Overview of Kallady Beach
Kallady Beach is a lesser known coastal treasure, found on the Eastern strip of Sri Lanka. Located a few kilometres away from Batticoloa town, within the greater Batticoloa district, tourists visiting this site find themselves on a long stretch of undisturbed coastline, privy to breathtaking vistas of the Indian Ocean. Its location makes it an ideal spot for tourists, given its proximity to clusters of resorts located close to the Kallady Bridge, leading to the beach. Despite being ravaged by the deadly tsunami that hit Sri Lanka and its neighbouring countries on the 26th of December 2004, the beach has since then been a mostly peaceful seaside respite to tourists who visit Batticoloa, its sea a source of livelihood for local fishermen.
If you’re keen to speak to people of the locality, including the experienced fishermen of the area, all you need to do is head to Kallady Beach. Make your way down early morning, and you may just find yourself pulling up the day’s haul along with them! On a good day, this sometimes totals thousands of kilograms of fish. You can also catch a breathtaking sunrise if you’re willing to pull yourself away from your cosy sheets at the crack of dawn; known to be well worth the effort. This generally takes place between 5.15 and 5.30 AM approximately, and its magnificent rays and golden-orange hues form a perfect capture for any photography enthusiast.
Dotted with a line of casuarina trees and containing a wooden walkway, the beach is a great place for a serene and relaxing stroll either at sunrise or sunset. If you’re keen to take a little bit of a longer walk along these sandy shores, proceed a few kilometres down towards Navalady. Here, you encounter the tip of the beach and a glittering and unspoilt estuary, straight out of a travel postcard. It is at this point that the vast Batticoloa Lagoon finds its way into the sea. The beach is also the sacred ground of the Thiruchentoor Murugan Hindu Temple, which was cleaved in half when the disastrous tsunami struck the island in 2004. Although it has since been rebuilt, its rear portion containing the sanctum remains buried at an angle in the ground; a sombre reminder of the deadly force of the fatal tidal wave. You can also witness the top steeple of a nearby church lying toppled on the beach, enclosed in a picket fence; another remnant of the earthquake and tsunami that shook almost every corner of the earth. The sea is not known to be the most ideal place for a swim, so unless you’re a good swimmer and are confident of your abilities to withstand rough waves, be cautious when venturing in.
Kallady Beach is close to a number of other tourist hotspots including the Batticoloa Lagoon where you find the famous singing fish, the Portugese-Dutch Fort, as well as other attractions within the town. So if you do visit the beach and wrap up a little earlier than expected, fear not! There’s plenty more to do and see in the surrounding city area.
Want to know more about Kallady beach and Batticoloa town? Get in touch with us for more information and we’ll get back to you with what you’re after! In the meantime, feel free to peruse the sections below for more great places to visit in Sri Lanka.