Kalametiya Lagoon, a CO2 emission-free bird sanctuary in Tangalle, offers a day of captivating bird watching. This experience is easily combined with two other excursions nearby, Rekawa Turtle Hatchery and Ussangoda Park, for a fun day out enjoying Tangalle’s natural splendour.
Kalametiya is a coastal wetland bio-diversity hotspot just 30 minutes from Tangalle. Together with nearby Rekawa and Ussangoda, Kalametiya forms an area known as “Ruk,” a coastal belt of land of magical beauty littered with numerous bays, coves, lagoons, rocky outcrops and sandy beaches, stretching from Tangalle all the way to Hambantota.
A 1,730-acre protected sanctuary, Kalametiya has recently become the ideal eco-tourism sanctuary for its zero-carbon emission policy. Only paddleboat tours operate here, keeping this beautiful environment free from CO2 emissions. The sanctuary landscape is diverse and magical, consisting of saltwater marshes, reedbeds, scrublands and mangrove forests.
Witness a wide variety of migratory, endemic and resident birds, with over 121 resident and 46 winter migrant birds recorded here. The northern winters see many bird species flock to this biodiversity-rich area for rest and food. Famous migrants include plovers, terns, ducks, stints, sandpipers, and ducks, and famous residents are cormorants, pelicans, egrets, storks, teals and tilts.
Along with paddle boat tours, the local guides can take you on a jungle trek for more fun wildlife and bird photography while they help you identify the birdlife and the landscapes to enhance your knowledge.
We recommend combining a visit to Kalametiya with the nearby Rekawa Turtle Hatchery for a night tour of the turtle egg collection and the unique “alien” landscape and beach of Ussangoda National Park.
Kalametiya Bird Santuary
On the A2 highway, turn right from Hungama (Between Ranna and Ussangoda)
Open: Daily 5:30 am – 7:00 pm
Tickets: No tickets required. A guided tour can be arranged with local operators with a guide. Price: US$ 30 Per person for a paddle boat tour, guided walk and bottled water for a 2-hour tour. (Prices current as of September 2024)