Koggala

Fishermen on stilts patiently waiting for fish to gobble up the bait dangling from thangus thread attached to long thin poles made out of kithul stems are an iconic sight in Koggala. One of the most attractive and longest beaches of Sri Lanka, Koggala is favoured by fish such as koraburuwo and bollan. Visitors to the Koggala beach can still see fishermen practising this slowly dying but nevertheless charming fishing technique. 

In the afternoon, beachgoers can stay to watch as these fishermen walk chest deep into the waves to perch on their stilts and cast their fishing rods into the water. Lingering on as the evening gives way to night, visitors can enjoy stunning sunsets, where the entire sky appears to be set ablaze by the fiery sun sinking beneath the waves.

Koggala is also the home of the famous Martin Wickramasinghe Folk Museum. The veteran Sinhala author penned many a story with Koggala as the setting, and at the museum, various traditional kitchen utensils and Sri Lankan carts, kolam masks, and Buddhist artefacts are displayed, providing an insight to Sri Lankan folk culture of days gone by.

The Sri Lanka Air Force plane parked permanently at the end of the Koggala airstrip is another attraction that lures in the visitor. On the nearby beach, there is a swimming pool blasted into the rock by British airmen stationed at Koggala in the 1940s.

At the quaint Ranwella Temple in Giniwella, visitors can see the first press in Ceylon. Gifted by the King of Siam in 1859, it published the very first Sinhala newspaper, Lankalokaya.

Discover Koggala, including the famous Madol Duwa island mentioned in Martin Wickramasinghe's famous novel by the same name.