Renowned as the place for dolphin and whale watching, the small coastal town of Kalpitiya has lots to offer. For those with a keen interest in snorkelling and scuba diving this is the place to be. The country’s largest coral beef also known as Bar Reef is within an hour’s travel from Kalpitiya. What await you here are schools of colourful fish, reef sharks, mantras and even turtles. Now isn’t that definitely a one of a kind experience?

Stretching across three nautical miles you have to reach this spot by boat. The thriving coral attract plenty of sea creatures and the clear water makes this place an excellent site to embark on your adventure. Starting from about 2 metres you can venture as deep as 40 metres. This also means that Bar Reef is ideal for everyone; from beginners to the more experienced. However diving or snorkelling is not advised between May and November as it is when Sri Lanka has its Southwest monsoon.  Ideally you must make your trip from late November to early May.

The ridge, another zone in this beautiful beach is exclusively for scuba diving. Pearl Banks is also only for scuba diving and though the full day trip might put off many, the chance to see pearl oysters indeed compensates for the time taken.

Still making itself a name as a tourist destination also means that Kalpitiya has the upside of not swarming with tourists. If you are looking for ideal Kalpitiya hotels in this area consider Palagama Beach Kalpitiya which makes an ideal base for your adventures.

Chandrishan Williams is a travel writer who writes under the pen name, Caleb Falcon. He specializes in writing content based on the many exciting world adventures that await intrepid travellers. Google+