Mount Lavinia - A Day Trip to Colombo’s Local Beach
Our very expensive train tickets!
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It had only been a week since our trip to the Princes Islands and we were already craving a day with the sand between our toes. To that end we decided on a day trip out to Colombo’s own beach - Mount Lavinia
Getting to Mount Lavinia
A short walk from our hostel, we arrived at Kollupitiya railway station. This was to be our first experience of Sri Lanka’s train network and one we won’t forget for a while! The first point of difference to the British railway network was the price of a ticket. For a 20 minute journey we handed over the princely sum of 30 LKR for the two of us (7p or 0.8 cents). When the train arrived, (its scheduled time was just a suggestion) we bundled aboard and were trundled on down the line. The sea air blowing through, with young Sri Lankan men hanging out the open doors of the train carriage.
Sea Turtles Conservation Centre Colombo
Getting off at Mount Lavinia station we headed off to the town. We took a couple of wrong turns and wound up on the wrong side of the tracks, literally. Dotted between the train tracks and the beach, we passed by lean-tos, beach houses and makeshift shacks until completely by accident we found ourselves at the Sea Turtles Conservation Centre. This tiny, beach side rescue Centre raises turtles from eggs bought from locals (to stop them being sold for food) as well as nursing injured turtles back to health. We saw a variety of extremely cute turtles from an Albino Loggerhead (who was actually named John), Leatherbacks and Tiger turtles. There was also a tank of tiny one week old baby turtles awaiting their release. We did get to hold the turtles which was lovely, although in hindsight we’re not sure of the ethics of this. The ticket price included a tour around all the tanks, with explanations of the turtles and the conversation work being done. Our guide also mentioned that volunteering opportunities were available at the Centre. Tickets to the Sea Turtle Conservation Centre were 1000 LKR each (£2.30 or $2.78). For something we literally stumbled upon this was well worth the money. Also baby turtles are ridiculously cute!
I named him Flappy…
Looking up and down the beachfront after our turtle experience we began to wonder if we were actually in the right place. We had seen photos of beach front restaurants, people swimming, playing with kites etc but what we saw was a near deserted stretch of sand, piled high with fishing boats and nets. A quick Google Map search later and our error was revealed. We had gone south from Mount Lavinia station rather than north, and we were now on Galkissa beach not Mount Lavinia. A quick but very sweaty walk (this was to become a recurring state for us) had us retracing our steps.
Food on the Beach at Mount Lavinia
Once we actually made it to Mount Lavinia beach it was as the photos had promised. It was a Sunday, and the beach was busy with families, couples and the occasional tourist. People strolled the sands, sipped beers from the beachside bars, played with kites and paddled in the water. The sea is very rough at this time of year (July) so swimming wasn’t really advisable but we had come for beach vibes and beach vibes we found. Sunglasses on and our stomachs rumbling we headed to Sugar Beach bar and restaurant. Our careful selection process that led us to choosing this place was:
a) that it was open
b) that we were standing next to it
Ellie went for the Batticaloa style prawn curry and John had the West Coast seafood fried rice. Both dishes were served with spicy sambals and other garnishes. This was a beachside place so the prices were a little higher, but the food came out fresh, tasty and well presented. A good lunch, and a couple of Lion beers had us feeling well disposed towards the world so we went for a stroll down the beach.
The Beach Itself
The beach was a hub of activity in the late afternoon sun. We passed rugby matches, impromptu cricket games and many, many people taking selfies. Elsewhere in Colombo the train line hugs the coastline stopping any beaches or waterside promenades (thank you Britain) but here in Mount Lavinia the railway line curves inland at the bottom of the beach and rattles down behind the beachside buildings. The restaurant we had eaten lunch in had a special door where you could cross the tracks or at least watch the trains thunder past. As the sun began to fall, we came to the conclusion that sunset beers were needed. There were plenty of bars, dotted along the beach so we grabbed a couple of semi decayed plastic chairs and a similarly dilapidated table and flopped down with a couple of frosty Lion Lagers.
Mount Lavinia beach faces the setting sun so we had front row seats for the show. As it dipped down and eventually below the horizon, the sky melted through a spectrum of colours. Blue bleeding to orange, before finally turning purple and fading black.
We finished our beers, happy with our decision to spend the day at Mount Lavinia.
Thanks for reading.
John & Ellie x
#adventuresofjellie
*Prices correct at time of writing - (August 2022)
Sea Turtle Conservation - https://ourturtleproject.wixsite.com/otcp
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