Published on Sep, 2024
First thing to know is whales are unpredictable. We found out that we actually went during the off season for whale watching, but saw plenty of dolphins. Disappointing that we didn't see whales, but our driver made the day. He said to call him DC, which he said was short for his name which we would never be able to pronounce, and told us all about the culture and history of Sri Lanka. After a fantastic lunch on the beach, we visited a turtle sanctuary. I thought originally we would be able to swim (which seemed to be what was advertised) but we were able to see baby and rescued sea turtles.
On the bad side there is also a "shopping tour" where you visit a moonstine mine, which is interesting, a spice farm and a tea shoppe. All of these have opportunities to buy, but the moonstone jewelry store was a bit high pressure. And be prepared for an all day adventure as we started at 4 in the morning and return around 5 in the evening.
Overall, we had a great time and recommend you do too, but schedule between April and August for better chances of seeing the whales!