- Trip Outline
- Itinerary
- Gallery
All-inclusive Whale Watching Tour Colombo with South Coast
Go in search of whales on this southern Sri Lanka whale-watching cruise from all hotels on the west coast and Colombo. You will be picked up early in the morning from the hotel and driven to Mirissa. With the life vest, board the 50-foot (15-meter) luxury whale-watching cruise and venture onto the Indian Ocean in search of blue whales with an expert skipper and crew.
A continental breakfast and tea or coffee as you sail to areas frequented by whales. Watch for species such as blue, sperm, killer, humpback, and pilot whales in the waters, snap once-in-a-lifetime photos, and look out for other marine creatures, including dolphins and sea turtles.
After the whale-watching cruise (2-4 hours), start your return journey to the hotel. Stop at Unawatuna beach, the sea turtle conservation center, the spice garden, Hikkaduwa beach, and Bentota beach as you make the return journey to your hotel.
Explore the iconic tourist attraction on the south coast, the Galle Fort, which is a UNESCO world heritage site. You will be doing a guided walking tour with your driver or guide along the labyrinthine of cobbled streets. There are thousands of old Dutch-style buildings hidden in the medieval city that the East Indian company built. Visit There are many hundred-year-old churches, including the Wolvendaal church, moats, temples, and colonial palaces. Jump onto the moat and enjoy the breathtaking view over the wide-open Indian Ocean.
After the Dutch Fort, stop at Hikkaduwa Beach and Bentota Beach to enjoy the mesmerizing beaches. Afterwards, make a stop at the Ariyapala Mask Museum in Ambalangoda. This is the only museum on the island dedicated to traditional masks. Here you can see many hundreds of masks, many of which originated a long time ago.
If the time permits, you will be visiting a sea turtle conservation center on the west coast and learning about endangered sea turtles.
Overview
- 100% safe, super-grade luxury passenger cruiser.
- Licensed by the Government of Sri Lanka.
- You will get one of the most comfortable whale-watching cruisers in Mirissa.
- The spacious upper deck allows everyone on the upper deck a wider and deeper view.
- Specially designed for whale-watching adventure trips, with space around for observation.
- Morning tea or coffee; breakfast; bottled water; fruits and snacks—all these are free onboard.
- We follow international whale-watching guidelines and best practices issued by Whales and Dolphin Conservation in the UK.
- Two licensed captains, six lifeguards with international licenses, and one naturalist are on board for live commentary.
- The whale sighting rate is 99.9%.
- If you don't see whales, you can have the tour the next day for free.
- Your pick-up time is to be informed by phone, on WhatsApp, or by email soon after your booking is made.
Activities available on this trip
- Sail into the Indian Ocean to spot blue, pilot, sperm, and other species of whales.
- Watch for other wildlife, such as dolphins, whale sharks, and sea turtles.
- Enjoy a light breakfast and morning tea or coffee as you sail.
- Life vests and safety equipment are fitted onboard.
- See a collection of hundreds of ancient masks and learn the art of mask carving.
- Visit Moonstone Mines.
- Sea turtle conservation center.
- The walking tour of the Galle Fort (a UNESCO World Heritage Site)
- Family-friendly cruise with hotel pickup and drop-off included.
Trip includes
- Hotel pickup from Colombo, Kalutra, or Bentota
- Breakfast, Tea, and Coffee
- Entire ground transportation as per the tour itinerary in an air-conditioned, luxury, private vehicle
- English-speaking driver or guide (please inquire about other languages)
- A guided walking tour of Galle fortress
- A guided tour of the spice and herbal gardens
- Tickets for the whale-watching boat
- Visit the sea turtle conservation project.
- Hikkaduwa beach
- Highway toll
- All government taxes and insurance fees
Trip excludes
- Lunch
- Gratuities
Cancellation policy
Cancel 24 hours prior to arrival for a full refund.
Choose your payment method.
We offer you mainly three payment options: card payments, bank transfers, or payment on arrival. You can choose whatever is the most convenient payment option for you. If you opt for payment on arrival, we will collect a 25% advance payment from you as a guarantee once the booking is confirmed.
Additional information
- A confirmation will be received at the time of booking.
- It is not recommended for pregnant travelers.
