Fishing in sri lanka koggal. Koggala. Sri Lanka - Koggale Travel Guide: beach, hotels, interesting places, shops and a detailed map. Koggala Spice Garden

At the height of the tourist season in Sri Lanka, Aeroflot organizes direct flights to Colombo International Airport. With transfers, you can fly to Colombo using the airlines “Emirates” (change in Dubai), “Qatar Airways” (change in Doha), “Etihad” (change in Abu Dhabi). A direct flight takes 9 hours, and with transfers - 14 hours. From the capital of Sri Lanka, you can get to the resort of Kogalla by bus or taxi. The time difference is 1.5 hours.

The climate at the resort is equatorial. The average annual temperature fluctuates around +27 degrees. The resort has two rainy seasons: the first from May to September (southwest monsoon), the second from October to April (northeast monsoon). The height of the holiday season begins in mid-November and continues until the end of April.

Tourists call Kogalla a magical resort, because these are long sandy beaches surrounded by tropical thickets washed by the waters of the Indian Ocean. The beaches of this resort are recognized as one of the best in the whole world. There are many equipped points on the coast for fans of windsurfing, diving, water skiing and sailing.

Most hotels are located right on the coast. You can choose an expensive five-star hotel or a budget three-star.

In the southern part of the island is the hotel The Fortress Hotel 5 *. This hotel is located on a wide beach, 132 km. from Colombo airport. It features a pool and a business center. Organized children's activities and entertainment for adults.

Only 14 km. from the city of Galle is the hotel Long Beach Resort 4 *. For the convenience of guests, excursion programs, water activities and sports are organized.

Directly on the beach, in a palm garden, there is a complex of two Club Koggala Village 3 * hotels. The hotel has several restaurants, bars, an outdoor pool. From entertainment: diving, badminton, volleyball, tennis. Fishing and animation are organized.

One of the main attractions is the famous Kogalla Lake, which is located right along the sea coast. You can ride on the lake in a motor boat. This is a turquoise lagoon with three islands: “Temple Island” or the island of a Buddhist temple, “Ananda Spice Garden”, where a variety of spices grow, and the island “Cinnamon Island”, where cinnamon plantations are located.

Of great interest to tourists is the Museum of Folk Art and Culture. The museum exposition is collected from a variety of products of craftsmen and household items of the indigenous inhabitants.

Residents of Sri Lanka worship the Buddha and therefore you can see the image of this deity everywhere. It is especially interesting to see the ruins of Polannaruwa, which housed the capital of ancient Sinhals. Now monkey families have settled on the ruins of the city.

Another unique attraction of the resort is the temple of Vatadage. This is a carved structure right in the rocks, on the north side of which towers the figures of Buddha.

Tourists from all over the world rush to the beaches of Kogalla for outdoor activities. An unforgettable experience is guaranteed for lovers of diving, water skiing and windsurfing. There are diving centers in the coastal zone where you can learn extreme diving with experienced instructors. All water sports are at your disposal on the beaches of Kogalla.

Hello everyone :) Two weeks ago, returned from Sri Lanka. Since before the trip, trying to learn more about this country, the reviews of other tourists really helped me, I decided not to be too lazy and write my review :)

We rested in the resort of Koggala, Hotel Koggala Beach. I must say, we hit the point! The hotel is cool, everything is clean, neat, the beach is just awesome, wide, beautiful, as in the pictures. I want to say, for those who will choose hotels in Koggal, even a 5-star Fortress hotel doesn’t have such a beach nearby, moreover, they don’t have a beach at all :) There, where the hotel territory ends, a small precipice and that’s all. There is no beach :) The situation is similar in Koggala Village, but better, closer to the normal beach.

But, most importantly, this is OCEAN. Many have already written, but I repeat - this is Something. As we joked at the end of the trip: the sea is a big puddle compared to the ocean. This is simply unreal power and beauty. There is nothing similar on planet Earth!

By the way, they write the truth, you have to be careful with the ocean. His thrust is colossal. The guys bathed longer, but I couldn’t get it for more than 10 minutes, you get tired, as if you were swimming in the pool, doing 15 swimming back and forth :) Usually they were squeezed out :) J But there are lots of fun. Waves at sea are not even nearby.

And in general, not only the ocean, but also the nature of the country, of course, struck us, incredible beauty. And the climate, by the way, is quite pleasant, there is no strong stuffiness and humidity is not so felt as in other countries of the Asian region, so it’s very comfortable to relax.

