Tangalle is a picturesque coastal town in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka, 185 km from the capital of Colombo. Endowed with a scenic natural bay, wide sandy beach and rocky coves fringed with towering coconut palms; it is a popular holiday destination featured in many travel itineraries.

Tangalle provides a good base to explore places of interest in the surrounding hinterland. Mulgirigalla, 16km northwest of Tangalle, is an ancient monument consisting of an intriguing array of ornately decorated ancient cave temples. Wewurukannala viharaya is yet another attraction with its majestic 160 feet tall Buddha statue at the entrance and various other life-size statues that lie within the confines of a tunnel, with rare depictions of ‘the realm of woe’.

Rekawa, 10km east of Tangalle is a little village most popular for its vast beach stretch, lagoon, and nesting turtles. Five turtle species scramble ashore at night to lay eggs on the Rekawa Beach. Avid birdwatchers will relish an excursion to the nearby Kalametiya Bird Sanctuary.

Hummanaya, located 12km from Tangalle, is the only known blowhole in Sri Lanka and considered to be one of the largest in the world. ‘Hummanaya’ is thus named, owing to the noise ‘huu’, that can be heard a distance away when the blowhole is most active. The seawater rushes through a submerged cavern and propels upwards due to hydraulic compression, making the distinctive noise and creating a fountain. The water spray from this natural blowhole reaches a spectacular height of 25m.

Accommodation in Tangalle though modest in the past, has recently been elevated with the inclusion of some new luxury villas and resort hotels.