Tourist information about Unawatuna

General information about Unawatuna

Unawatuna is a small coastal town (or rather even a village) on the south coast Sri Lanka, and a popular tourist destination for beach holidays. Unawatuna is located just a few kilometers from the larger city of Galle, the capital of the district of the same name, and is its suburb or district. from Colombo Unawatuna and the main international airport are separated by 120 kilometers (Unawatuna on the map of Sri Lanka). Previously, this place was a tiny fishing village, but with the arrival of tourists here, the place has developed, and today there are always even more guests here than locals.

Holidays in Unawatuna

Unawatuna is one of the most popular beach holiday destinations in Sri Lanka, and especially among independent tourists and travelers. In popularity, it is second only to Hikkaduwa and Bentota.

The main feature and advantage of the resort is that you can relax here almost all year round. The main beach of the resort is conveniently located in the Bay, and is protected from waves by a coral reef, so even in strong winds the sea here remains much calmer than on other beaches. It is for this reason that Unawatuna is the most convenient place for families with children, including the youngest.

At the same time, the main part of vacationers here are independent tourists and backpackers, and there are few vacationers on package tours. This is facilitated, first of all, by the lack of large hotels and complexes with developed infrastructure and their territory, suitable for package holidays. Those accommodation options that are available today in Unawatuna, for the most part are small hotels and hostels, and many of them are organized directly in the homes of local residents (home hostels).

Nightlife in Unawatuna is not particularly developed,but it is. On Saturdays and Fridays, noisy progressive parties are held in bars right on the beach, and on weekdays bars play progressive house, chill-out, and live music late into the night. There are always a lot of young people here, and it is quite realistic to organize a party on the beach.

From entertainment, you can do water sports and entertainment, snorkeling, diving, take walks along the nearby jungle Massif towards Jungle Beach, or go to the neighboring Southern Beaches of Mrissa, Veligama, etc.but for surfers this place is completely unsuitable, the waves are too weak.

There are practically no attractions here, so if you are a fan of something interesting, you will have to go on excursions or rent transport and travel around the island and the surrounding area. Local travel agencies on the street offer a lot of tours to all corners of Sri Lanka, including prices and descriptions of excursions in Russian. One of the most interesting places nearby is the city of Galle, which, by the way, is easy to visit yourself by bus or taxi.

If you are not yet ready for an independent trip, you can study our guide and buy a ready-made package tour. Today, tours are more convenient and cheaper to buy online, which can be done on one of these proven sites:

• Sri Lanka tours on Level.Travel
• Sri Lanka tours on Travelata.ru (promocodes here)
• Sri Lanka tours on Onlinetours.ru

Tourist infrastructure in Unawatuna

The tourist infrastructure in Unawatuna is quite well developed, there is everything for recreation and entertainment. On the main street of the district (Wella Dewala Rd) there are many travel agencies, shops, restaurants and cafes, there is a currency exchange, motorcycle and bicycle rental, day centers and dive shops, snorkeling equipment rental, motorcycle rental. The beach area here is also developed: there are water activities, umbrellas and sun beds, a chain of cafes and bars is built all along the beach. But, of course, you should not expect infrastructure and facilities here as in urban resorts, there are no such in Sri Lanka at all.

As for shopping, with the exception of a shop and shops for tourists, a couple of fruit markets and an alcohol store a couple of kilometers from the center of Unawatuna, there are no shops and supermarkets here. There are also a couple of modest supermarkets on Matara road. If you need to buy something serious, electronics, find a pharmacy, then you should go to Galle.

Places where you can eat in Unawatuna are just a blockage, it is impossible to recommend something specific. But, perhaps, it is worth mentioning one legendary place-Peacock Seafood Restaurant. This institution is recommended by many guidebooks, but our experience (the authors of the site) visiting this place was not so successful, the seafood was very tasteless. Therefore, you can choose any other place with a sea view. Food prices here decrease as you move away from the beach: the most expensive establishments are on the first line overlooking the ocean (for two with drinks from 2000 rupees (approximately 6.02 USD), almost twice cheaper on the street inside the village of Yaddehimulla Rd (for two with drinks from 2200 rupees, (approximately 6.62 USD), and even twice cheaper on Marara Road (for two with drinks from 800 rupees, approximately 2.41 USD). If you need to eat on a budget, as the locals eat, then go look for such places immediately on Matara Road, inside the village there are only tourist restaurants and cafes.

