How to get to Unawatuna, transportation

Unawatuna is 150 kilometers from the country's main international airport - Colombo airport, and 120 kilometers from Colombo (Unawatuna on the map of Sri Lanka). The nearest major transport hub near the resort is the city of Galle, and if you plan to get here by public transport, then you should aim to go to Galle, because there is practically nothing going to the resort area (only passing through). Upon arrival in Gala, the Unawatuna resort itself is easily accessible by local bus or tuk-tuk.

The main international gateway to the country is Colombo Bandaranaike airport. It is in it that you will arrive, and from here you will need to get to Unawatuna. In Bandaranaike there are direct flights with transfers from Moscow, St. Petersburg and the regions of the Russian Federation. It is cheaper to fly connecting flights with Turkish airlines, Air Arabia, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, Gulf Air. All these airlines are of high quality, you can safely fly them.

You can find and book flights to the main airport of Colombo in Sri Lanka through the search form. The search is very flexible, and allows you to find flights on different dates, with or without transfers, both ways or one, etc.:

ЦЕНА	ПЕРЕСАДКИ	АВИАКОМПАНИЯ	ДАТА ВЫЛЕТА	ДАТА ВОЗВРАЩЕНИЯ
Купить от 57731 ₽	2 пересадки		23.07.2026	26.07.2026
Купить от 57417 ₽	2 пересадки		31.08.2026	01.09.2026
Купить от 56408 ₽	1 пересадка		14.09.2026	05.10.2026
Купить от 54487 ₽	1 пересадка		08.10.2026	09.10.2026
Купить от 54972 ₽	1 пересадка		24.11.2026	11.12.2026
Купить от 56804 ₽	1 пересадка		15.12.2026	29.12.2026

How to get to Unawatuna airport

• Taxi

  The easiest way is from Colombo Bandaranaike airport to get to Unawatuna by taxi. The trip will take 3 hours and cost $ 90 or 11,000 rupees (32.9 USD, see currency of Sri Lanka and current exchange rate). Payment for an official taxi is in rupees, so you will have to change money at the airport first. If you want to speed up the trip, you can bypass the traffic jams of Colombo on the new highway, which will save almost an hour of time, but will require an additional payment on the toll road of about $ 10. Return transfer, from Unawatuna to the airport can be found on the spot at any agency or hotel cheaper - from 8000 rupees (23.93 USD).

  

  You can save money if you order a car not at the airport counter, but through the Uber or PickMe applications. But it is worth saying that sometimes drivers when ordering through the application do not agree to go to Unawatuna, because it is too far and not profitable. Therefore, you should not rely entirely on applications. And yet, the cheapest cars through the app are miniature Indian - made cars without a trunk. To climb with a large suitcase in them will not work.

  An alternative to a taxi can be to order a tourist transfer. This is a more comfortable taxi with a meeting driver at the airport on arrival with a sign. You can order and pay for the transfer at home online on the website intui.travel or via the search form from Kiwitaxi:

• Bus or train

  If a taxi is too expensive for you, you can get there by bus or train. With any of these options, you will have to make a transfer to Colombo, and then, possibly, to Galle. You can make this journey in 4-8 hours, depending on traffic on the roads.

  So, when you arrive at the airport, you first need to get to Colombo by bus number 187. They depart immediately from the terminal exit often during the day, and hourly or slightly less frequently at night. Drive about an hour, the cost of 100 rupees (0.3 USD).

  Bus number 187 goes to Pettah district, where the Railway and Main Bus Station of Colombo are located. Both stations are within walking distance from each other, and you can safely go to the final (railway station) or at the previous stop (bus station). Next you need to get as indicated below from Colombo by train or bus.

  Learn more about how to get to Colombo from the airport here...

  

• By plane

  Well, another way to get here is by plane through Koggala airport. This airport is located in the south of the city Koggala, and there are flights by light aircraft and helicopters from Bandaranaike airport by Cinnamon Air and Millennium Airlines (aka Simply), and from Colombo-Ratmalana airport by companies FitsAir and again Millennium Airlines. The cost of a one-way flight - from $ 230.

Colombo to Unawatuna

• By bus

  By bus, the easiest way to get there is from the bus station in the Pettah area (avostation on the map), but you can take any bus southbound to Galle and on Colombo's main Galle Road, which runs through the entire city along the coast, including Mount Lavinia Beach district.

  To go by bus from Colombo a little more than 3 hours, the cost of 200 rupees (0.6 USD) depending on the bus. There are many large state buses and small commercial air-conditioned buses along the route. They are sent very often, so you can not be tied to the schedule. You need any bus to Galle or further to Matara. If you take the bus only to Galle, then at the bus station in Galle you need to change to the bus further to Matara (passes by Unawatuna). But it is better to take a bus to Matara in Colombo, and then you will get to Unawatuna itself. To find the right bus, it is best to use the help of local or bus drivers. Read more about buses in Sri Lanka and how to use them here...

