Galle
Then…
In 1505, a Portuguese fleet set sail to intercept Moorish
vessels carrying cargoes of spice, but it was driven
off course and landed at what was to become the gateway
to the south. The newcomers named the harbour "Galle",
after the crowing cockerels that they heard at the end
of the day (Latin gallus), although this origin of the
name has been disputed. Other suggestions include the
Sinhala gala (cattle shed) or gal (rock).
Howsoever it got its name, Galle's
origins as a port go back well before the Portuguese,
who finally captured it from the Sinhala kings in 1587.
Ibn Batuta, the great Moroccan traveller, visited it
in 1344, and it is claimed that Galle was the ancient
city of Tarshish, which had traded not only with Persians
and Egyptians, but with King Solomon. In 1640, following
a siege, the Dutch East India Company (VOC) relieved
the Portuguese of this important trading post and held
it until they, too, lost it to the British in 1796,
who further developed the fort area and environs until
independence.
…and now
Today, Galle (pronounced "Gawl") is the
most important town in the south and has retained much
of its colonial atmosphere. The crescent-shaped shoreline
was once dotted with islands, though some have now joined
up or been altered by the harbour developments. The
Portuguese, Dutch and British used the natural harbour
as their main port until 1875, when reconstruction of
breakwaters and the enlarged harbour made Colombo the
island's major port.
The highlight of a visit to Galle
is a tour of the Old Dutch Fort, which
was declared a World Heritage Site in 1988.
Around the Galle area are some very special places to
stay, in fact some of the best on the island.
Galle is also a good centre for visits
to Unawatuna beach and the rainforest nature reserve
of Sinharaja National Park.
Sites and activities of interest
around Galle include:
Hiyare Rainforest Park
Kanneliya Forest Reserve
Kottawa Arboretum
Mahamodara River Trip
Seashore Trail
Whale and Dolphin Watching
The old fort, enclosing about 200
houses, completely dominates the town. The Dutch left
their mark here, building brick-lined sewers, which
the tides automatically flushed twice a day. The fort's
main streets run over these old sewers and you can still
see the manhole covers every 20 m or so. Part of the
charm of the fort is being able to wander around the
streets, as nothing is very far away.
The ramparts, surrounded on three
sides by the sea, are marked by a series of bastions
covering the promontory. The two nearest to the harbour
are Sun and Zwart, followed by Akersloot, Aurora and
Point Utrecht bastions before the lighthouse, then Triton,
Neptune, Clippenburg, Aeolus, Star and Moon. Those on
the west side are more accessible and stand much as
they were built. The ramparts around the Sun and Moon
bastions, which act as sentries each side of the main
gate, afford a great bird's-eye view of the esplanade,
new town and cricket stadium, especially when international
matches are played.
Within the ramparts lies the old town.
Wandering around this atmospheric and historical area,
you will pass through the Arab Quarter, with its distinct
Moorish feel, past the neo-Gothic All Saints Church
and the Groote Kerk (1754), which is next to the New
Oriental Hotel, the oldest registered hotel on the island
and now an Amanresort. Other interesting
buildings in the old town have been converted into museums,
like the National Museum, once a colonial warehouse,
the National Maritime Museum, near the Old Gate and
originally storehouses, and the Historical Mansion Museum,
an 18th Century Dutch residence that has been recently
restored.
Most of the principal sites of interest
can be visited in a 2-hour tour from either Galle or
Unawatuna.
Whale and
Dolphin Watching
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"During the season, a Blue Whale is easier to see to the south of Dondra,
than a leopard in Yala", so says Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne, one of Sri Lanka's
leading wildlife experts. Sri Lanka's south coast between Galle and Mirissa may
be one of the most reliable sites in the world for seeing Blue Whales and Sperm
Whales, two of the most sought after marine mammals, as well as large pods of
Long-snouted Spinner Dolphins. In fact, it may even turn out to be the best location
in the world for seeing both Blue and Sperm Whales together. The calm seas between
December and April offer an outstanding opportunity for observing Blue and Sperm
Whales close to shore, with sightings peaking in December and April due to the
seasonal migration of the whales.
A Whale and Dolphin Watching boat trip can be organised from Galle
as a half-day excursion (06.00 start).
Sri Lanka is blessed with over 1600 km of coastline, and for the adventurous this can offer the
opportunity of more than a relaxing stay on a palm-fringed and sandy tropical beach! Offshore
lies an abundance of reefs, which are home to a dazzling array of colourful fish and corals,
while the more accessible strip of seashore is the habitat of hundreds of animal and plant
species including marine algae and grasses, molluscs and crustaceans, and coral reef fish
within rock pools.
A guided walk along the seashore at Galle is best at either dawn or dusk
and lasts
1 hour.
The boat safari covers a distance of about 12 km up to the Walkwella Bridge along the Mahamodara River,
a major tributary of the mighty Ginganga, which originates in the Rakwana Hills, flowing via Sinharaja
to meet the Indian Ocean at Galle. This memorable and rewarding trip meanders through a variety of lush
mangroves and lotus species with a kaleidoscope of colours, and among birds, butterflies and water monitors.
Sri Lanka is home to at least 19 species of mangroves and up to seven can be seen
on this excursion. These highly adapted, salt-tolerant woody plants are found in mud flats of lagoons,
estuaries and river deltas, and are very important to the stability of the local environment as they
help to reduce soil erosion and provide a protected habitat for birds and aquatic animals. Floating on the
water are large expanses of Nymphaea pubescens, with pink flowers, their large, dark green and glossy upper
surface giving away to a purple and hairy, waterproof underside. Nelumbium nusifera, with large red flowers
and large, circular dull green leaves, provide an excellent habitat for the lily-trotters such as the
White-breasted Waterhen and Pheasant-tailed Jacana. Nymphoides parviflorium, which has tiny white flowers,
is another water lily that thrives among the other two species. Water lilies have value in Ayurvedic medicine
as well as in traditional cuisine.
