Matara, situated on the south coast of Sri Lanka, is an old fort town built on the banks of the Nilwala Ganga, literally the Blue River. However, Matara was an ancient settlement long before the Portuguese raised a stockade here in the early 16th century. It was the Dutch, though, who erected the present main fort, which cuts off a section of land between the sea and the river. Within the fort lies most of the old town,

Dondra is a small town at the southernmost point of Sri Lanka. Beyond the octagonal, 176ft tall lighthouse situated at Dondra Head there is nothing but sea all the way to the Antarctic. For millennia it has been religion that has attracted people to Dondra. Here was situated an ancient and most venerated shrine to Vishnu, whose roof of gilt copper shone far out to sea.

Dikwella, which means long bridge, is an unprepossessing coastal town 22km east of Matara. It is not mentioned in any of the old guide books, because it only started to attract foreign visitors in recent decades after guesthouses and a hotel sprung up along the beach. Buddhist pilgrims have also started to frequent Dikwella in the last thirty years,

Tangalla (or Tangalle), 35km east of Matara, is a pleasant fishing port situated on one of the finest and largest bays in the island, which is protected from the ocean by an enclosing reef. With fine beaches, good swimming and more than reasonable diving, it's not surprising that Tangalla is a popular destination on the south coast.

The Udawalawa national park was established on 30 th July 1972.It lies in the lower catchment of Udawalawa Reservoir in the country's Intermediate Lowland region. This area falls into two administrative districts in two provinces. The parkland on the right bank of Walawe ganga is within Ratnapura district in the province of sabaragamuwa and the parkland

Hambantota, situated on the southeast corner of Sri Lanka's coastline, is a well-sheltered fishing port with much history attached to it. Around 300BC the Greek navigators of Alexander the Great's fleet knew of the reputation of the bay as a safe anchorage, and it was due to their information that Ptolemy included it in his famous map of Taprobane, calling it Dionysii.