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

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	Ohhhh! The luxury of a mud bath!!!
Nawadankulama Tank	Kana kok suda
Lesser whistling ducks	Life at Nawadankulama

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

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

Thalawila St. Anne’s Church

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

Friends	Trying to creep through, despite being “framed”
Just the right thing to quench the thirst and hunger	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 road to Sethawadiya
The beach chalets	The lagoon in front

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

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	Up in the air and back into water
Synchronized swimming	Skimming the surface

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

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