About the transfer. Everything was great. Thank God, the Sri Lankans began to build highways. An autobahn has already been built from Colombo (the capital) along the entire southwest coast. So we got to the hotel quickly enough, about 3 hours, of which 1 hour we traveled around the outskirts of Colombo and, since the traffic there was terrible, it was very long :) But when we got onto the autobahn, the speed of movement increased significantly :)

By the way, the airport has the most favorable rate, in mid-September it was 130 rupees for 1 dollar, in the hotel 123 rupees. At the airport, on the return flight, according to the receipt that you were given during the exchange upon arrival, you can exchange the unspent rupees for dollars at the same rate. When exchanging, immediately ask to exchange several large bills for small ones (50-100 rupees each), also at the hotel you can go up at the reception and ask to exchange for small ones, but they do not always happen. Small bills must always be with you, at least because giving change is not part of the Sri Lankan mentality; as well as for tips.

Also at the airport it is very profitable and inexpensive to buy a SIM card for mobile. Better to take Mobitel, communication is better. It costs 1000 rupees (approx. 7.5 bucks), of which 850 rupees falls into the account. Operator booths are located just before the exit from the airport on the left. The connection is very cheap, they talked with Chisinau, Kiev, Moscow, even at the end of the vacation they puzzled who else to call to chat, to blurt out the money, so as not to be wasted :) In Koggal, they’ll weld a card for many times more expensive, which’s about 700-800 Rupees only for sim card, empty.

We arrived at the hotel at 8 in the morning, we were immediately settled, which was just wonderful, given the difficult road.

We took All Inclusive and did not regret it. Guys, there is especially nowhere to eat outside the hotel. There are two cafes, one right next to the hotel, the other a little further. Or take something dry in the shops. In the hotel itself, taking lunch or dinner separately is expensive. Alcohol only in individual shops they sell, in Galle (about half an hour away by tuk-tuk). According to our estimates, All Inclusive cost us an order of magnitude cheaper than we would eat and buy drinks and alcohol ourselves. By the way, who will try their famous red rum: in the hotel red rum sucks. If you want really tasty local red rum, take Calypso rum in their alcohol shops, this is the best Sri Lankan red rum, checked :) It costs a small bottle of 375 ml - about 700 rupees (approx. 5-6 dollars), a large liter - about 1400 rupees (10-11 bucks).

Ah, I’d like to warn you right away. Everyone wants a tip there. The hotel staff (and everything, and not just the maids), bus drivers, sellers, just passers-by. At the tea plantation, women immediately ran up to us - workers took pictures, and then asked for money. In the elephant nursery, the workers guys bring the elephants closer to the tourist so that he takes a picture, then they ask for money. Even in the free toilet in a restaurant in Kandy, upon exiting back we came across a aunty cleaning lady who was trying to ask for money. Everything is clear, the country is poor, rather poorer than ours, but. Of course, you need to give sometimes, but there are 100 rupees, there are 100 rupees (about 1 dollar), and if you don’t hold back, you can stay without money :) In the early days we handed out, and then began to slow down in order to avoid bankruptcy :)

Yet. For those who smoke, stock up on more cigarettes, as there are no normal cigarettes in Sri Lanka. This is a disaster. There is only Dunhill lousy (500 rupees - 4 bucks) and Marlboro smuggled from Vietnam to the local beach, very strong, 400 rupees (about 3 bucks), and they sell only 10 packs. For me smoking light thin cigarettes is a disaster. In addition, cigarettes are shot by everyone who is not lazy, again because they don’t sell good cigarettes, and apparently they want to smoke normal tobacco. Therefore, they ask everyone: beachboys, guards, life guards, etc. :) Again, maybe only with us, maybe not, but smoking there was much easier for us than at home, maybe because of the climate, but it took twice as many cigarettes a day than at home.

Excursions definitely need to be taken locally from local guys. Everything is already arranged there, they have their own tuk-tuk, buses, guides, etc. And much cheaper.

By the way, I would like to mention two guys: Gemini and Nimal, especially Gemini, he helped us a lot, we went on two excursions with him, ordered shrimps ready for him tasty (I will write about it later), brought us coconuts, drove us to trifles to Galle, to the shops on his tuk-tuk, if necessary, found us more tuk-tuks, if we were company and needed more tuk-tuks, treated us with local fruits, sweets, sometimes advised us where to go, where cheaper. He brought us the Durian fruit for free (we really wanted to try it, because we heard about this fruit, Gemini brought us one to try, why one - it just stinks sooooo like rotten onions, but it tastes sweet. In general, the impression is still The guys ate, but because of the smell I couldn’t swallow :) As Gemini said - this fruit greatly increases the potency in men :)

Gemini and I were on two excursions. I want to note that he worked well, looked at the time that where, so that we could keep up everywhere. For example, in the elephant nursery it was necessary to catch it in such a way as to catch the elephants first from the nursery itself, and then they will be bathed, if you are late then you will miss all the fun. He stopped us in beautiful places in different places, so that we could take pictures, drew our attention to some things that we ourselves would not have noticed. If there were requests to stop buying something, I told the driver to stop when we reached the place where it could be purchased. It was evident that he was trying to work well. If someone needs contacts, please use your health: Gemini: 0094726539424, Nimal: 00940777889065. Both speak fairly well Russian, you can understand. If you call, just tell me which hotel you are in, they themselves will come to the beach in the reception area or to the hotel gate from the side of the road. When meeting, it is much easier and more understandable to speak with them than by phone :) They can’t enter the hotel territory, like the rest of the local population.

