Making the most of Hambantota
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
Ships dock at Magam Ruhunupura Mahinda Rajapaksa Port.
Downtown Hambantota is approximately 10 kilometers from Hambantota Port. Shuttles or taxis are usually available to travel between the port and city centre.
Sightseeing
Hambantota is a southern Sri Lankan coastal city on a sandy headland, where a large fleet of outrigger fishing canoes comes ashore and small triangular sails almost always mark the horizon. Sandy beaches stretch out on both sides, and the city is a handy base for nearby Bundala National Park, the more distant Ruhuna National Park and Kataragama’s temples.
In Sri Lanka’s south east corner, Hambantota is just 120km from Galle. The peaceful city is known for its dry setting, Malay community, colonial architecture and broad salt flats.
Hambantota takes its name from the Sinhala words ‘Hamban’, meaning a type of sailing vessel, and ‘Thota’, meaning port. The 2004 Tsunami disaster badly affected the town. Afterwards, plans for Hambantota to become Sri Lanka’s second largest city led to a whole ‘new town’ being created beside the old one.
Getting around
Natural scenery and wildlife make Hambantota an excellent place to begin visits to national parks, heritage sites and the Kataragama temples. Bundala National Park is particularly worthwhile, combining lagoons, beaches, sand dunes and forestry, and supporting over 200 bird species, including the Greater Flamingo.
Its sweeping sandy beaches and hot, arid weather also make Hambantota suitable for visitors who simply want to relax.
Nearby places
Hambantota is the Cruise Port for Kataragama, one of Sri Lanka’s key pilgrimage destinations. Its Hindu and Buddhist communities, indigenous Vedda peoples and pilgrims arriving from southern India all pay their respects at the Kataragama Temple complex. The site’s principal shrine honours Skanda-Murugan, Shiva’s Hindu war-god son. Buddhists manage most of the other shrines, but there is also a shrine to Shiva and a Muslim mosque. A visit is certainly a fascinating experience…
Food and shopping
Indian cuisine is varied and regionally distinct, often richly spiced and built around wheat, rice and lentils. Sri Lankan dishes rely more heavily on coconut, with powerful chilli heat and rice, seafood and curry leaves.
Money
The Sri Lankan Rupee is the currency. Exchange rates are approximately 110Rs/ USD or 170Rs/ EUR.
ATMs are common in cities and suburbs, especially at bank branches, but less common in rural areas.
Staying connected
Sinhala, Tamil and English are widely used across Sri Lanka; in remote villages, only Sinhala or only Tamil may be spoken.
Opening Hours and
Shopping hours are Mon-Fri 0900-1730 and Sat 0900-1300.