Kalametiya Bird Sanctuary

Kalametiya protects two brackish lagoons and the mangrove and scrub around them on the deep south coast, and it works as a quieter alternative to Bundala nearby: around a hundred and fifty bird species recorded, with migrant waders from October, herons, storks and occasionally flamingos. Boats are taken out among the mangroves in the early morning, and the sanctuary can also be birded on foot from the tracks around it. The lagoons were cut off from the sea by road building decades ago, which changed the salinity and the vegetation, and the effects are still working through the system.

What you actually see

• The lagoons - two brackish water bodies with mangrove and reed margins.
• The migrant waders - shorebirds arriving from October through the winter.
• The boat trips - early morning runs through the mangrove channels.
• The quiet - far fewer visitors than nearby Bundala.

When to go

November to March is the migration season and the best for birds. Early morning is when activity is highest. Summer is hot and the lagoons shrink.

Honest expectations

Boat operators are informal and prices should be agreed first. Some drivers push the boats too close to roosting birds. Facilities are minimal.

Nearby

Rekawa is west, and Bundala is east.