Our first excursion: Pinavella elephant nursery + ride on elephants (price for riding is not included in the price, expensive, about 12 bucks per person, you can ride only in two) + see how elephants bathe in the river, then a spice garden, then Kandy and the temple Buddhas, then waterfalls and mountain tea plantations of Nuwara Eliya. The tour is awesome, we were delighted. Very beautiful places. They returned full of emotions and new experiences. The tour cost $ 75 per person (including all entrance tickets, i.e. we gave our guide 75 bucks, and he himself throughout the tour paid for us for entrance tickets, taxes, etc.), time - from 4 a.m. to 12 a.m. Do not worry, it's worth it to get up at 4 in the morning :) The bead is excellent, comfortable, with kondeem. By the way, who will go, do not hesitate to ask for a lunch ration at the hotel on the evening before departure, so that at 4 in the morning you will be given breakfast with you, and in the evening you will be left with a dry lunch ration at the reception. We ordered rations for ourselves and for the guys who went on an excursion with us and who didn’t have all inclusive, and even the guide and driver :)

By the way, after tea plantations, we were brought to the tea factory with a tea shop at the factory. At first, we did not want to buy anything, we thought it was a divorce and it would be cheaper in supermarkets in cities. It turned out wrong. There is no such tea in supermarkets, mostly cheap trash tea is sold to locals. By the way, in duty-free in Colombo, too, the choice is not so hot, and expensive. So we did not regret that we still decided to buy real mountain Ceylon tea there in Nuwara Eliya, even even the guys at the hotel who traveled after us ordered more tea to buy. At a cost of 100 grams, a pack is about $ 2, 300 grams - about $ 3 is black tea, green tea is about $ 3 per 150 grams. There, at the shop, you can sit on the terrace to try tea, they bring it for free. Silver or white tea is very expensive, they are some kind of special varieties, but again on the terrace we asked, we were made brewed to try, we didn’t feel anything. Maybe we are just not experts :)

Second tour: Dondra Lighthouse (the southernmost point of Sri Lanka) and jeep safari in the Yalla Nature Reserve. The lighthouse is very beautiful and the area around is awesome. It’s not worth going up to the lighthouse, honestly, you won’t see anything super interesting there, and climbing the narrow spiral staircase is quite tiring, even for our guys, although they are strong enough. Besides, it’s very stuffy inside. After the lighthouse, the guys went swimming in their clothes, as everyone was wet through with sweat :) And I soaked in the sink for about 5 minutes :)

The safari didn't really impress us. It was a bit problematic in a jeep with poor tires to walk on a rocky sandy road, sometimes it seemed that teeth would fly out now :) Beasts saw: there are a lot of elephants (very far away), buffalos, crocodiles, roe deer, a magunst (far away), a monitor lizard, a wild rooster, peacocks, one monkey, a wild boar, which ate the remaining wild boar left after the predator, and even a JAGUAR. As I read earlier in reviews, it’s a rarity to see him, so we were really unlucky. He ran right in front of our jeep and hid in the bushes and from there looked at us displeasedly. The rest of the jeeps drove up to our satisfied squeals no longer had time to see anything, since the jaguar had already fled somewhere far into the bushes. And so, all the way I wanted to get out of the jeep and go closer to the animals to take a closer look, but of course it was forbidden, so there wasn’t much enthusiasm, since all the animals were at a decent distance. But from the cognitive point of view and the desire to see more in this wonderful country - it was interesting. In time, we left the hotel at 9 am, with a stop at the lighthouse, then to Yalla. We had a snack in a restaurant, and from 3 to 6 pm we rode around the park. Then go home. The tour cost $ 60 (including all entrance fees).

Galle did not impress us at all. A noisy town, dirty, it smelled from time to time absolutely exotic combinations of smells for us :) We wandered around the ruins of a Dutch fort; tried to buy fruit in the local market, it didn’t work out, because seeing foreigners, local merchants start to peel just amazing prices, and drove back home. Halle is about half an hour away by tuk-tuk and 400-500 rupees (3-4 dollars) for a trip for one tuk-tuk round-trip. In one knock knock fits 3 people max. If you want to go to the city, it’s better to go to Matara, this is the other side of the hotel than Halle, an hour away by tuk-tuk, but it’s much more fun there.

