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Jungle Beach One of the more secluded beaches in the southern coast, Jungle Beach is an idyllic stretch of golden sands that allow you to admire the grandeur of the Rumassala Hill on one side, and the stunning Indian Ocean on the other. Ideal after a trek to Rumassala Hill, make your way to Jungle Beach to shake off the humidity and heat. Wade and weave through a thick jungle before finding the enticing blue waters and warm golden sands. A refreshing swim before heading back to one of our Taru Villas properties in Galle Fort will be ideal for your beach holiday.

Madol duwa Koggala is one of the famous tourists’ attraction places in Sri Lanka. It is located on the southern coast of Sri Lanka. Madol Duwa is one of seven islands located on the Koggala Lake. It is a biodiversity place where you can enjoy boat trips in the lagoon and koggal lake. Madol Duwa is an island whereas became very well-known through the famous ‘Madol Duwa’ noval written by Martin Wickramasinghe. You can to take boat trips and explore the islands around the Koggala Lake. It is a home to various species of mangrove swamps, prawns and birds.

Dharmapala Park To the north west of Galle Fort and to the west of Galle International Cricket Stadium you will find an attractive double span white bridge over the river. It is named the Butterfly Bridge because of its appearance. It leads to the green oasis of Dharmapala Park that surrounds the civic buildings of Galle City Hall, Municipal Council and Southern Province Land Commissioners. This is a favourite location for local mothers to bring their young children to so they can play on the lawns and in the playgrounds. Later in the day you will find young couples holding hands and sitting on benches. The park was destroyed by the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami but has recovered. It is lush and green. It offers a bit of peace and tranquility from the bustle of the nearby Galle shopping streets. 120 different native Sri Lankan trees and plants were used to replant the park after the soil had been drained and fresh organic matter added to the land. Salt tolerant hedge trees were planted along the coast to provide protection from sea breezes. The plants were chosen to provide interest throughout the year. Somewhere in the park there will be a bush or tree in flower for visitors to admire. Occasionally local schools and Temples use the open space of Dharmapala Park to put on dances, drama or music recitals. You may be lucky to see local fishermen try to catch their dinner at the mouth of the river near the Butterfly Bridge. They perch on the rocks close to the water's edge and use homemade fishing rod

Unawatuna Devol Devalaya Unawatuna Devol Temple.- Temples were made for God. Shailamaya Gal Guha, which is believed to have been used by God Devol about 2000 years ago, is also found here.Very old temple and a devol in Unawatuna area. Situated on a hill faced to the beach. A very nice and safe place to visit. You can see a very rare tree named Konthalan, in the temple premises. As per botanists, there are only few trees of this type available in the world.

Seenigama Sri Devol Maha Devalaya Seenigama is a small village on the south-west coast on the main Colombo-Matara road way. Located just before Hikkaduwa. The Seenigama Devalaya (shrine) is on a small island short way from the beach. The Seenigama Devalaya dedicated to the Devol Deviyo, or God Devol, is a popular destination for people coming from all parts of the country make offering at the shrine. Devol is a local god, who protect the fisherman and their boats and from more recently buses and lorries. The people who make “Bara” or “Puja” (offerings) worship the god at the beach. There is also coin boxes at the road for the convenience of the traveler who wants a make a quick offering. But the popularity of Seenigama Devalaya is due to a more sinister reason. Devol Deviyo (like Suniyam Deviyo and Gatabaru Deviyo) is highly capable of placing curses on adversaries and people all over the country are drawn to Seenigama Devalaya for this reason. The people who place curses do this at the small island away from the main land. In general people tell what kind of injustice someone has done to them and that they therefore request the god to invoke a punishment on them. This is done through grinding chilies on a special stone on the island while the curse is made.

Kanneliya Rain Forest Distance from Galle – 40 km (1 hour 19 minutes). The Kanneliya Forest Reserve is situated in the Udugama – Hiniduma Road in Galle. It is also known as the Kanneliya-Dediyagala-Nakiyadeniya forest complex and is the last remaining large rainforest in Sri Lanka apart from Sinharaja. Kanneliya harbors many plants and animals endemic to Sri Lanka. It sits on area of 10,139 ha and is governed by the Department of Forest Conservation. The Kanneliya Forest Reserve was designated as a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 2004. The Gin Ganga and Nilwala Ganga rivers are sourced from within the forest. It is identified as one of the most floristically rich areas in South Asia. The Kanneliya Forest Reserve had a few waterfalls in and around the area. Anagimale Ella Waterfall is located close to the entrance of the forest reserve whereas Narangas Ella Waterfall is situated much deeper inside the forest. Malamura Waterfall is located a few kilometers away from the Kanneliya Forest Reserve in the village of Panangala. Note: There are leeches in the forest. So don’t forget to put on your anti-leech socks or spray to keep yourself protected.Getting to Kanneliya Forest Reserve From Galle take the Galle – Udugama Road and go past Walahanduwa, Isivara and Akmeemana up until you reach Yakkalamulla. From there take the Yakkalamulla – Ketanwila Road and go up to the Panangala village. Travel about 12 km from there up until you reach the village of Koralegama. Travel about 2 km further to reach the Kanneliya Forest Reserve.

