5 Must-See Places in Hambantota

Heading to Sri Lanka for the World T20? Then make sure you hit up these gorgeous locales in Hambantota too!

Bundala National Park

It's hard to go wrong with national parks just about anywhere. Then you take into account the gargantuan visual beauty of the 'pearl of the Indian Ocean,' otherwise known as Sri Lanka and you realize this will be even better. Located towards the south of Wirawila Weva, this wildlife sanctuary has been very well protected. As such, it's pretty spectacular in its beauty too.
The high diversity of wildlife in the region ensures that it's the ideal place for spotting everything from elephants to deer to wild boar, peacocks and of course those incredible and terrifying crocodiles! To make the package seem even more appealing, entry fees are surprisingly low and can obtain your visitors pass from the visitors centre with ease.

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Jungle River Safari

We know you felt a little thrill up your spine at the title itself, and you should! It's every bit as exciting as it sounds with opportunities to see wildlife galore, the ever-popular boat rides on Walawe river and the kind of densely rich bio-diversity that is enough to stun you into silence. Think over 52 species of fish, 72 species of bird, 38 varieties of plants and 28 different types of animals!
Plus, there's the added thrill of white water rafting for adrenaline junkies looking for a spot of adventure sports before they head off to the stadium for wild crowds and T20 cricket!

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Ussangoda

Anyone who's ever been even remotely fascinated by Hindu mythology at any point in their lives absolutely cannot give this historical spot a miss. Supposedly this is the legendary landing spot of the evil Hindu king, Ravana, who came across the skies in a winged peacock chariot. Reminiscent of its powerful history, the view commands an equally gorgeous and panoramic view of both the seas and skies.
Many believe that its barren soil is actually a result of a meteorite crash that made it's landscape so unique. A scrub jungle of sorts encircles the beach, while a 60 feet drop from a plateau falls into a rocky escarpment of open sea. This is the sort of place you'd go to gain some perspective.

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Yala National Park

This is known to be the most visited tourist attraction in Hambantota so we couldn't leave it off the list even though we already included another national park. Besides, who said there was a limit on how much incredible wildlife and nature a tourist can absorb on a single trip?
This particular park has been hailed as the best in the world to spot and photograph leopards and aside from this you can also expect to feast your eyes upon a wide range of other rare species. Spotted deers, sambars, wild buffaloes, sloth bears and an incredible number (around 115 to be precise) of birds speckle the lush expanses of green that is this park. And then there's the coastline that forms a major nesting ground for marine turtles! Need we say more?

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Situlpawwa Temple

Yes, we know it gets a bit tiring to visit all the religious places (especially anywhere in South East Asia) but this is one of those sprawling displays of opulence-meets-culture-meets-faith-meets-positivity. It has been identified as one of the greatest 2nd century sites of Buddhist scholarship and its name comes from an ancient word which means 'The hill of the quiet mind.'
The history, mythology and stories behind it are as fascinating as they are fantastic and we sincerely doubt you'll be disappointed by the tall tales either. It's also located in front of the Maha Sithulpawwa rock that is 400 feet in height .

The cave temple is 67 feet high and 30 feet long, plus it's part of an intricate cave-complex at Sithulpawwa for any architecture enthusiasts out there. Most of these caves hold inscriptions in the long lost Brahmi script for any archaeology enthusiasts!