Bentota River Safari: Mangrove Wildlife

Embark on a unique Bentota River Safari to explore mangroves and spot rare wildlife. Enjoy a 2-hour lagoon safari with free pick-up and drop-off included.

Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights

Bentota River - River Bentota, the legendary river in southern part of the country, flows into the Indian Ocean forming a lagoon at the last section of the river. The River Bentota and the lagoon set up the widest array of water sports among all the beach resorts of Sri Lanka. Jet-skiing, windsurfing, parasailing or enjoying a romantic river safari along the clam waters are some of the activities that are well known in the area. It has an amazing bio-diversity with all to be experienced within walking distance. Bentota River Boat Safari is more popular and well known for the tourists for witnessing crocodiles in their wild habitat as well as witnessing the amazing aquatic species, fauna & flora of the Bentota River.

What's Included
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Expert local guide
  • Complimentary bottled water
  • All-inclusive taxes and fees
  • Goods and Services Tax (GST) included
  • Local taxes covered
  • Environmental Management Charge (Reef Tax) included
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

The Bentota Travel Mart ( BTM ) offers the Bentota River Boat Safari for visitors staying in Bentota, Induruwa, Kosgoda , Ahungalla, Balapitiya, Ambalangoda, Aluthgama, Beruwala, Maggona, Kalutara, Waskaduwa and Wadduwa. Complimentary pick up and drop off services are provided for these areas.

For an exclusive and novel experience of a lagoon safari, observing mangroves along with some unique animals like crocodiles, the Bentota River Safari is an excellent choice in Bentota.

Key Information:

• The River Safari can commence at any time between 7.00am & 4.00pm.
• Approximate duration: 2 hours
• A great opportunity to spend time in nature while exploring the island’s third largest river.
• Encounter a variety of wildlife in their natural surroundings such as Water Monitors, River Birds like kingfisher, bee-eater, egrets, eagles, fruit bats, cormorants, Monkeys and possibly even a rare crocodile.
•Unwind on the boat whilst enjoying the stunning scenery of the mangrove

This is a comprehensive package inclusive of all costs - no hidden charges.

  • Boat Trip can be started anytime before 4pm at your convenient time.
  • A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
  • This is a full package activity which includes entrance fees, activity charges, transportation and taxes for above mentioned activities & attractions.
Location
Bentota
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(73 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
355svenl
Aug 7, 2024
Super Tour - This was by far the best excursion we took in Sri Lanka! The boatmaster was a jewel with eagle eyes! I would recommend everyone to make THIS trip! There is no sales event or similar - just pure nature. An experience I don’t want to miss 😊
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Chris_r
Aug 5, 2024
Very enjoyable and informative - Absolutely loved our tour. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and made our tour memorable. We saw a lot of wildlife and thoroughly enjoyed it. Even the heavy rain didn’t take away from the experience
Review provided by Viator
Kaitlyn_l
Jul 25, 2024
Amazing Experience with the Captain - Sumal is the best captain I could ever imagine! The tour wouldn't be as amazing without him. He is passionate and communicative. He has sharp eyes and locate various animals for us. He's the only captain that brings peanuts so we can feed the monkeys. He also prepared great fruits for us. I can't be more grateful that we were having the tour with him! 100% recommended!
Review provided by Viator
Eden_f
Jun 24, 2024
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Awesome River Boat Safari in Bentota! - We had such an amazing time on the river boat safari in Bentota! We booked through Viator and the whole process was super smooth. We got all the info we needed the day before and on the day of, they let us know when and where to be for pick-up, which was great. Our boatman, Sumal, was just fantastic. He was so friendly and welcoming, and had such a good eye for spotting wildlife. Thanks to him, we saw baby crocodiles, monitor lizards, owls, and a bunch of other cool birds. And those monkeys! They were the friendliest monkeys we’ve ever met. It was so much fun feeding them. Sumal also stopped to cut up some fresh pineapple for us, which was the sweetest we’ve ever had, and he gave us some king coconut water that was super refreshing. It really added a nice touch to the trip. He also gave me a beautiful flower and it was so sweet! He offered to take pictures of my Husband and I as well. Overall, it was a wonderful experience from start to finish. Sumal made it really special, and we couldn’t have asked for a better guide. If you’re thinking about doing a river safari in Bentota, definitely go for it!
Review provided by Viator
Goplaces767008
Apr 22, 2024
Superb morning - The boat ride was really enjoyable. Our very kind guide offered us pineapple and coconut juice. We discovered the mangrove, fed the monkeys and were able to take a small baby crocodile.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
249ashk
Apr 7, 2024
Best River Safari in Bentota - We came to Bentota just to do the River Safari. It was amazing and nice to see a different side to Sri Lanka after seeing lots of different parts of the country. Our guide was brilliant. He was a real expert in regard to the river and its surroundings. It certainly felt like he was spotting things others on the river weren’t and was highly knowledgable about what he was showing us. It was a nice touch to enjoy a pineapple and a coconut drink in the mangroves before heading back. I’d highly recommend this trip to all.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Trineb597
Apr 4, 2024
Good experience - Everything worked. We were picked up at the hotel by boat. Our guide was sweet and very informative. We sailed quietly and he found birds, bird nests, crocodiles, monkeys and other animals in the mangrove. He served us fresh pineapple and coconut water. Thank you for a good trip
Review provided by Tripadvisor
409ameliae
Apr 2, 2024
A highlight of our Sri Lankan holiday! - Amazing!! Thank you so much to our guide for a great time. We saw heaps of wildlife and learnt lots about the river - feeding the friendly monkeys was a real highlight!! 10/10 recommend to all :)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
710jcg
Mar 28, 2024
A wonderful experience - It was an early start but so worth it. Harinder, our guide, made it a beautiful experience, the joy of the river and the wildlife shone through his smile. Looking at other guides on the river, we definitely had the best one. He described everything so well, from the human properties on the main river to the animals that we saw. We loved the giant bats, crocodiles, monkeys, lizards and fish. We even had our first coconut mice and some pineapple to keep us going, thoughtfully prepared by Harinder on the boat. I would go early because the number of boats increases as time goes by, you will be surrounded by other boats later on.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rolandss685oh
Mar 27, 2024
Bentota river safari - The whole river safari was amazing. The boat guide was very informative. We saw crocodile and lots of other wildlife. We had fresh pineapple and drank put of a coconut. I would certainly recommend this river safari.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Select Date and Tickets
up to 15 guests
2 Adult
September 2024
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Today