We went to a turtle farm. Everyone, including adult men, while holding small turtles in their hands, had simply touching facial expressions :) It costs 400 rupees (approx. 3 bucks) to enter, plus a trip on a tuk-tuk back there for about 5 and 200 rupees per tuk-tuk ( 1.5 bucks).

By the way, if you are taken somewhere on a tuk-tuk, a tuk-tuker is waiting for you to the end, as long as you are, take a look.

We went to Koggala Lake. Pleased with a normal motorboat ride. We stopped at a peninsula where monkeys were sitting very high on two trees, it was almost not visible, it was possible to see only through the camera’s lens. We saw one monitor lizard in the water. It was a trip on a motorboat of 10 bucks per person (plus 200 rupees per tuk-tuk to the lake), don’t give anymore, our guide Gemini told us immediately that it was $ 10, so when we told the boatmen about this, they immediately agreed without talking, although tried at first to breed for more. I don’t even know if it was worth a ride, I would not advise. But then again, for the sake of sports interest it is possible.

Several times we ordered shrimp from Gemini, he brought ready-made shrimps, they had delicious garlic-tomato sauce, they were just boiled in water with salt. Very large, they cost 800 rupees per kilogram (approx. 6 bucks). Consolidation!

I really wanted to have a picnic on the beach for my birthday. Did not work out. By the way, if you are told that this is possible, do not believe it. The police do not allow. The locals promised us to do it a few days before the birthday, as a result, on the very birthday they informed us that it was impossible, and offered to just bring ready-made shrimps and hang out on the beach together. It was clear that they just want to eat and drink nashara. Again, it is impossible to buy fish and shrimp in the market in Galle, since, seeing foreigners, prices are increasing sharply. For 1 kilo of shrimp, we wanted 15 bucks.

With the “whale watching in the ocean” tour, be careful - whales swim off the coast of Sri Lanka from November to April, if you are offered such a tour at other times of the year - this is a divorce.

As already written in other reviews - when planning any trips, consider the length of the day. There are 12 hours here day and night. The lightness starts at 6 and by 7 it is already light, it darkens at 18 and by 19 nothing is visible.

Gemini also brought us to a store of various wooden products. Beautiful, mainly made of hardwood or rosewood. We bought a small Buddha figurine, approx. 18 centimeters, 2000 rupees (15 bucks), an ebonite ashtray 600 rupees (4.5 bucks), an elephant rosewood 1,200 rupees (9 bucks) and a plywood knock-knock for 600 rupees. They did not spare money, everything is very beautiful, a good memory of the trip. You can immediately see how a boy works nearby in the workshop, who grinds all these figures. When buying more than one piece, they make a good discount. In other places, specially looked, much more expensive. I’m generally silent about the hotel. At the prices that they put, the floor of the shop can be bought up.

About insects. Mosquitoes there are just bastards. Unlike ours, they are not audible and practically invisible. Sitting in the evening in the open air, it is better to spread something. And so, everything seems to be in order. There were no extreme insects. There is a small iguana on the territory of the hotel, it lives mainly in the grass between the pool and the beach, and several very funny chipmunks. We fed them nuts and cookies.

Also, it is worth taking a tanning cream with you more powerful and always cream after tanning with panthenol, since the sun is very strong, even the guys who were already tanned before were sunbathed. And also a first-aid kit with native medicines, if something is not very good there, they have a main bias in alternative medicine :)

As for linen, I read reviews before the trip that the linen was dirty and gray. We had nothing of the kind. Everything is white, clean, towels are changed every day, i.e. all in the framework of normal hotel management :)

At the reception there is a safe, it costs a lot of ridiculous money, we paid 2 bucks for 10 days. You come up with your key, which is kept all the time from you and take from your cell everything you need day and night. Very comfortable and safe.

The hotel also provides laundry services. We also laughed for a long time when we saw the prices. For the mountain of linen that we threw ourselves off upon arrival, and these are two pairs of pants, two pairs of T-shirts, a warm jacket, socks, underpants, that is, all that was on us, we paid 5 dollars! I have never seen anything like this. They felt like bourgeois with their husbands, when for the nth time they handed things over for washing. And they do it well, they never ruined anything, things neatly folded, smelling nice. It’s just that because of the humidity, things dry for a long time, so we even attributed them to slightly dirty things like washing, although the main goal was to dry things :)

About the sockets. Inconvenient, since not ours. At the reception they can give an adapter, but not enough for everyone. If you are not lucky, the outlet there is of the type one hole on the top, two on the bottom, so take a handle and poke the hole on the top, do not be afraid that there is no current there, the two lower holes will open and you can insert

A little more about the prices:

The guys bring coconuts - 5 rupees each;

Local beer Lyon - 200 rupees (approx. 1.5 dollars) per bottle of 650 grams;

Simple water 0.5 - about 40 rupees (30 cents)

Fanta, Cola 0.5 - 90 rupees (70 cents)

In cafes, Lyon beer - 370 rupees (3 bucks)

Massage at Koggala Village Hotel - $ 10 per hour (classy, \u200b\u200bfrom earlobes to heels);

Prices in a restaurant right next to the hotel (by the way a very nice restaurant and delicious) - 600-900 rupees (5-7 dollars) for a decent dish with something sea (fish, squid, etc.) + French fries + salad. Plain water in a bottle 100 rupees 1 liter. Milkshake - 250 rupees (2 bucks).

