Hikkaduwa instead of Galle or Mirissa

Hikkaduwa is a long ribbon of beach and town on the south-west coast. The northern end has a shallow lagoon behind a coral reef, with calm water for wading and snorkelling. Further south, at Wewala and Narigama, the beach widens and the surf breaks begin, with bars and restaurants on the sand.

The Galle Road runs the length of Hikkaduwa a short distance behind the beach, lined with shops, dive centres and guesthouses, and it is noisy. The town is busy with both foreign and Sri Lankan visitors, particularly at weekends. It has more of everything than Mirissa and less charm.

Hikkaduwa compared with Mirissa is larger, longer established and closer to Colombo. Its beach is several times the length of Mirissa's bay, so space is easier to find. It has more consistent surf for intermediates, better diving, and a reef where turtles feed close to shore.

Mirissa is the prettier setting, a contained bay between headlands, and it has the whale boats. Hikkaduwa has none. The drive between them takes roughly an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half, so a whale trip from Hikkaduwa means leaving before half past four. Travellers set on whales should stay further south.

Hikkaduwa makes a reasonable base for visiting Galle. The fort is 30 to 40 minutes south by car, bus or train, and both towns are on the coastal railway. An afternoon and evening in the fort, returning after dinner, works as well from Hikkaduwa as from Unawatuna, with a slightly longer ride.

The comparison between the two as places to stay is simple. Galle is a town for culture; Hikkaduwa is a town for the beach. Travellers arriving from the airport who want sand first and history second can stop at Hikkaduwa for two or three nights and visit the fort from there.

Hikkaduwa is the better choice over Mirissa in a few situations. On a short trip confined to the west and south-west coast, it saves an hour of driving each way. As a final beach stop before an afternoon flight, it puts you within two to two and a half hours of the terminal.

Hikkaduwa also suits divers, since several wreck and reef sites lie offshore, and travellers who like a bigger, busier beach town with plenty of choice. It suits less well those seeking quiet, and anyone for whom the whale trip is the point of coming south.

Hikkaduwa's reef and turtles are its treasures and its most fragile assets. The coral has suffered from bleaching, boats and feet over decades. Snorkel without touching or standing on anything, and avoid glass-bottomed boats that anchor on the reef.

Turtles come into the shallows near the northern end, and people crowd them with seaweed in hand. Feeding and touching harm the animals; watch from a few metres. Lankan Stays & Trails includes Hikkaduwa on west-coast routes and asks its guests to follow those rules, and it will point snorkellers to operators who do the same.