Hikkaduwa is the most developed beach reort in Sri Lanka. It sits on a nice bay on the island's southwestern coast and offers good snorkeling at its easily accessible coral sanctuary, as well as nice scuba diving opportunities at several ship-wrecks. The reefs can also be watched from glass-bottomed boats. The beaches are excellent and the waves are popular with surfers.
In the town itself are numerous handicraft shops, as well as a Buddhist temple. The Tsunami Honganji Viharaya is a huge statue of Buddha. It is a replica of the Buddha statues the Taliban destroyed in Bamiyan (Afghanistan). It was erected to commemorate the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that also destroyed large parts of Hikkaduwa on 6 December 2004.
Not far from Hikkaduwa is a lake with an abundant variety of birdlife.
There are many hotels and restaurants in Hikkaduwa. The town has good bus connections with Colombo, as well as four daily express trains. Some slower trains are also available. They are cheaper, but take up to four hours to cover the 95 km.
Buddha statue ©Rijk van de Kaa
Hikkaduwa ©Achref Kachti
Hikkaduwa beach ©Aadil Ace