Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Gangarama Maha Vihara
BUDDHIST
Just off Baddegama Rd is this interesting Buddhist temple that has lots of popular educa-
tional paintings that are the work of one man over nearly a decade. The monks are happy
to show you around.
Hikkaduwa Lake
LAKE
Hikkaduwa Lake, with its monitor lizards and numerous birds, makes for a pleasant excur-
sion away from the beach. Boat tours can sometimes be organised on the lake; ask around.
To get there head along the Baddegama Rd.
DON'T MISS
TSUNAMI PHOTO MUSEUM
Tsunami Photo Museum
MUSEUM
(Galle Rd, Telwatta; 8am-6.30pm)
This ramshackle, private museum halfway between Hikkaduwa and Ambalangoda tells
the story through photographs and newspaper features of that dreadful day in 2004
when the Indian Ocean tsunami struck Hikkaduwa and Sri Lanka. Everything is very badly
lit and displayed but that is of no matter because the images displayed here will render
you silent.
Close to the Tsunami Photo Museum is a small memorial to the roughly 40,000 people
who lost their lives just in Sri Lanka and the hundreds of thousands of others whose lives
were changed forever. It was also around here that the tsunami washed away a packed
commuter train with the loss of over 1200 lives - the world's worst ever train disaster and
just a small story from that day.
Entrance is by donation. Opening hours can be a little flexible.
Sleeping
Virtually all of Hikkaduwa's accommodation is strung out along Galle Rd.
Most plots of land along the strip are quite narrow, which means that guesthouses will
only have a few pricey rooms with views of the water. In contrast, rooms closest to the
