Puttalam District

One of the treasury tourist locations of the North Western Province of Sri Lanka is the Puttalam District. Puttalam is one of the two Districts which form the Wayamba or North – Western Province. The District is another exemplary spot for the picturesque rural view. Puttalam is diverse in ethnicity & religion in which Sinhalese and Buddhism fills the prominent place.

Climatic Condition

With the good climatic condition on the months from January to July, the district faces the rainy season from October to December. The district is classified under tropical climatic zone with the average temperature of 28 degrees throughout a year.

Geographical Location

Latitude 8° N and Longitude 80° E

Along the West coast, the District Puttalam stretches from Colombo to Anuradhapura. The District is famous for farming sea breading organisms as because of its location. Indian Ocean borders the West side, meanwhile some rivers borders along the East and North of the District. There is a moral belief that the District got its name as because of its location. The Tamil word “Upputhalam ” which means the heavy production and storage of salt.

How to reach?

By road – Public transport service of Ceylon Transport Board is available from Colombo, Pettah bus-stop to Puttalam bus-stop and which will coasts nearly 200 Sri-Lankan Rupees. The travel time depends on the selection of route. Chilaw – Colombo – Puttalam route which is nearly 135km and will take nearly 3 1/2 hrs. Meanwhile, Colombo – Puttalam route of 165km which can travel by nearly 3.75hrs and the longest route, Kurunegala – Puttalam highway will take nearly 4hrs to cover the 180km distance. If the traveller drive by themselves then the travel time can be shorten by one hour. For a private vehicle, the fuel expense will coast within 2500 Sri Lankan Rupees. If the traveller wish to travel through from Bandaranayke international airport to Puttalam, it’s better to hire a taxi/cab/van which may coast 8000 – 12000 Sri Lankan Rupees depending on the service and comfort.

By train – Trough train the journey will long for nearly 140km and the duration time varies from 4 hrs to 5 hrs. Daily, two train services available from Colombo fort and an additional service is available on Saturdays with the ticket fair varies from 115 to 430 Sri Lankan Rupees.

To Do’s in Puttalam District

Puttalam district is enriched with natural and artificial sites to admire. Lagoons of Puttalam, Kalpitiya and Mundhal, Alankuda beach, Dolphin beach, Paramakanda Cave Temple, Thalawila St. Anne's Church, Muneeswara Temple, mosques, Kalpitiya Dutch Fort, Inginimitiya reservoir, Norachcholai Power Station and Wipattu National park are the main sight-seeing spots of Puttalam District. Tourists can enjoy safari in the national park while adore the natural atmosphere of the district. Birds watching, kite surfing, sea bath, dolphin watching, archelogical site visits and pilgrim visits are some other choices for tourists those who visit Puttalam district.