The trees bordering the riverbanks are Alstonia species. Divi Kaduru (Rejoua dichotoma)
is a medium-sized tree with white flowers and its soft wood is used for carving masks, a traditional handicraft
of Southern Province. Annona glabra, introduced by the Dutch, Pandanus species and various bamboos are the
commonest inhabitants of the area.
Early mornings are best for bird watching. A variety of water-borne birds can be seen
including Purple and Grey Herons, Large and Little Egrets, Indian Shag, and White-breasted, Common and Indian-pied
Kingfishers. Among the forest dwelling birds are the Spotted Dove, Pompadour Green Pigeon, drongos, bee-eaters,
parakeets, coucals, and barbets. The birds of prey include the Brahmini Kite, White-bellied Sea Eagle and the
Tank Eagle.
The boat safari is best at dawn and lasts about 3.5 hours.
Kottawa Forest Reserve (Arboretum), which is situated about 19 km northeast of Galle, is a small (15-hectare),
isolated patch of low country rainforest displaying all of the features of a typical wet evergreen rainforest.
Tall trees with buttressed trunks and overlapping leaf canopies struggle upwards to reach any available sunlight
and prevent the sun from penetrating to the forest floor. As trees are the dominant plant species, Kottawa is
considered a climax community, which is a healthy sign for the forest's longevity. Any vegetation that does grow
is dominated by Dipterocarpus species and tree ferns, while orchids and mosses inhabit the tree bark.
There are over 170 tree species identified in the area of which about 100 species are endemic
to Sri Lanka. Seventy or so bird species have also been recorded, including 12 endemics such as the Yellow-fronted
Barbet, Brown-capped Babbler, Spot-winged Thrush, Sri Lankan Spurfowl and Grey Hornbill. It is also a good place
to spot some of the island's beautiful butterflies (e.g. Birdwing, Tree Nymph, Clipper, Blue Oakleaf), as well as
the Purple-faced Leaf Monkey, Toque Macaque and Giant Squirrel, which dominate the forest canopy. Among the
reptiles are some of Sri Lanka's non-venomous snakes and endemic agamid lizards. The unpolluted streams that
traverse the forest harbour a variety of fish including many endemic species.
A guided excursion to Kottawa Arboretum starts at 07.30 from Galle and lasts about 4 hours
(including travel time).
Kanneliya Forest Reserve, which is part of the Kanneliya Dediyagala Nakiyadeniya (KDN) complex of rainforests,
is located about 47 km east of Galle and is one of the last remaining large tracts of lowland rainforest in
Sri Lanka. KDN complex is delimited by two rivers, the Gin Ganga and Nilwata Ganga, and consists of a series
of ridges and valleys at an elevation of 60-425 m above mean sea level. The natural vegetation of KDN complex
is lowland wet evergreen rainforest, which is a climax community dominated
by the Doona (shorea), Dipterocarpus, Mesua association, with close affinity to
the lowland rainforests of Malaysia. The region has been identified as one of the richest areas for rainforest
flora in South Asia.
KDN complex contains 159 species of woody plants and over 100 species of birds, including
16 endemics such as the Green-billed Coucal, Blue Magpie and Spot-winged Thrush. Over 15 endemic freshwater
fish species can be found in the Kanneliya streams, and many other endemic reptiles, amphibians and butterflies
are also seen in the area.
There are 78 villages surrounding KDN complex that actively farm the area. Small-scale
cottage industries have grown up based on the kitul (fishtail) palm, and many people are involved in the
collection of medicinal plants and plant products, and rattan for handicrafts and furniture. Harvesting bee
honey has been a popular activity, but is now declining, although it is still an important part of the rural
community.
A guided trek to Anagimala Ella waterfall (6 km) in Kanneliya Forest Reserve includes
bird watching and other wildlife spotting opportunities, and a chance to bathe in a natural cascading waterfall.
The excursion starts at 07.00 from Galle and lasts about 8 hours (including travel time).
Hiyare Rainforest Park is about 19 km from Galle and contains a reservoir bordered by over 240 hectares
of secondary lowland rainforest.
The reservoir was established in 1919 and is over 20 hectares in area. Hiyare Rainforest Park is part of the
Southern Sinharaja-Hiniduma-Kanneliya plant community, with the dominant trees being Hora, a member of the
Dipterocarpacea family, Malaboda and Kekiriwara. Weval, a Calamus vine, is also found here, which has been
depleted from most Sri Lankan rainforests due to unsustainable harvesting. Venival, a locally known medicinal
creeper, is widespread in the forest, and tree trunks are often clothed in Gini vatarang, a Cyathea.
The reservoir offers excellent bird watching opportunities with over 80 species recorded,
including 10 endemics (e.g. Sri Lankan Spurfowl, Brown-capped Babbler, Spot-winged Thrush, Black-capped Bulbul,
Grey Hornbill and Sri Lankan Hanging Parrot). The Giant Squirrel (Indian Grizzled Squirrel), Palm Squirrel,
Toque Macaque and Purple-faced Leaf Monkey are residents of the rainforest as are the Golden Palm Civet and
Sambar deer. Butterflies include the Blue Mormon, Common Sailor, Crimson Rose, Bluebottle and Blue Oakleaf.
Large numbers of amphibians and reptiles, many of which are endemic to the island, are also found in the area.
A guided bird and wildlife watching safari around the reservoir and rainforest borders
starts at 07.30 from Galle and lasts about 4 hours (including travel time).
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