Bentota Beach
A wide golden beach where the Bentota River meets the sea, with calm river water sports, mangrove boat trips and some of the west coast's best known resorts.
Bentota Beach stretches for kilometres along Sri Lanka's west coast, where the Bentota River flows into the Indian Ocean. That meeting of river and sea gives it two very different sides. On one, a broad golden beach lined with palms and resorts faces the open ocean. On the other, the river is calm and sheltered, which makes it the best place on the coast for water sports.
Jet skiing, banana boats, wakeboarding, windsurfing and kayaking all run from the riverbank, and there are dive and snorkel trips out to the reefs offshore. For something slower, a boat trip up the river takes you through mangroves, past water monitors and kingfishers, and into small villages along the banks.
Bentota is also home to some of Sri Lanka's best known Ayurveda resorts, making it a popular place to rest and recover. The area has a strong design heritage too: Geoffrey Bawa's country estate at Lunuganga is close by, and his brother Bevis created Brief Garden, a peaceful garden just inland. Further south, the turtle hatcheries around Kosgoda are a short drive away.
The sea is at its calmest from around November to April, the best time for swimming and lazy beach days. During the southwest monsoon, from around May to September, the waves are big and swimming can be dangerous, though the river activities usually carry on. Always swim near other people and watch for red flags. Bentota is an easy drive from Colombo and the airport, so it makes a calm first or last stop on a trip.
At a glance
- Entry fee: Free
- Opening hours: Open all day
- Time needed: 1 to 3 days
- Best time: November to April, when the sea is calm
How to get there
On the coast road and railway line, about 65km south of Colombo. Trains stop at Bentota station, near the river mouth and the beach.