Hiyare Reservoir Hiyare Reservoir Rain Forest is situated on Udugama Road in Galle. It is a conservation forest area located next to the Hiyare reservoir and is a nature lover’s paradise. The rain forest is home to many species of fish, amphibians, birds, reptiles and mammals out of which some are endemic to Sri Lanka. The reservoir rain forest conservation area covers 600 acres in total. Endemic birds, butterflies and dragonflies exist in the highest concentration in this area. The Hiyare Reservoir Rain Forest also includes a Biodiversity Research Center. The Hiyare Reservior was built more than a century ago in order to provide water to the Galle town with only gravitational pressure. One part of Hiyare is managed by the Sri Lankan Forest Department and the reservoir area is administered by the Wildlife Society of Galle. The Biodiversity Center provides immediate medical and surgical care for injured wildlife of the area. The Hiyare Reservoir Rain Forest is a secondary lowland rain forest with a high diversity and endemic species. There are 55 species of dragonflies, of which 12 are endemic to Hiyare area. Furthermore, a total of 78 species of butterflies have been identified with three endemic to the area.

Gin Ganga The Gin Ganga (Sinhala: ගිං ගඟ, Gin River), is a 115.9 km (72 mi) long river situated in Galle District of Sri Lanka. The river's headwaters are located in the Gongala Mountain range, near Deniyaya, bordering the Sinharaja Forest Reserve. The river flows past the villages of Baddegama, Nagoda, Thelikada and Hegoda. The Wakwella Bridge, which was the longest bridge in Sri Lanka, is built over this river. The river is also dammed at the Thelikada. The mouth of the river is at Gintota, just north of Galle.

Kottawa Rain Forest Kottawa forest reserve is situated in northeast of Galle along the main road to Udugama township. This isolated patch of low country rain forest is only about 37acres in extent. Nevertheless, it has all the features of a typical rainforest. The vegetation is that of wet evergreen type with tall trees struggling upwards to reach the sunlight with small canopies touching each other preventing the penetration of sunlight to the bed of the forest. The tree bases are buttress in nature, a well represented under storey of plant comprising of the dominate tree species is present and hence it is considered a climax community, a healthy sign for the continuity of the forest. The vegetation is dominated with Dipterocarpus species and tree ferns, where orchids and moss grow on their tall tree trunks. There are about 170 tree species identified in the area of which about 100 species are endemic to the country. About 80 common tree species have been identified and numbered with their botanic names. In Kottawa Arboretum can be able to observe about 70 species of birds, including 12 endemics, such as Yellow-fronted Barbet, Brown-capped Babbler, Spot-winged Thrush, Sri Lankan Spurfowl and Grey Hornbill. It is also a good place to see some beautiful Sri Lankan butterflies (Birdwing, Tree Nymph, Clipper, Blue Oakleaf and more). The Purple-faced Leaf Monkey, Toque Monkey and Giant Squirrel dominate the canopy area of the forest. Among the reptiles, some beautiful Sri Lankan non-venomous snakes and some endemic agamid lizards could be found in the area. The unpolluted streams that traverse through the forest area harbours a variety of fresh water fishes of which most of them are endemic to the country. From Galle take the Udugama Road (B129). Just past the km 13 post on the B 129, on the right, is the Kottawa Information Center. Further along the road before the 14 km post are gates to the left and a large yellow sign board “Kottawa Arboretum Wet Evergreen Forest Kottawa Kombala”. The center which issues tickets is open from 08.30am to 5.00 pm. Approximately 17 km from Galle.

Ahangama and Madigama Beach These two cities are two of the most famous places for surfing in the world. In Ahangama, you have to go to Kabalana beach for surfing. If you are in the middle of the city, you can reach the playground by the 139 km Kanuwa. You can get services at very low cost in connection with these two beaches. Also, these two beaches are not crowded with surfers. These two places are famous all over the world because of the waves that exist in those two places.

Wedihiti Kanda On the Tissa-Kataragama main road, go to Kataragama after passing the Gammuda junction and turn around 100m and you will find this beautiful mountain. There are many legends and historical information about the Elder Mountain. The elder mountain got its name because Kandasamy (Kataragama Devidudu) lived there. During the Sura Asura War, the divine Velayudha brought from her body by Parvati, the mother of Skanda Kumara to defeat the Asuras, was buried in the Hema Koota, or Mount of Elders. It was located quite far from Sella Kataragama. Kataragama was located at a distance of three miles from Mount Elder. According to the ruins of a temple that emerges on the Elder Mountain, information is revealed that there used to be a temple there. Sages have meditated here in the company of mountains. In this way, the Elder Mountain is a great place, and the mystical power that exists here is attributed to it. Jeeps are used to climb the Elder Mountain, but to experience the real beauty here, you have to climb the steps and walk on foot.

Madunagala Temple Hermitage Madunagala Aranya Senasanaya is a Buddhist monastery which is situated in Sooriyawewa in the Hambantota district. Distance from Tangalle – 48.5 km (1 hour 23 minutes) Madunagala Aranya Senasanaya is a Buddhist monastery which is situated in Sooriyawewa in the Hambantota district. The monastery is situated in the middle of a forest and is surrounded by flora and fauna including peacocks and eagles. The Madunagala Hermitage dates back to the Anuradhapura era and was founded by a monk who retreated in to the forest. It is the ideal location with a peaceful environment suitable for meditation. Many devotees from around the island come here to give alms to the monks. Getting to Madunagala Aranya Senasanaya From Tangalle travel along the Colombo – Galle – Hambantota – Wellawaya Highway, Ridiyagama Road and Koggalla Road passing Netolpitiya and Ambalantota to reach the Madunagala Aranya Senasanaya which is situated along Madunagala Meditation Center Road in Sooriyawewa, Hambantota.