:: DOWN SOUTH LK - Professional Travel Guide ::

However it was the Portuguese who in the 17th Century, built a small fort at the mouth of the Bentota or Bentara Ganga.{Today this river also provided early tourists with the main recreational pursuit of the era - boating.

Today, Bentota hosts the 100-acre National Holiday Tourist Resort complex, which consists of several major tourist hotels, a shopping centre, and exhibition centre. The main hotel in the resort is built on the site of the old British rest house and borders both the beach and river.

Bentota's wide beach is ideal for swimming (October through April are the best months) and all types of beach sport.} This wide river marked the southern extremity of Portuguese held territory in the island, as Dutch sails appeared on the horizon further south.

The Dutch used the fort during their rule, as a resting place for stagecoaches plying between Colombo and Galle.Later the British converted this simple halt into a rest house for travelers. Its idyllic location and tranquility made it a popular haven. By the 1970s, the rest house had become a hotel, opening the door to the commercial strip marking the resort today.

It is a well-developed town with several hotels, railway station, post office, shopping arcade and a cafeteria, surrounded by swaying palm trees. Bentota also has an open-air theatre where folk and mask dancing performances are staged regularly. Bentota has many delightful resorts and is ideally located for those wishing to visit other resorts along the 130 km long golden coastline.