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: 24 hours
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…

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,…

Location
Bentota
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.8
(84 Ratings)
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Awickramasingha
Jan 2, 2025
Brilliant tour with knowledgeable guide - Harinda was a brilliant tour guide - very knowledgeable and passionate about nature. We saw lots of different wildlife on the river and enjoyed a coconut drink courtesy of Harinda. Would recommend
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Livia_n
Dec 30, 2024
A great experience, must do! - A very well planned and executed excursion! Our boat driver was super experienced and tried really hard to show us as much as possible. Small crocodile, varans, frogs and monkeys (to which we even gave some nuts) were all part of the safari. The driver had fresh pineapple and coconuts for us too, which was very nice of him!
Review provided by Viator
517anujs
Dec 28, 2024
Simply awesome! - Sam and Haridra are absolutely great. Loved every bit of our cruise and Harindra was quick to help us spot the wildlife! A cruise with them is a must in Bentota!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rune9876
Dec 3, 2024
Great experience! - We had an amazing tour together with Sumal. He was a super guy that gave us an unforgettable experience. The bout was clean. Sumal was an experienced, polite and excellent guide and we saw many exotic animals. Sumal also served us fresh pineapple and coconut. Very refreshing!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sandra
Nov 22, 2024
Great river safari! Highly recommended!!! - Beautiful tour through the side channels of the river. Our guide was great! We could see many animals and the guide had a good eye to spot animals. There was even a refreshment and fruit a board.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pradeep
Nov 7, 2024
A really wonderful experience! - Very friendly and professional set up. Shashindu gave us all the information on WhatsApp and even picked us up from the hotel. We were extremely surprised to get a full boat all to ourselves with our own guide Coca. He was really good, friendly and well informed and took us on a wonderful trip on the river. However, for us, the most amazing part was the trip into the mangrove tunnels. It was truly spectacular!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Thibault_f
Nov 3, 2024
It was a great... - It was a great experience. I'm so happy to have started early. Avoided a lot of the traffic in the mangrove. Harindra was great. He took the time to explain, to stop to show us interesting wildlife and was very considerate all along. His boating skills were also appreciated. He was not speeding through
Review provided by Viator
Naila_r
Oct 7, 2024
Great river safari! - We had an amazing afternoon! We saw monkeys, crocodiles, an owl, eagles and several other things along the way! Harindra was extremely knowledgeable and somehow could spot all the camouflaged animals/reptiles! Beautiful scenery, definitely recommend!
Review provided by Viator
Denis
Jan 2, 2025
Interesting tour - The trip was well organized. We were picked up from the hotel in time by tuktuk and within 10 minutes we were already on the Bentota River. We'd already been met there by a boat with a driver, who was a guide. The main channel of the river is wide and very picturesque. Hotels, restaurants and temples stand on the shores. The trip through the mangroves was also interesting, we saw many animals and birds. The guide tried, pointed out of us if we didn't notice them ourselves. All in all, it was great. I shot one star because there are people living on the banks of the mangroves and the water is dirty. It's very sad to see the ram swimming next to the engine oil canisters. But it's a local reality that the organizers have no control over.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Traveller150988
Jan 8, 2025
Wildlife in captivity - Safaris are much more worth seeing both at Tissa Lake, Yala National Park, Lake Joda and in this area, as there are several really wild animals here. For example, hundreds of ibises on a tree, hundreds of flying dogs in one place, pelicans, deer, elephants and much more. During the safari mentioned here, unfortunately, only wildlife are shown in captivity on stations for tourists. A boat with baby crocodile being groped hundreds of times a day, a baby seacat to be reefed on and more. This has nothing to do with a safari for me! It leaves a bitter taste, because as a tourist you only get the feeling of being gutted for these stations. Sri Lanka has such a beautiful animal diversity to offer, but not here. However, the mangrove forests and greenery are beautiful.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Select Date and Tickets
up to 15 guests
2 Adult
January 2025
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