  Specifically in Unawatuna, buses do not call, but pass by on the Matara road - A2 highway. There are three stops on the track where you can get off and walk to any place in Unawatuna on foot in 15 minutes, or take a tuk-tuk.

  

• By train

  Southbound trains depart from Colombo Fort Railway Station in Pettah. But you can catch these trains at other stations within Colombo, including in the Mount Lavinia area.

  You can take the passing Colombo-Matara train directly to the railway station of Unawatuna (it is a couple of kilometers from the center of the resort, railway station on the map), or to the railway station in Galle. At the same time, only three trains a day stop at the Unawatuna railway station, while there are ten of them to Galle. The schedule can be specified here https://eservices.railway.gov.lk.

  The fare is ridiculous, starting at Rs 100 for third class. But a trip on Sri Lankan trains in third class is not a pleasant entertainment, because usually the cars are packed to capacity, you have to go standing. Three hours on the road. Tickets are purchased immediately before departure.

  If you go to Galle, then upon arrival at the railway station you need to walk a few minutes to the bus station, where you take the bus directly to Unawatuna. Read more about how to use trains in Sri Lanka here...

  

Galle schedule/Unawatuna available for online booking:

Galle to Unawatuna

Unawatuna is a suburb of Galle, they are separated by only five kilometers. By tuk-tuk you can get there for 300-500 rupees (0.9 USD).

It is much cheaper to get there by bus. They depart at least every 30 minutes from Galle bus station, costs 21 rupees, 10 minutes to go. All of these buses are passing through, to Matara or Tangalle, and drop off passengers at one of three stops along Matara road near Unawatuna. From any of the stops it is easy to reach the center in 15 minutes on foot. In the center of the resort no buses call and there is no bus station.

From other resorts and towns in Sri Lanka to Unawatuna

From almost any city in the country it is possible to reach Unawatuna in one day by bus or bus+train, but almost all routes here are passing through Colombo. The only exceptions are Bentota, Hikkaduwa, Matara, Tangale and some other small resorts of the south and Southwest. They can be reached by bus or train directly. From the Eastern resorts or from the center you can also get through Tangale and Matara, but the time is almost the same as through Colombo.

However, in 2014, there was a faster way to get to Unawatuna from the resorts of the central mountainous part of Sri Lanka bypassing the traffic jams in Colombo. It's a bit more expensive, but you'll save almost an hour of time. To do this, from the cities of the mountainous part of Sri Lanka (Nuwara Eliya, Ella, Adam's peak, Kandy, etc.) you need to take a bus to Colombo, but get off earlier at the bus station in Kaduwela (Kaduwela). From there, a bus to Galle on the expressway leaves every 20-30 minutes during the day for Rs 460 (1.38 in 30-40 minutes you will be in Galle, and you will only have to change to a tuk-tuk or the nearest bus to Matara or Tangale.

Transport Unawatuna, what to move

Unawatuna is so small that no transport is needed to move along it. The furthest distances that you may have to cover on foot are a hike to the alcohol stall on Matara road (about 1 kilometer from the center) or a walk through the jungle to Jungle Beach (about 1.5 kilometers).

If you need to go to Galle or the southern beaches, it is easy to take advantage of the buses that constantly run along Matara road in both directions. You can hire a tuk-tuk for a short trip around Unawatuna itself, or for longer trips. A trip to Galle by tuk-tuk, for example, will cost 400 rupees. You can hire them both for a trip to a certain place and for a time that will cost from 2200 rupees/day (6.58 USD).

In Unawatuna, it is easy to rent a Motobike (Low-Power Motorcycle). Rental offices are mainly located on the Main Street of Wele Dewalaya road, and Yaddehimulla rd. You can find rental by signs and signs, or just by a number of exhibited equipment along the street. The rental price starts from 2200 rupees after bargaining (6.58 USD), but this is usually the price per day, not per 24 hours. Daily rental is not very common here, but you can still find it, only you will have to pay from 3000 rupees. There is no gas station in Unawatuna, the nearest is three kilometers towards Galle on Matara Road.

In theory, to drive a motorcycle in Sri Lanka, you need at least an international license (International Driving Permit), which are presented with a national driving license. If they are not, then you can get a temporary permit on the spot and on the basis of ordinary Russian (national) rights in Colombo, but you must have an open category "A". Read more about renting motorcycles in Sri Lanka and what rights you need here...

Here you can also easily hire a car or minivan for a long trip to the sights. Ready-made route options are offered, or you can make your own. Such offers can be found again on Wele Dewalaya rd and Yaddehimulla rd.