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Trip Reports Archive » By Length » Two Days » The road to Sethawadiya, Kalpitiya and dolphins

The road to Sethawadiya, Kalpitiya and dolphins

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Tags & Author Archive

Anawilundawa, Chilaw, Dolphins, Kalpitiya, Munneswaram Kovil, Nawadankulama, Norochcholai, Puttalam, Sethawadiya, Thalawila, Two Days, February, Dry Zone, Sand & Beach, Birds, Wildlife, Culture, 2010, Boating, Photograhy, Whales & Dolphins

Author: Chandanie (10 Trips)

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Year and Month February 2010 (4th – 7th)
Number of Days Two Day Trip
Crew 3 (between 14 & 47yrs)
Accommodation Sethawadiya, Dolphin Watch Eco Lodge, Kalpitiya
Transport Car
Activities Bird watching, visiting other places of interest, dolphin watching and just chilling out
Weather Fantastic! Bright and sunny, ideal for all planned activities.Weather forecasts can be viewed at:

  • http://www.yr.no/place/Sri_Lanka/North_Western/Kalpitiya
  • http://www.windfinder.com/forecast/kalpitiya_puttalam

I have used these sites to check weather for other locations too and have found them to be pretty accurate.

Route Our destination was Sethawadiya, Dolphin Watch Eco Lodge, Kalpitiya.Drive along A3 (Colombo – Puttalam road), turn left at Plavi near the 120km post, and take the B349 to Kalpitiya. At 40 km is the Al Aksha junction. Turn left from there and ask for directions to Sethawadiya. Hope and pray you find someone who speaks your mother tongue to give you the directions!

Road is narrow at places but can be navigated by car – the last un-tarred stretch might be problematic during the rainy season.

Tips, Notes and Special remarks
  • Check out the weather forecasts. Dolphins are not active during gloomy overcast weather.
  • Take plenty of drinking water. The only negative point at Sethawadiya is that their water is salty. They provide drinking water and have good water for cooking and tea/coffee. You might need your water especially when brushing your teeth!!!
  • Take a torch. Electricity is from a generator in the evening and in the morning for about 4 hours at a stretch. Can charge batteries etc during that time but take a square pin adapter/multi plug.
Author Chandanie
Comments Discuss this trip report, provide feedback or make suggestions at Lakdasun Forum on the thread

  • The road to Sethawadiya, Kalpitiya and dolphins

A week end trip to Kalpitiya was planned as a family vacation. The main attraction was the dolphins but some detours to see interesting sites on the way were also in the itinerary.

We started around 4.00 am on a Saturday – just 3 of us in our car. En route to Palavi along A3, we visited the Munnewaram Kovil in Chilaw. The Munnewaram Hindu Kovil has many little shrines within the main complex; dedicated to various Hindu deities. Photography is not allowed inside the kovil.

The Munneswaram Kovil

The Munneswaram Kovil

The Munneswaram Kovil

The Munneswaram Kovil

Our next stop was at Nawadankulama tank for some birding. This is about 1 km along the road to the right, just pass the 105 km post. We were a bit too late and the sun was not ideal for birding. Despite this, it was quite an exciting stop over.

The Aiyanayake devalaya near the Nawadankulama tank

The Aiyanayake devalaya near the Nawadankulama tank

Ohhhh! The luxury of a mud bath!!!

Ohhhh! The luxury of a mud bath!!!

Nawadankulama Tank

Nawadankulama Tank

Kana kok suda

Kana kok suda

Lesser whistling ducks

Lesser whistling ducks

Life at Nawadankulama

Life at Nawadankulama

Getting ready for school

Getting ready for school

The road up to Plavi is fantastic. To get to Kalpitiya we turned left at 120th km post and drove along B349. This stretch of the road is carpeted only for about 6km and the rest is not so good. The terrain around is harsh and dry but it is offset by the spectacular view of the Puttalam lagoon on the right side of the road.

The Puttalam lagoon

The Puttalam lagoon

Along the way we visited the Thalawila church – which is the oldest Catholic Church in Sri Lanka – and saw the Norochcholai coal power plant from outside. Permission from the Ceylon Electricity Board is needed to get inside.

Norochcholai coal power plant

Norochcholai coal power plant

Thalawila St. Anne’s Church

Thalawila St. Anne’s Church

The road up to Al Aksha junction offers fascinating insights to life in the area.

Friends

Friends

Trying to creep through, despite being “framed”

Trying to creep through, despite being “framed”

Just the right thing to quench the thirst and hunger

Just the right thing to quench the thirst and hunger

And of course, the famous “Puttalam asses”!

And of course, the famous “Puttalam asses”!

The road from Al Aksha junction to Sethawadiya is pretty narrow but can be done in a car. The directions are not marked and you need to ask the villagers for them. This can be pretty confusing due to barriers in communication.

The first glimpse of Sethawadiya, Dolphin View Eco Lodge

The first glimpse of Sethawadiya, Dolphin View Eco Lodge

The road to Sethawadiya

The road to Sethawadiya

The beach chalets

The beach chalets

The lagoon in front

The lagoon in front

Chilling out in the lagoon – if you don’t mind some mud!

Chilling out in the lagoon – if you don’t mind some mud! 🙂

The next day was bright and sunny and it was ideal for dolphins. We were joined by two other guests in the hotel for the trip. We set off by 8.15 a.m eager to see the dolphins.

Safety first

Safety first

The first sighting was around 8.45 a.m. and there after the dolphins came in hundreds and the sea was literally filled with them! The dolphins were all Long-snouted spinner type and they put on a spectacular show, jumping up and spinning in the air.

First sighting

First sighting

Up in the air and back into water

Up in the air and back into water

Synchronized swimming

Synchronized swimming

Skimming the surface

Skimming the surface

Swimming along the boat

Swimming along the boat

The only ugly incident in an otherwise perfect trip was this example of highly irresponsible bit of eco tourism we witnessed, much to our disgust. The two boats in that group would charge into the middle of a pod of dolphins, making them dive back into the water rapidly. The tourists in the boats would dive into the sea with scant regard to their safety or the well being of the dolphins they were out to see. It would be interesting to know whether they would be allowed to behave in such an ugly manner in any other country!

Towards irresponsible eco tourism

Towards irresponsible eco tourism

The dolphins were spinning most of the time and my son was able to capture this spinner in action minutes before we turned back and WOW! what a fantastic bit of spinning it was. It was the perfect ending of a memorable trip.

what a fantastic bit of spinning it was

what a fantastic bit of spinning it was

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