Matara is a major city in Sri Lanka, on the southern coast of Southern Province, 160 km from Colombo. Earlier it was also called as Mathota in the past. It is a major commercial hub, and it is the administrative capital of Matara district. It was one of the cities gravely affected by the tsunami in December 2004. After that, this area was redeveloped and now it is one of the beautiful cities in Lanka.

It has a population of 831,000 in Matara district. The ethnic majority of Matara is Sinhalese; during the 16th and 17th centuries, Moors arrived in the area as traders from Arabia. Today their descendants coexist with Sinhalese peacefully as an ethnic minority.

The city has a tropical climate. Matara has a significant amount of rainfall during the year. This is true even for the driest month. The average annual temperature is 26.8 C in Matara.

Best Places to visit in Matara district: Matara is a busy, booming and sprawling commercial town that owes almost nothing to tourism, which can make it a fascinating window on modern Sri Lankan life. The city’s main attractions are its ramparts, Dutch architecture, sacred religious places, beautiful beaches, a well-preserved fort and its street life. If you are interested in Watching Lanka, definitely you should add all the famous places below into your guide list.

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• The sea lies front at the boundary of Matara city is half a kilometers in length and provides a serene look to tourists. There are also numerous small sandy beaches lying in between Galle and Matara. Matara beaches are also known among travelers for Stilt fishing that means fishing by standing on stilts in the water. Here are some beautiful beaches in the city that took that tourists attraction most.
• Mirissa beach dominates the lifestyle in Mirissa with a fantastic sandy coast stretching for about 600m. It has also become a popular spot to whale watching in Sri Lanka which is the major reason for tourists’ attraction.
• There are many beaches across Sri Lanka but Polhena beach presents a memorizing view to its viewers and tourists. The great thing about the beach is that any person can swim through the sea as the sea water is fenced with the corals.
• At Kudawella beach a novel feature is a blowhole that throws huge columns of water into the air when ocean waves break on the rocks. Weligama, Dickwella are some other popular beaches in Matara.
• Matara is also a city with spectacular scenic beauty paradises. Deniyaya which is a cool, perpetual, spectacular spring place in Matara and the Sinharaja Rainforest which declared as a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO also located in the Matara district. Nilwala River, the third longest river in Sri Lanka which is a heaven for nature and wildlife enthusiasts’ li, also lies in here.
• Lighthouse, Starfort, Matara fort ramparts are some famous historical places in Matara. The lighthouse was built by the European rulers at Devinuwara (Dondra edge). Star Fort is on the western or landward side of the Nilwala River. This fort was also constructed by the Dutch.
• Matara is the city of so many sacred religious places which gain worships of Buddhists and other religions from all over the world. Crow Island, Devinuwara, Weherahena Temple, Mulgirigala Rock Temple, Matara Bodhiya are some of those places which gains the tourists’ attraction also.
• Crow Island is a small beautiful island that stands to face the beach of Matara covered completely with greenery. The river Nilwala meets the sea at Totamuna that is also a part of the city. Weherahena temple is famous and a must visit attraction for tourists visiting Matara for the 39m high colorful Buddha statue. Devinuwara is a small village in Matara district, around 6 km from Matara city, which is known among travelers for the local holy shrine of Hindu God Vishnu. There is a huge festival organized in Devinuwara to honor God Vishnu every year.

So, tour Sri Lanka and come to Matara first to witness these spectacular important places for your life.