Hambantota, 240km (150 miles) from Colombo, is an independent travelers' haven that is showing some of the signs of escalating into a fully-fledged holiday resort. Hambantota stands on a sandy headland, on the seaward side of which a huge fleet of outrigger fishing canoes draws up, and the horizon is almost always dotted with their small triangular sails. With sweeping sandy beaches on either side, it is also a convenient base for exploring the nearby Bundala National Park and, somewhat further away, the Ruhuna National Park and the temples at Kataragama.
Just off the main A2 coastal road at the 218km (135-mile) post, this wetland reserve a mixture of mangrove swamp and scrub jungle around two brackish lagoons is an important location for migrating waterfowl and waders, including four species of plover, curlew, marsh sandpiper, curlew sandpiper, greenshank and yellow wagtail. Residents include three egret species, spoonbills, glossy ibis, purple swamp hen and black-winged stilts.

Just east of Hambantota a series of salt pans - some still in use, some disused - attract large numbers of waders and shore birds, including greater flamingo, spot-billed pelican, several species of plover and tern, gulls, ducks, egrets, sandpipers and many others.

About 16km (10 miles) east of Hambantota, Bundala is an accessible expanse of scrub jungle surrounding large shallow pools which attract many bird species. The beaches are egg-laying sites for Olive Ridley and leatherback turtles, and hawksbill and green turtles are less frequently seen.

The Great Basses reef, about 40km (25 miles) east of Hambantota, and the Little Basses, 80km (50 miles) east, are reputed to offer the best diving in Sri Lanka, with numerous wrecks and many large pelagic fish species to be seen. Both islands are uninhabited and characterized by lighthouses built in the mid-19th century to point out these hazards to shipping. However, very strong currents mean these dive sites are suitable only for extremely experienced divers.