Bentota
Bentota is a coastal town of 37,000 people in Southern Sri Lanka. Bentota is a tourist town, with a local airport (Bentota River Airport) and a handful of world-class hotels. It is a destination for watersports and is famous for its toddy production, an alcoholic beverage made out of coconut nectar. It also has a turtle hatchery on Induruwa beach.
Most read about in July, least in March. That is when people look it up, which tends to run a month or two ahead of when they go.
Before you book
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office publishes the UK’s official travel advice for Sri Lanka. It changes without notice and travelling against it usually invalidates your insurance, so read it at the source rather than anywhere else — including here.
FCDO travel adviceUnderstand
Bentota sits on the southern bank of the Bentota River mouth. The name of the town is derived from a mythical story which claims a demon named 'Bem' ruled the tota or river bank.
Getting there
By bus
There are air-conditioned buses (bus no. 2) that run from Colombo Fort to Galle that will stop at Bentota (2-2½ hour journey) and cost about Rs. 150.
By train
There is a small railway station in Bentota but most of the trains stop at Aluthgama (2 km from Bentota).
1 Bentota railway station, ☏ +94 34-2275271. (updated May 2023)
See
1 Kande Viharaya Temple. A huge golden Buddha worth the visit. Free. (updated Feb 2025) Bentota Perahera (A2 road). Buddhism festival which happens once a year at the end of December. It is similar but smaller than the Esala Perahera in Kandy. Elephants, dancers, fire jugglers and musicians parade from 11PM to 1AM. Turtle hatcheries (Induruwa beach). Place where turtle eggs and babies are protected until their release. Open to tourists. Kosgoda Turtle Hatchery is 11 km (6.8 mi) south of Bentota. It is a community based turtle hatchery and turtle watching project set up by the Turtle Conservation Project in association with the Wildlife Department of Sri Lanka. Brief Garden, 11 km (6.8 mi) inland from Bentota, is the house and garden of renowned Sri Lankan landscape architect, Bevis Bawa, the older brother of architect Geoffrey Bawa. Established in 1929 on the grounds of a former rubber plantation Bawa continued to develop the property until his death in 1992. Galapatha Raja Maha Vihare, in Bentota, Buddhist temple with origins that date back to the 12th century; it contains stone inscriptions, stone carvings, pillars, ponds and troughs from the medieval period.
Do
Bentota Beach, long and large Richy Skylark Helipad. This helipad operates helicopter joyrides in Bentota near the estuary operated by Skylark Aviation Helicopters
Shopping
Some toddy, alcoholic beverage made from coconut nectar.
Eat
Silk Route Cafe & Restaurant, 357 Warahena, ☏ +94 342271717. Silk Route Café serves an authentic selection of culinary delights from countries in the ancient land & naval silk routes. The menu is inspired by the vibrant cultures on the route & their mastery in the use of spices, herbs & flavours. US$5-30.
Sleep
Splurge
Hotel Wunderbar, Robolgoda, Bentota Beach. It's a small, family-run boutique hotel with 14 rooms directly at the beach, catering for individual tourists with the service of a big chain hotel. More information in English and German is available on the official website. Cocoon Resort and Villas, Kaikawala Road, Induruwa, 80510, ☏ +94 115744400, fax: +94 117533233, info@cocoonresorts.com. It offers accommodations with the following names: silk rooms, luxury villas, extravagant villas, and grand villas. All are equipped with a king-sized bed, air conditioning, and satellite/cable tv. The resort also has a restaurant, massage service and steamroom. from US$260. Temple Tree Resort & Spa, 660, Galle Road, ☏ +94 342270700. Each room is equipped with an air-conditioner, cable TV, and mini-bar, coffee/tea maker. The hotel also has a swimming pool and spa, high-speed internet access, and provides airport and city transfers. Rates on official website start at US$135. Dalmanuta Gardens - Ayurvedic Resort & Restaurant, 21 Meegama Road, Warapitiya, Bentota River (along the Bentota River), ☏ +94 773434434. Ayurvedic resort and restaurant surrounded by gardens. From US$150. 1 Cinnamon Bentota Beach, Galle Road, Bentota, Sri Lanka 80500 (From Colombo – 80 KM), ☏ +94 342 275 176, reservations@cinnamonhotels.com. Check-in: 2PM, check-out: noon. Starting from USD 212. Villa 700, 700, Galle Road, Induruwa 80510, ☏ +94 342 293 600, info@reveal.lk. Check-in: 2PM, check-out: noon. Starting from USD 200.
Go next
Trains from Aluthgama station go to Columbo (north), Hikkaduwa, Thiranagama, Dodanduwa, Galle, etc. to Matara.
More pictures of Bentota
From this destination's category on Wikimedia Commons. Each photograph is credited to its own author under its own licence.
The guide text on this page is from the Wikivoyage article Bentota, written by Wikivoyage contributors and published under CC BY-SA 4.0. The authors are listed in the article’s edit history. It has been shortened and re-laid-out for this page; that adapted text is available under the same licence. Nothing else on this page is.
Wikivoyage is written by travellers, not by us. Opening hours, prices and whether a place still exists are exactly the details that go out of date, so check anything you are relying on.
“168 readers a month” and the ranking are ours, counted from Wikimedia’s published pageviews (CC0) — the median of twelve complete months. They count people reading about a place, which is not the same as people going there.