Baththalangunduwa

Baththalangunduwa is a beautiful island located in the coastal waters of Kalpitiya. The island comprises 5 km2 area situated 38 km far from Kalpitiya.

How to arrive at Baththalangunduwa?

If you’re traveling from Colombo, the easiest route is to take the bus from Negombo to Kalpitiya in the morning. The bus leaves from Negombo at 4.30 a.m. and reaches Kalpitiya by 8 a.m. The bus ride costs only Rs.250 each and will drop you by the harbour.

If you’re coming from the North, you can take the bus to Kalpitiya from Puttalam. Anyways you have to get to the Kalpitiya harbour before 8.30 a.m. A boat to Baththalangunduwa Island is usually scheduled to leave the harbour at 8.30 a.m.

It is the only way to get to this island and if you miss the boat you will have no other way to get to your destination. And the boat is not available on Sundays. They charge Rs.10 to enter the harbour and they collect your personal details. Don’t forget to have the NIC with you. They provide washroom facilities inside the harbour.

The boat ride will cost you Rs.350. The 38 km boat ride to Baththalangunduwa from Kalpitiya takes approximately 3 hours. You will be able to reach Baththalangunduwa by 12 noon. The boat will first stop at the Police station.

You will have to go to the police station and provide personal details including your names, hometowns, mobile numbers, number of people, and the number of days you wish to stay on the island. Provide accurate details to the police and they will take care of you in any case of emergency.

The second stop will be at Sinnagunduwa. You can get down from there as the distance from there to the camping area is short.

The boat leaves Baththalangunduwa Island by 1 p.m. to Kalpitiya. Be by the police station at 1 p.m. on the day you wish to return. The boat ride back to Kalpitiya takes 3 hours and around 5 p.m., you can take the bus back to Negombo.

It would be better to take your own water to the island since water sold on the island is expensive. You can carry water as much as you can, considering the number of days you wish to stay back. It would be better if one can at least carry 3-4 liters of water. But in case you run out of water, you can dig in the sand to find hard water which is drinkable.

On the island

On the first day of your tour, you can prepare breakfast like sandwiches, and take them to eat either on the bus or the boat. And if you can take lunch packets from home, you can have them after you finish arranging the camping site.

You have to carry enough food like noodles, bread, sausages, etc. For all considering the number of people, how much and how often they eat. You can have campfires on the island and wood is abundant. If you want, you can take a small gas cooker to the island for your convenience. You can buy fish and dried fish from the fishermen on the island at a cheaper price.

If you want rice and curry contact 0777179623 at least 12 hours prior. You’ll be able to buy fish rice for about Rs.200. Take the necessary equipment to prepare coffee, milk coffee. Drinking a coffee after waking up on the beach in the early morning is an amazing, simple pleasure.

You can bathe as much as you want at the sea near the camping area. But always be careful and don’t go too much into the deep. There are washrooms built by the islanders but they don’t have water. You’ll have to carry water from the sea. There is a Dialog signal tower on the island. You can take calls. Mobile data will work only in certain areas. Take all the necessary equipment to do camping. And don’t forget torches.

Don’t leave anything behind on the island. Not even a piece of paper. Make sure to protect this paradise for travelers just like you who’d love to experience the serene environment. The people on the island are very innocent and friendly. Therefore, don’t get into any conflicts with them. If they prohibit outsiders from visiting, in the future, nobody else will be able to enjoy all that this island offers.

0773286939 – Sujith, This is the guy who owns the bus from Negombo to Kalpitiya and the boat to Baththalangunduwa. You will be able to get more details by contacting him. Before going to the island, call this number and book seats on the bus. It doesn’t cost anything extra. When arriving from the island to Kalpitiya port in the evening you can book seats on the bus to Negombo from the boat.

Updated

Baththalangunduwa Island has a monsoon season from June to August. So do not go swimming in the sea at that time. There is no lifeguard service on the island. The sea waves are very strong during this season.

If you want to bathe, there are small pits dug by humans on the island, near the camping site. If you are going to the island during the monsoon season, camp a little further away from the sea.

The sea waves could come inside the camp. Do not set fire near trees. Do not cut down live trees for firewood. There are plenty of dead trees on the island. Firewood can be found. After the monsoon season is over, you can swim in the sea on the island.

The island has been badly damaged during the 2020 monsoon season. The island’s coastline is heavily eroded. So that side is not as beautiful as before. The islanders say that in a short time, the island will be completely submerged.

There are no snakes or other venomous animals on the island. But sea snakes can come to the island from the sea. Sea snakes are more likely to come because of an island. Sea snakes are highly venomous. But they are not so active on land.

So as long as we do not bother them, they will not bite us. If you see a snake on the island, the best thing to do is to go away from that place without disturbing the snake. Never go to catch snakes. This will help you to avoid snake bites.

Most importantly, bring back everything you carry to the island. Do not leave anything on the island. The coastline on the camp side of the island continues to be littered with plastic bottles, polythene, and liquor bottles.

If it is left unmanaged, the island will be ugly. It will be a prohibited island for tourists. So please don’t leave garbage on the island. Collect all your garbage. There is a garbage pit near the police station. Put your garbage to it, the day you leave the island. The police will destroy the rubbish. Try to protect the island.

(updated on 16.07.2020)