Galle and the South Coast

Galle Fort is a walled Dutch town on a promontory, still lived in rather than preserved behind glass. The ramparts take about an hour to walk and are best at either end of the day; inside, the grid of streets holds churches, warehouses converted into hotels, and a working mosque beside the lighthouse. East of Galle the coast opens into a run of bays — Unawatuna, Mirissa, Weligama, Tangalle — each with a different character and a different swell. Mirissa is the base for blue whale watching between November and April; boats leave before dawn and the sea can be rough enough to matter if you are prone to it. The south coast monsoon runs May to September, when the water turns rough and many places close. December to March is the season, and prices reflect it.