Boat trips from the Kalpitiya peninsula out to superpods of spinner dolphins, with sperm and blue whales offshore in season.

Overview

The waters off Kalpitiya are among the best places in Sri Lanka to watch dolphins, where large pods of spinner dolphins, sometimes hundreds strong, ride the bow waves of the boats. Bottlenose, Risso's and Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins are also seen, and further offshore sperm whales and, less often, blue whales pass through in season. Trips leave at dawn from the peninsula's jetties and combine open-sea wildlife watching with views back over the fishing villages and lagoon.

History

Marine-mammal watching developed at Kalpitiya only in recent years, after the end of the civil conflict opened up the north-west coast to tourism. The steady rise of dolphin trips and kitesurfing has since made the once-isolated peninsula one of the region's main draws, alongside efforts to encourage responsible, low-impact operators.