By the way, who has children, grandchildren, nephews. Very cheap baby clothes. We have no children, but the neighbors of Kiev gathered a whole package of all kinds of clothes for ridiculous money. For example, a very nice dress for a girl (the fabric is good, don’t think it’s cheap) cost $ 1.

For guys who fly from Kiev with low-cost airlines AirArabia and FlyDubai. Food on the plane is very expensive. Something very small, like shawarma, costs 5-7 dollars, beer 0.33-7 dollars, juice 200 ml or plain water 0.5 liters - 3 dollars, strong alcohol 50 grams - 7 dollars. Watching TV series - $ 3, movies - $ 9. For comparison: at a Dubai airport for a transplant, if you have a bite to eat at McDonald's: a cheeseburger - $ 3, a double cheeseburger - $ 6 (one double cheeseburger is about two shawarma in an airplane in terms of size and degree of "eat-up" :) Water is sweet, mineral water at Dubai airport - $ 1 . You can carry it on the plane calmly. So stock up on food and drinks in Kiev and in Dubai.

About magnets, knowing that many people buy gifts for friends, including we, I cannot but say. The hotel is very expensive, if you see somewhere pretty in cities, shops - take it, 300 rupees cost on average (2-3 bucks), the choice at the airport is very poor, the prices are the same, not cheaper than in the city. Read somewhere earlier in reviews that the airport is cheaper. Nothing of the sort, the whole airport was covered.

About the visa. In principle, travel agencies should talk, but I’ll clarify. There is electronic visa registration on the official website of immigration http://eta.gov.lk. Everything is simple enough there. Fill out a short form, pay with a card. Visa costs $ 20. Upon arrival, you can also apply for a visa, but this is the queue, time, and the visa costs $ 25. Therefore, Sri Lankans recommend registering online. You need to print a notification that will come to your email and show when you arrive in Colombo.

For tea lovers, a little with the varieties of Ceylon tea (for example, I did not know, maybe it will be useful for you):

Orange Pekoe - black leaf tea from leaves following the kidney;

Pekoe is a twisted leaf of black tea from the leaves of the side shoots or from the third and fourth leaves;

BOP - Broken Orange Pekoe, i.e. chopped Orange Pekoe. It is considered the golden mean among teas;

BOPF - Broken Orange Pekoe Fannings, i.e. very finely chopped Orange Pekoe. Usually used in sachets;

Fop - flowery orange pekoe, black leaf tea from leaves following the kidney, having a sufficient content of tips (buds, which are the main source of tea aroma)

Dust is dust, the finest tea is what remains as a result of processing tea leaves. It is mainly drunk by the Sri Lankans, because the cheapest.

As the factory explained to us, the finer the grinding of tea, the stronger it is.

Koggala is surrounded by three islands, one of which is Temple Island or the island of Buddha Temple, the second island is called Ananda Spice Garden (spice garden), where the local population grows spices for sale and the last island is called Cinnamon Island (cinnamon island), where, respectively , cinnamon plantations.

For the whole lake with all the islands we paid 3,000 rupees for two. Initially, the price was 6,000 rupees. By the way, one of the sellers speaks excellent Russian. In the spice garden, later, he was our guide.

The lake itself does not represent anything special, there are no picturesque landscapes. But overall, we liked it there.

The first island of Lake Koggala

The first island we hit is Temple Island. On it is a Buddhist temple. We liked it there, the atmosphere on the island is very welcoming. But they let us in only one building — the inactive temple, and there was another nearby, the monk did not let us go there. An inactive temple is guarded by a blind caretaker.

When we entered the Temple, he opened a side door for us, thus shedding light on the Buddha (the door was located opposite the Buddha).

Massage with fish on Koggala Lake

Then we were offered to call in for a massage with fish (paid extra - 400 rupees per person). I liked the procedure so much, very unusual sensations. At first it was ticklish, and then it was fun.

The essence of massage - you need to sit down and lower your legs into the water with a “pen” for fish, there are a lot of them, they give food for fish. If you sprinkle it in the water next to the legs, then the fish come closer to me, biting their legs, beat with tails, thus, and we get a massage.

