THE RAINFORESTS OF GALLE, HIYARE & KOTTAWA
BEST FOR: A blend of beach and rainforest for flora enthusiasts.
DRIVE TIME FROM COLOMBO: One hour to Galle, plus another half hour to Hiyare or Kottawa.
WHAT’S NEARBY? The Dutch fort and port city of Galle, studded with luxury villas, great cuisine and colonial history.
Hiyare and Kottawa are two rainforest sites less than 20km from the port city of Galle. Further away (one-and-a-half hours) is Kanneliya, the largest remaining tract of lowland rainforest in Sri Lanka.
All three make it possible to combine a beach holiday with a rainforest safari to see some endemic plants and animals, especially the giant dipterocarp trees, which are some of the most important timber trees in Asia.