There are no ATMs in the tourist area of Unawatuna, they can only be found along the main Matara Road and in Galle. You can pay with a bank card in few places, but rare restaurants and travel agencies that accept payment by card proudly mark the entrance doors of their establishments with the appropriate sticker.

Currency exchange in Unawatuna can be found at least at the Sanasa bank on Yaddehimulla Street, and at the exchange office on Welle Dewalaya Street near Hotel Dunes. The course there is acceptable, but not the best, so if possible, change the money to the maximum in Colombo or at the airport on arrival, or go to Galle, where the course is more profitable.

Market exchange rate (Sri Lankan rupee) for today (03/06/2026)

• 1000 рупия (LKR) = 220,18 rubles (RUB)
• 1 US dollar (USD) = 332,46 LKR
• 100 rubles (RUB) = 454,18 LKR
• 1 euro (EUR) = 386,61 LKR

Real currency exchange rate *

• 1 US dollar (USD) ≈ 325,81 - 331,80 LKR
• 1 euro (EUR) ≈ 378,88 - 385,84 LKR

* - The real exchange rate is calculated taking into account the fees charged by exchange offices and banks for the exchange. It can also be higher than the calculated one, but if you are offered an exchange rate lower than this, it's a reason to think about finding another place to exchange.

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Beaches in Unawatuna

Now, as for the beaches in Unawatuna and their quality. There is only one main beach with a length of 1 kilometer. To say that this beach is ideal is a stretch, but for some reason we do not understand, many well-known sources on the Internet and TV channels (in particular, the Discovery Channel) stubbornly include it in the top ten beaches of the planet. In fact, a part of the beach with a width of only 500 meters is really suitable for recreation and swimming, the rest is occupied by restaurants and hotels that have built their buildings on dams facing directly into the sea. So here it is even impossible to go through the entire beach from beginning to end, respectively, you can forget about long walks along the coast. The remaining part of the beach suitable for rest and swimming is quite good, but it still does not reach the ideal.

The main advantage of the local beach are weak waves in any season, since the coast is protected by a coral reef. There are no palm trees on the shore, everything is built up. The sand here is fine and clean, the beach is constantly cleaned. The slope of the bottom is normal, so even at low tide you can swim. True, in some places the bottom goes very sharply, but there are shallow places for swimming with children.

In addition to the main beach of Unawatuna, within walking distance along the path through the jungle, there is also a wonderful small beach Jungle Beach, which is already much more claiming to be ideal. And if you go east, you can relax on the beaches of Dalawella, Koggalle and so on all the way to Tangalle.

Learn more about all the beaches and areas in Unawatuna, and where to stay here...

Weather in Unawatuna, seasons, when to go

Unawatuna is a year-round season. Although there is also a low season, due to the rainy season, but it is much milder than in other resorts. One of the reasons for this is the protection of the beach from strong waves by the reef.

• High seasonand the best time to visit (and at the same time the most expensive) is from December to April. Of course, the peak of the influx of tourists and rising prices falls in January.

• Low season and falling prices occur in the summer months. The rainiest months are May, October and November. But within this time it is possible to allocate one more season of calm - July and August. The weather in these months improves slightly, and thanks to the protection of Unawatuna Bay, even at the height of the monsoon season, you can swim here.

Tourist seasons in Unawatuna by month, when is the best time to go

Current Unawatuna weather and forecast

Useful tips on Unawatuna

• Main street of Unawatuna. The main life in Unawatuna is centered around the narrow Welle Dewalaya street rather than along the main Matara road. All infrastructure is concentrated along it.
• Entertainment in Unawatuna. The raucous parties in Unawatuna only take place on Fridays and Saturdays at Happy Banana, Kingfisher and Riddeem. The rest of the time it's quiet, but you can always find a bar with the right music.
• A liquor store in Unawatuna. Alcohol on free sale (not in restaurants and bars) is not sold in Unavautna itself. The nearest shop is about 20 minutes walk on Matara rd towards Matara (look for an alcohol shop on our interactive map of Unawatuna)
• Currency exchange in Unawatuna. Currency exchange in Unawatuna is at least in two places: at the Sanasa bank on Yaddehimulla Street, and at the exchange office on Welle Dewalaya Street in the hotel dunes area.
• ATM in Unawatuna. there is no ATM in the resort area of Unawatuna. The nearest ATM is on Matara road two kilometers towards Galle (see map)
• Trips to Galle. If you plan to stay in Unawatuna for more than a week, then you will have to learn how to get to Galle. The fact is that here there is only the most necessary, and for something at least more or less serious you have to go to Galle. Even money exchanges or ATMs are easier to look for in Galle.