Coggal Cinnamon Island

The second island was - Cinnamon Island (cinnamon island). From century to century, only 2 families live on it, and they grow cinnamon. We were brought to a house on this island, put at a table on the porch.

There they told us and showed how to make cinnamon, made tea from cinnamon (I did not like it), gave cinnamon a try and offered to buy it. For a bag of cinnamon they wanted 1,300 rupees, for a set of ground cinnamon, cinnamon sticks and cinnamon oil, they wanted 2,500 rupees.

We bought a bag of ground cinnamon for 1000 rupees, although we realized that this was more likely a lie for tourists, but seeing the conditions of their life, we decided to take it. Then they gave us a book to read reviews (in general, these books are very common there), to be honest, to read Russian-language reviews was for the most part very unpleasant - it was a shame for ours.

Koggala Spice Garden

The last island was Ananda Spice Garden (the spice garden), which is located at the very beginning, where they got into the boat, we had a short tour telling us about the plants they grow and what medicine they make from it.

The impression that they make drugs from everything and for everything. Well, here we fell for advertising and bought a cream for depilation 2 jars for 5000 rupees. I was very impressed with how they advertised it. The monks invented it. According to their faith, they need to keep their head constantly bald, in perfect condition, so they came up with such a wonderful cream.

Apply 4 times and 15 years the hair does not grow. The result was a regular depilation cream, nothing more. Payment could be made by credit card and in dollars. By the way, this garden and all medicines are made with the support of the government.

  Historical events

During the Second World War, the Allied air forces built an airfield on the pond. Airplanes were refueled in flight to the Australian coast. And now military, charter and civil aircraft of the state land on the surface of the lake.

Koggala Lake Tourism

The unique Koggala pond provides tremendous natural opportunities for the development of ecotourism and water activities. There are no high waves on the lake, but an oceanic wind blows constantly. These are ideal conditions for fans of windsurfing, high-speed kiting, sailing and water skiing.

Numerous diving centers operate on the coast of the lake, with scuba diving athletes explore the underwater world of the reservoir. Multi-colored exotic birds as rare flowers with bright spots stand out against the background of lush greenery.

Popular on the lake are fishing, trips on catamarans and motor boats or catamarans to the Koggaly islands. On the famous Temple Island, the doors of an active Buddhist temple are open. On the island of Ananda, there is a spice garden, an interesting place for lovers of exotic plants.

On a tour of the island of Ananda, you can buy herbs and spices for the manufacture of medicines and wines. On the island of Cinnamon are the country's largest cinnamon and tea plantations. On uninhabited islands buried in mangroves, you can plunge into the world of a living, untouched nature civilization. Many plants of mangrove forests, walnut lotus, fluffy water lily are used in Ayurveda medicine. On the island of Birds evening you can watch the eagles returning to their nests.

General impression - I liked it, but it is a very commercial place.

They say that only thanks to the works of the writer Martin Wikramasingh, the place of Koggala (Sri Lanka) was marked on a geographical map. Memories of the town in which Wikramasingh was born are present in many of the author's books. And the plot of Madol Duva, the most famous novel of the writer, is closely connected with a small island located in Koggal.

The small resort of Koggala is located on the shores of the Indian Ocean, very close to (less than 20 km). The distance to the already more significant is 130 km, and to the international airport Bandaranaike - 147 km. There is an airport directly in Koggal that serves flights within Sri Lanka.

As a tourist resort, Koggala became popular not so long ago, and the infrastructure is not yet very well developed. The assortment of hotels can not be called wide, mainly these are expensive 5 * hotels and several guesthouses. Koggal has a bank and an exchanger, which is important for travelers.

Beach vacation

The beach in Koggal is clean, covered with fine-grained light yellow sand and framed by coconut trees.

The beach line, with a length of about 3 km, stretched to the neighboring village of Khabaraduv. As for its width, it changes throughout the year and depends on the phases of the moon, that is, on the tides. Swimming and snorkeling here can be a bit problematic, although in calm weather on the beach there is certainly a place where you can safely go into the water.

Since the beach is long and wide enough, and there are not many vacationers in Koggal, here you can always make beautiful photos without extra people in the frame.

Since Koggala is not located in the bay, the beginning and end of the season in the resort is accompanied by the appearance of high waves. For professional surfers, this is a plus, and for beginners it is better to go to Koggala in the high season.

Things to do in Koggal

Koggala Lake - the main attraction of the spa town

The city of Koggala is known for the lake of the same name, which stretches parallel to the coast. Koggala Lake is the largest freshwater reservoir in Sri Lanka, giving many opportunities for fans of eco-tourism and lovers of water activities.

The lake always blows wind from the ocean, but there are no high waves - such conditions are ideal for those who like windsurfing, high-speed kiting and water skiing. There are many diving centers on the shores of Koggala, so athletes have the opportunity to study the underwater world of the lake.

