours and turtle experiences well above the going rate.
- Any gem pitched as an investment purchase; buy nothing you cannot value yourself.
Getting around Bentota: public transport and more
- Agree every tuk tuk fare, including waiting time at gardens and temples, before setting off, because meters are rare.
- Use the coastal railway from Bentota and Aluthgama stations for Colombo, Galle and Matara, and book expressway cars through your hotel for the airport.
Who Bentota suits
| Solo travellers | OK |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Bentota your trip
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