A protected stretch of golden coast near Tangalle where wild sea turtles come ashore at night to nest, watched under strict conservation guidelines.

Overview

Rekawa is one of Sri Lanka's most important sea-turtle nesting beaches, a quiet fishing-village shore where up to five species of turtle, including green and olive ridley turtles, haul out after dark to lay their eggs. Guided night-time turtle watches run by the local conservation project let visitors observe nesting turtles in the wild by red light, without disturbing them. By day it is a peaceful, undeveloped beach backed by lagoon and scrub, a world away from the busier resorts.

History

Turtle conservation at Rekawa began in the 1990s when the Turtle Conservation Project established a community-based nest-protection programme, employing former egg poachers as nest protectors. In 2006 the beach was declared a wildlife sanctuary by the Department of Wildlife Conservation, cementing its status as a model for in-situ marine turtle protection in Sri Lanka.