Here you can go fishing, ride a catamaran and a motor boat on the lake.

There are several islands on Lake Koggala - looking at the photos of Koggala in Sri Lanka, you can see them. Some of them - rocky, covered with dense thickets of mango trees - are popular only among lovers of extreme relaxation and wildlife. On some islands of the lake there are exotic Buddhist huts, which require prior permission to visit.

The most popular and most visited are 3 islands, the names of which you can understand what they have to see. The first island is Temple Island, the second is Spice Island, the third is Cinnamon.

On the Temple Island  a Buddhist temple rises, or rather 2 temples - active and inactive. Tourists are allowed into an inactive temple with Buddha statues installed in it, and a blind caretaker guards the entrance to the structure.

Here, travelers are offered to make a massage with fish, the essence of which is as follows: a person sits down and puts his feet in the "paddock" with a huge number of fish, after which food is poured into the water at the feet - the fish begin to float closer, pinch their legs, and beat with their tails. This is massage.

The next island is the Spice Gardenwhere locals grow spices for sale. It should be noted that the government provides support in the maintenance of the garden and in the production of herbal medicines. During the tour, tourists can buy their favorite spices and herbs, which are intended for the preparation of wines and medicines.

Last - Cinnamon Island, which has been inhabited for several centuries by 2 families involved in the cultivation of cinnamon plantations. These plantations are the largest in Sri Lanka. During the tour, locals tell and show how to cook cinnamon, treat them to cinnamon tea, and also offer to buy cinnamon sticks, ground spice and oil from it.

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What else is there in Koggal?

There is another aspect of the life of any resort city - this is shopping.. For such an activity, it does not matter what the weather in Koggal will be.

There are many shops in this Sri Lankan resort: there are fruit shops, a Dasa Tea Shop, a unique Ayurvedic store for Lake Side Spice Garden, a FoodCity supermarket, souvenir shops, and market rows.

In a manner restaurants and cafes  can also be considered local attractions. The most famous restaurant, “Plane”, is located in a clearing not far from The Long Beach Hotel and close to the beach. There is a cafe nearby where you can sample Sri Lankan specialties.

One of the most visited restaurants with good reviews is Restaurant Patty Place, which is characterized by decent cuisine and reasonable prices. In the photo you can see what is prepared in this institution and how much the dishes cost.

Quite reasonable prices are also in the restaurant at the FoodCity supermarket in Habaraduv, which offers European and local dishes. It makes no sense to call all the institutions of Koggaly - you can just ride in a tuk-tuk along the central road of the resort town.

The weather in Koggal in Sri Lanka has a good rest in November-April - this is the most favorable time when it is warm and dry enough. And from May to the end of October, almost 95% of all precipitation falls.

The air temperature remains unchanged throughout the year - it is kept within + 28-30 ºС. As for the water temperature in the ocean, it is also quite stable at +26 ° C.

Since Koggala (Sri Lanka) is a beach resort city, it is best to come here in the dry season, that is, from November to May. At other times, the weather is not the best for relaxing on the beach and for a variety of beach activities, and swimming in the open bays of the ocean can be dangerous.

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To ensure a wide coverage, availability of hotels in Sri Lanka, vehicles, best price and service conditions for our customers we partner with a number of carriers. We take a particular pride that the efficiency of our operations and the quality of our customer service and passenger transport sector. That is why most customers who tried us for the first time become our repeat customers and the rate of our customer satisfaction is at the industry top of 98%

Sri lanka

  Sri lanka  the country is truly unique! This should go for the exotic and adventurous, with great beaches, a warm sun and crystal clear waters of the Indian Ocean! Sri Lanka - is a wonderful place to relax. During the holidays you can and should manage everything - perfect to relax on the beach, as well as get acquainted with the rich history, traditions, unique monuments of ancient architecture of the island. Sri Lanka - is an ancient country with rich history and ancient traditions - on the island are 8 of architectural and natural sites included in UNESCO "s World Heritage Fund.

About Sri Lanka

  Sri lanka - an island in the Indian Ocean (up to 1972 - Ceylon), located south of the Indian subcontinent. It stretches from north to south and 445 km from west to east 225 km. Most of the island is occupied by plains, whose height rarely exceeds 100 m above sea level. In the center of the island is the Central mountain range. The average height of the mountains - 1000-2000 m above sea level, but some peaks rise above. The highest point of the island - the mountain has a height Pidurutalagala 2524 m, however, is best known for the magnificent Adam "s Peak (2243 m). Official capital: Sri Jayavardanapura-Kotte (the seat of parliament and the Supreme Court) Actual Capital: Colombo (seat of government, the residence of the President). Administratively, the country is divided into nine provinces, major cities: Colombo, Kandy, Galle, Anuradhapura, Ratnapura, Jaffna.
Sinhalese make up about 75%, Tamils \u200b\u200b- about 18% of the population, mainly in northern and eastern regions. Is also home to Sri Lankan Muslims - about 7%, Burghers (descendants of intermarriage with Europeans) - about 0.3%, Vedda (descendants of the ancient population of the island) - about a thousand people. About 70% of the population (mostly Sinhalese) practice Buddhism, 15% - Hindu (Tamils), 8% - Christianity, 7% - Islam (Sri Lankan Moors).

