Beaches & Coast
Polhena & Matara
Southern Province
A reef-protected lagoon at the island’s southern tip, shallow and calm enough to snorkel straight off the beach.
- How long
- 1 day is usually enough
- Best months
- November, December, January, February, March, April
Polhena has a natural coral reef close inshore that flattens the swell, creating a shallow lagoon you can swim and snorkel in without a boat. Green turtles feed here regularly and are used to people.
It is quieter than Mirissa and Unawatuna, and much more of a local beach — you will share it with families from Matara rather than tour groups.
Matara town itself has a Dutch star fort and a colonial ramparts walk that almost nobody visits.
Photographs of Polhena & Matara
We can build Polhena & Matara into a tailor-made itinerary.
Plan a trip around Polhena & Matara