Kalpitiya
Kalpitiya is a settlement of traditional fishing families, a peninsula lying between the Puttalam lagoon on its east and the Indian ocean on its west. The Putalam lagoon has a water surface area of about 32,750 hectares and is one of the largest lagoons in Sri Lanka. The scenic attractions along the lagoon include the Kalaoya estuary (one of Sri Lanka’s largest mangrove habitats), the Meeoya estuary, the Dutch Bay and the Portugal Bay.
Kalpitiya is an incomparable marine sanctuary with a diversity of habitats ranging from bar reefs, flat coastal plains, saltpans, mangrove swamps, salt marshes, vast sand dune beaches and extensive coral reefs. It provides nursing grounds for many species of fish and crustaceans. The coastal waters in Kalpitiya is also home to spinner, bottlenose and Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins, whales, sea turtles, and the elusive dugong. This combination makes it a heaven for vacationers who are treated to an array of activities including swimming, snorkeling whale and dolphin watching, kite surfing, kayaking, wind surfing and more.
Alankuda is a stretch of beach in Kalpitiya that is home to a number of tourist establishments and is a starting point for off-shore whale and dolphin watching in Kalpitiya and offers various water sports activities.
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