- Pickup and drop-off from more than 140+ hotels on the west coast
Itineraries
Day 1
Time : 4:00 am
COLOMBO / MIRISSA
Meet and greet a Serendipity Tour representative at your hotel (at 04.30 am) and drive to Mirissa harbor.
Board the whale-watching boat at 630 a.m. and set sail for the sea. The whale-watching trip lasts between 3 and 5 hours.
WHALE WATCHING MIRISSA
The warm Indian Ocean of southern Sri Lanka is the best place to spot a wide variety of whales and dolphins. There are 26 different species of whales and dolphins traversing this region, such as blue whales, Bryde´s whales, sperm whales, fin whales, and sometimes killer whales, as well as the well-loved common dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, spinner dolphins, Risso’s dolphins and striped dolphins.
The south tip of Sri Lanka is the easiest place to see blue whales in a very short time. And especially the Mirissa and Weligama areas are the best-known spotting places for blue whales in the entire world. Sperm whales, right whales, killer whales, whale sharks, turtles, and other kinds of dolphins are also spotted in this part of the island all year.
After whale-watching trip, return to hotel, en-route visits,
TURTLE CONSERVATION CENTER
Projects have been launched to conserve the population of turtles that are reaching extinction, and such projects are found along the southern coast of Sri Lanka, where turtles come ashore to lay their eggs. The turtle digs a hole on the beach, lays her eggs, and covers it with sand where it is supposed to incubate in the heat of the sun. It frequently happens that fishermen will dig out the eggs and sell them to consumers.
But now the eggs are bought up by the conservation projects and are hatched the natural way in enclosed areas where the birds don’t have a chance of picking them up, and the babies are let into the sea after two days at night, which offers them a better chance of survival.
SPICE GARDEN
Visit a spice garden at Matale where spices and herbs used for Sri Lankan cuisine and medication are grown. The spices of Sri Lanka attracted the early seafaring merchants who made the long voyages to purchase this precious merchandise.
CITY OF GALLE
Galle is one of the ancient seaports of Sri Lanka and was an anchor point on the Silk Route. It was later discovered by the Portuguese, where they built a fortress, and the Dutch that succeeded them fortified it further. This fortress is today a World Heritage Site.
GALLE FORTRESS
The fort has a colorful history, and today it has a multiethnic and multireligious population. The Sri Lankan government and many Dutch people who still own some of the properties inside the fort are looking at making this one of the modern wonders of the world. The heritage value of the fort has been recognized by UNESCO, and the site has been inscribed as a cultural heritage UNESCO World Heritage Site under criteria iv for its unique exposition of "an urban ensemble that illustrates the interaction of European architecture and South Asian traditions from the 16th to the 19th centuries.
The Galle Fort, also known as the Dutch Fort or the "Ramparts of Galle," withstood the Boxing Day tsunami, which damaged part of the coastal area of Galle town. It has since been restored. The Galle Fort also houses the elite Amangalla resort hotel, located near the Dutch Reformed Church. It was originally built in 1684 to house the Dutch governor and his staff. It was then converted into a hotel and named the New Oriental Hotel in 1865, which catered to European passengers traveling between Europe and Galle Port in the 19th century.
UNAWATUNA BEACH
Unawatuna Beach is located just south of Galle, the main city in the south, and 125 km from Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka. This 4-kilometer expanse of palm-fringed sand is said by some to rank among the twelve best beaches in the world. This beach is a paradise for all those who yearn to enjoy the silence of the sea and dive deep into the blue waters of the ocean. There is a reef protecting the beach, which makes it a perfect safe haven for bathing. Other major attractions of this southern beach include shallow waters for swimming and diving. Within its reach, there is an accessible, reasonably well-preserved coral reef that serves as the base for snorkeling.
HIKKADUWA
Hikkaduwa is one of the most popular tourist destinations in southern Sri Lanka. It is 98 km south of Colombo, and its beautiful beaches add a lot of glamour to this town. It is the place where you can get a glimpse of the fascinating underwater world and see the creatures that inhabit the unfathomable depths of the sea. The famed coral gardens are located here. Just get hold of a glass-bottomed boat or goggles and flippers and plunge into the ocean.
................End of the whale watching trip.................