Climate in Sri Lanka

The climate in Sri lanka, warm and humid. The temperature is very smooth, without sharp fluctuations during the year. The difference between the warmest and the coldest month of 2-3 degrees Celsius. The average temperature is typically less than 30 degrees. Most rain falls in summer. To stay most comfortable coastal areas of Sri Lanka. In large cities inside the country, weather is hot and humid. Average water temperature in the Indian Ocean near the country of 27 ° C. For tourists it will be useful and pleasant to know that the rains in Sri Lanka are usually held at night. Therefore rest in the resort should not be overshadowed by precipitation. Enjoy the beaches of Sri Lanka can be all year round - you only need to properly define the place of rest. From November to March - a western and southern coast of the island, and from April to October - the east and north-east coast.

Currency

The official currency is the Sri lankan rupee  state. 1 Rupee (1 LKR) is equal to 100 cents. The December 2017 Lankan Currency against the dollar and the Rupee was: 1 $ \u003d 150 LKR.
Large hotels and shops accept payment by international credit cards. It is recommended to exchange money at the airport in Colombo. Check received at the official exchange rates should be maintained until the end of the trip. In this case, the departure from Colombo you have the option to exchange the remaining money in the bank at the rate of purchase of the airport. You can also exchange money at any hotel and bank.

Visa

Citizens of the countries to visit Sri Lanka need a visa, which is necessary to issue any advance on-line at ETA, or draw directly upon arrival in Colombo airport.
The cost of entry visas valid for one month. if you pay through the Internet - $ 30. The cost of entry visas valid for one month. if you pay at the airport - $ 40.
In the case of a transit trip, when the length of stay in Sri Lanka does not exceed 48 hours, the fee for a visa will be charged. Officer of the migration service will need to submit tickets, further confirming the flight. When making a tourist visa must also have a return ticket or a hotel booking confirmation, as the guards conducted random checks of the documents from foreigners entering the country.

Shopping and shop

Traditionally, Sri Lankan tourists bring spices, tea, jewelry, gemstones, high quality knits and gorgeous china. Around the island a large number of small shops and stalls where you can buy only what you need. In the cities are beginning to open large stores, but all the same - to European variety of products - Sri Lanka is far away. The main location of shopping, of course, is Colombo. Here you can buy very good quality jerseys at low prices, because Many well-known European brands have production was in Sri Lanka. Partial products of these companies are sold at much lower prices than in Europe. We recommend to visit the following stores:

ODEL. Address: No. 5, Alexandra Place, Colombo 7, Sri Lanka; http://www.odel.lk/

TFO The factory OUTLET. Address: Sri Sambuddhathya Jayanthi Mawatha, Colombo 5, Sri Lanka; http://www.tfostore.com/

Cotton Collection. Address: No. 40, Flower Road, Colombo 7, Sri Lanka; http://www.cottoncollection.lk/

Beverly Street; http://www.beverlystreet.lk/

House of Fashion. Address: No. 101, D. S. Senanayaka Mawatha, Colombo 8; http://www.houseoffashions.lk/

Chain stores Majestic City;

Liberty Plaza Address: R.A. de Mel Mawatha, Colombo 3, Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka, with its fantastic tropical nature can actually be proud of any of its unique landscapes - from the golden sandy beaches, caressed by the Indian Ocean, to the numerous ridges and slopes, forming terraces, tea plantations, rice fields and dense forests. Locals cherish and appreciate the nature of the island. The first nature reserve was established here in the III century BC during the reign of King Devanampiyatissa. The purpose of the reserve has been striving to implement one of the precepts of Buddhism, "Do not kill." Now, despite the high population density in Sri Lanka, there are 12 national parks and 52 reserves, which occupy 14% of the island. Among them, miner, Sinharaja, Bundala, Vilpatu, Vasgamuva, Udavalave and Yala.
Go everywhere in Sri Lanka and talk about everything - it is impossible. The beaches of the island beckon vacationers, Ayurveda centers and gardens of spices - wanting healthier, mountains - people willing to climbing, the ocean - to dive deep into his strange, UNESCO sites are waiting for history buffs, Buddhist shrines - the faithful, national parks and reserves - naturalists and contemplators of nature ... The island of Sri Lanka is ready to meet you. Time to relax! Prior to the meeting in Sri Lanka!