Bentota Turtle Hatchery: Best Time, Tips & How to Reach

Bentota Turtle Hatchery Overview

Sri Lanka is a popular tourist attraction known for its beautiful coastlines pristine beaches, birds and animal sanctuary and other attractions. People across the world plan to visit the historical and modern sites of the country and engage in a variety of leisure activities. The place offers its tourists a variety of escapades and Turtle Hatchery is one of them. In this blog, we will learn about the famous Bentota Turtle Hatchery, the best time to visit the destination, ticket price and how to reach the place.

There are reportedly seven hatcheries currently in operation in Sri Lanka. During the 1990s these hatcheries were operated only meant to be open during the tourist season and now remain open throughout the year. Hatcheries help preserve delicate sea creatures like fish, Turtles raise them with proper care and release them into their natural habitats if needed.

In actuality, the primary motive of the turtle hatchery including the "Sea Turtle Project, Bentota" is to conserve these species as well as to promote tourism. The sea turtle project of Bentota involves purchasing these turtle eggs from those who gather them and protecting the eggs till they hatch. In general, it takes around 6 weeks for eggs to hatch.

Best Time to Bentota Turtle Hatchery
How to Reach Bentota Turtle Hatchery?
FAQs

Best Time to Bentota Turtle Hatchery

Visiting the Turtle Hatchery in Bentota is a wonderful encounter. Wildlife enthusiasts can spend their best time seeing and understanding these delicate species' habitats. Although travellers throughout the year visit the Hatchery, however, the idle time to visit the sanctuary is from October to April. During this time you have a chance to witness the Mother turtle coming ashore to lay eggs. You will also encounter these species making their way to see.

How to Reach Bentota Turtle Hatchery?

Bentota Turtle Hatchery is located in the coastal town of Bentota which is a 10 to 15-minute tuk-tuk ride south from Bentota. You can reach the turtle hatchery in the following ways:

1. By Train

You can directly board a train from Colombo to Aluthgama which is about 3.5 km from Bentota. The express train from Columbo runs almost every day of the week and takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes to complete the journey. You can stop first at the Aluthgama railway station and then hire an auto or take a taxi to reach the Bentota hatchery directly from Aluthgama or any part of the Bentota. Travellers can also take a bus from Aluthgama and stop near the Hatchery.

2. By Road

The city of Bentota is connected to Columbo through the A2 highway and several buses run on the highway from Colombo crossing other cities and Bentota. You can take a bus directly from Culombo and stop at the Bentota nearby location and then hire a vehicle to reach the turtle Hatchery.

3. By Air

Bandaranaike International Airport of Colombo is the nearest Airport to Bentota. If you are travelling from other parts of Sri Lanka or from outside the country, you will take a bus or train after reaching the Airport and then follow the above-mentioned guide to reach the Bentota Turtle Hatchery.

You can also check out Hanthana Bird Park for watching different bird species.

FAQ's

How much is bentota turtle hatchery?

In general, the cost of most of the hatcheries in Sri Lanka is LKR 1000 to 2000 for adults and LKR 500 to 1000 for children.

Are there turtles in Bentota?

Yes, there are several endangered to rare turtle species found in Bentota including the Olive Ridley to the Leatherback turtle. For their preservation and care, there are designated Turtle Hatcheries inside the coastal city of Sri Lanka.

Where is Bentota turtle hatchery located?

Bentota Turtle Hatchery is located on a 30 to 40-minute walkway from the south of Bentota.