Matara & Dondra Head

The distance from Hikkaduwa to Matara is 56 km. Matara is the final station on the rail track down south. The city of Matara, which has a university, offers no great attractions except for a small Dutch fort; hence it is relatively untouched by tourism.

Only a few kilometres from Matara you will find the temple site of Weherahena, a place for Buddhist pilgrimages. It has a 39 m-high Buddha statue. In the temple site, much of which is underground, you will find displays of stages of the life of Buddha drawn in a comic-book style.

Some kilometres further you reach the most southern point of Sri Lanka: "Dondra Head". Should you take it into your head to swim straight south from here, prepare for a long swim: the next land is 7,980 km away: the Antarctic.

There is a train service to Matara. However, because there are countless things to see along the way, some of which are just off the main road and are difficult to reach, you are recommended to hire a taxi.