Koggala Beach Ultimate Guide Sri Lanka 2025
- Kate Colliety
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
Perched on the south coast of Sri Lanka, hugging the Indian Ocean, is the small town of Koggala. It’s home to a train station, an air force base, Koggala Lake and a beautiful stretch of golden sand that goes on for as far as the eye can see. One of the major highlights of the area is Koggala Beach which connects to Habaraduwa Beach.
We spent three nights in Koggala during our two month road trip around Sri Lanka and found ourselves gravitating towards Koggala Beach every evening for sunset. Although it’s best known for the iconic Stilt Fisherman that line the coast near Koggala, there’s so much more to see and do in the area.
Read on to discover everything you need to know before visiting Koggala Beach or Habaraduwa Beach, we’ve also included a great restaurant recommendation at the end!
Contents
Where Is Koggala Beach?
Located on the popular south coast of Sri Lanka between Galle and Ahangama, Koggala Beach is easy to reach by train, bus, tuktuk or car.
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How To Get To Koggala Beach
Train
Koggala has its own small train station along the scenic Colombo-Matara coastal railway line and trains run regularly from Colombo, Galle and Weligama. We rode the train from Colombo to Koggala during the city rush hour, it was chaotic and sweaty to say the least! Any other time, the ride should be much more enjoyable. From the station, Koggala Beach is just a short walk or tuktuk ride away.
You can pre-book your tickets online
Bus
Buses run frequently along Galle road, passing right by Koggala Beach. You can catch a bus heading towards Galle Fort if you’re in Ahangama, Midigama, Weligama, or vice versa. Just let the driver know you want to get off at Koggala Beach.
Tuktuk or Private Taxi
If you’re staying in one of the nearby towns, the most convenient way to get to Koggala Beach is by tuktuk or private taxi. Make sure to agree on a price before getting in or pre-book it online during peak season.
Car or Tuktuk Rental
During our two month road trip around Sri Lanka we rented a tuktuk in order to have the freedom and flexibility to explore at our own pace. While the roads were chaotic at times, it was worth it for the adventure and made our trip even more memorable.
For families, a rental car would definitely be more comfortable and probably a better option to get around.
Flight
For a truly unique experience during your travels, consider taking a water landing or take-off with Sri Lanka’s domestic airline, Cinnamon Air. We chose to get the train from Colombo to Koggala, then opted for Cinnamon Air’s Koggala Lake Take-off to get back to Colombo. We highly recommend this experience as seeing the raw Sri Lankan jungle from above was an incredible experience.
We have written a full guide on our Koggala Lake take-off here and tickets can be pre-booked on 12Go
Koggala Beach Description
Somewhat of a hidden gem, Koggala Beach is two miles of pristine golden sand, sandwiched between the stunning Indian Ocean and Sri Lankan Jungle. While other beaches in the area tend to draw crowds, when we visited, we were the only ones there, on what felt like the biggest beach we’d seen in all of Sri Lanka.
Each evening, a mist from the Indian Ocean would perfectly roll across the beach drifting into the jungle, causing everything to feel like something out of a retro movie, with the orange glow of the sunset shining through. A truly breath-taking beach, with some of the best sunsets we’ve ever seen, all to ourselves.
Aside from relaxing on Koggala Beach and going for a swim (in peak season), there’s plenty to do in the area, including visiting the Sea Turtle Hatchery, watching the famous Stilt Fishermen or taking a Koggala Lake Tour.
Stilt Fishermen Viewpoint
Just along the coast from Koggala Beach is one of the most iconic Sri Lankan sights, the so-called “traditional” Stilt Fishermen. We say traditional carefully here, as what was once an authentic traditional fishing method is nowadays a tourist photo opportunity.
By far the best way to explore Koggala Lake is by taking a boat safari, a laid back tour that lets you explore the lake’s islands and wildlife in one of the local fishing boats:
Cinnamon Island
Temple Island
Herbal Garden Island
Wildlife Spotting
Sea Turtle Hatchery
The sea turtle conservation project right next to Koggala Beach is one of the better ones in Sri Lanka, actually putting the turtles first rather than profits. You can go inside to see the turtle hatchery, and if you’re lucky, they sometimes release the baby turtles into the wild at night when it’s safest. If you’d like to witness this magical moment and see baby turtles being released into the wild while also helping fund the hatchery, it’s a great thing to do while visiting Koggala Beach.
Dalawella Beach
Speaking of turtles, Dalawella Beach is just down the coast and is a popular spot for seeing wild sea turtles in the shallows. A short Tuktuk drive from Koggala Beach down Matara Road will bring you to Dalawella Beach. Locals often stand on the beachfront selling bags of seaweed to tourists to feed to the turtles, and it can get quite crowded.
However, similarly to Hikkaduwa, some of the practices here aren’t very ethical towards wildlife, with some tourists pulling on or even “riding” the turtles (wtf?!). So if you’d rather ethically support the marine ecosystem, the turtle hatchery near Koggala Beach is a better alternative.
Where To Stay at Koggala Beach
Best Place To Stay at Koggala Lake
Best Time To Visit Koggala Beach
The best time to visit Koggala Beach is during Sri Lanka’s south coast dry season, which runs from mid-November to early April.
Peak Season: December to March
The weather during these months will bring sunny and dry days with calm seas making it ideal for swimming, snorkelling and generally chilling out on the beach. This is also the south coast’s most popular tourist season, so expect more crowds and higher prices.
Off-Season: May to October
During this time of year swimming can be much more dangerous due to rip currents and strong waves. You’ll have higher chances of rough seas and heavy rain however much cheaper hotel and homestay prices.
Shoulder Season Months: April & November
We visited Koggala Beach during late October to early November, it was the sweet spot due to the less crowds and decent weather. The shoulder seasons are a great time to go if you prefer a quieter vibe without too much rain.
Koggala Beach Best Restaurants
The best restaurant we found in Koggala was the Catalina Grill Restaurant, located just in-front of the air base serving up fresh Sri Lankan dishes on a budget. Every evening we spent there we found ourselves watching the epic sunsets on Koggala Beach, and then having dinner in this gem! They even have an old air force plane out front that you can explore. We highly recommend trying the devilled chicken, it was our favourite dish combined with the fried rice.
Final Thoughts on Koggala Beach Sri Lanka
Koggala Beach is often overlooked by tourists visiting Sri Lanka’s south coast, everyone seems to gravitate towards the busy Galle Dutch Fort or Weligama’s Surf, but this two mile golden stretch of sand has some breathtaking views during sunset. We spent 3 nights staying just next to Koggala Lake and appreciated the peace and quiet after just coming from Hikkaduwa and seeing tourists “ride” turtles at turtle beach.
In our opinion, Koggala Beach is definitely worth a visit for at least a day-trip or for lunch at Catalina Grill.
Top Tips For Travelling Sri Lanka
If you’re visiting Sri Lanka here are our top travel tips:
Rent a Tuk Tuk as Transport - This made our trip! Not only did we have complete freedom and flexibility it allowed us to have authentic relationships with locals. Use our code "KandM" for 5% off Tuktuk Rental
Stay in Homestays - Staying in local homestays meant we experienced authentic food and the local way of life. Everyone was extremely friendly and happy to help.
Don’t Forget the North - Many tourists stick to the south coast but if you have time explore places such as Anuradhapura, Trincomalee and Arugam Bay!
Embrace The Chaos and get stuck in, the locals are friendly and love to help and share information about their home!
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Thank you for reading and enjoy your Sri Lankan adventure. Reach out to us over on Instagram @KateandMikesTravels. We always love to hear from people who read our blogs!
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