Turtle Watching

Rekawa beach is a spacious sandy beach about 10 km from Tangalle Bay that begins in the lagoon of the same name behind the village of Marakolliya and that ends in the Kalametiya natural reserve. The waves are quite high here, therefore not ideal for swimming.

Rekawa Beach is one of the best places to spot endangered sea turtles in Sri Lanka, because it is one of the best natural habitats with many sea turtles. In Rekawa you can observe the ancient ritual of turtles coming ashore and laying eggs.

Rekawa beach is visited by five different species of sea turtles, which lay their eggs in the sand every night throughout the year. These five species are:

• Hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
• Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas)
• Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta)
• Leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)
• Olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea)

Full Moon days between January and April are considered being the best time to watch the sea turtles. The turtles tend to come to the shore with moonlight, therefore the brighter the moonlight the better the chance of spotting sea turtles.