Hikkaduwa National Park

Description and is it worth a visit

Hikkaduwa National Park (Hikkaduwa National Park, also Hikkaduwa Coral Reef) - this is the only place directly in Hikkaduwa itself, which can be attributed to the sights, and even then with a big stretch. This is a Marine Coral Park, which is located almost in the most central part of the Long Beach.

They say that once it was really beautiful here, colorful fish swam, and through the thickness of the clear water you could see bizarre corals. Today, almost nothing remains of it, but it is still the most popular beach and a place to go on sea excursions in Hikkaduwa. At the very shore you can go snorkeling, but you will not see anything special. By the way, you can rent snorkeling equipment right here for 300-500 rupees per day (from 0.91 USD, see currency of Sri Lankaand exchange rate).

However, despite the destruction of the reef and wildlife, and a large number of people, surprisingly, turtles still come here. They swim up to the very shore between the bathers, not at all afraid of them, but they do not crawl out to the shore itself. Some vacationers begin to touch and photograph them very actively, even trying to pull them out of the water for a selfie. But do not do this, because these turtles are severely harmed. Even just touching them is impossible, for this there is a fine. Much more fun you will get if you dive in glasses and watch them, or take pictures with an underwater camera.

The beach itself is free, but if you want to go away from the shore to really go snorkeling, you will have to pay for a boat and for access to the park. On the beach there are a lot of molesters who will get you with offers to go by boat to the islands. But it is cheaper to find a boat in the office (the office looks like a small booth) at the entrance to the park about in the middle of the beach.