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Bentota River Safari: Mangrove Wildlife
4.9
111 Ratings
Bentota
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.
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 - The renowned Bentota River, located in the southern region of the country, empties into the Indian Ocean, creating a lagoon at its mouth. This river and lagoon offer the most extensive range of water sports among all Sri Lankan beach resorts. Visitors can enjoy activities such as jet-skiing, windsurfing, parasailing, or a romantic…
- Bentota River - The renowned Bentota River, located in the southern region of the country, empties into the Indian Ocean, creating a lagoon at its mouth. This river and lagoon offer the most extensive range of water sports among all Sri Lankan beach resorts. Visitors can enjoy activities such as jet-skiing, windsurfing, parasailing, or a romantic river safari on the tranquil waters. The area is celebrated for its incredible biodiversity, all accessible within walking distance. The Bentota River Boat Safari is particularly popular among tourists for observing crocodiles in their natural environment, as well as the remarkable aquatic species, flora, and fauna of the Bentota River.
What's Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Local guide
- Bottled water
- GST (Goods and Services Tax)
- All taxes, fees and handling charges
- Local taxes
- Environmental Management Charge (Reef Tax)
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Local guide
- Bottled water
- GST (Goods and Services Tax)
- All taxes, fees and handling charges
- Local taxes
- Environmental Management Charge (Reef Tax)
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
- Gratuities
Additional Information
Bentota River Boat Safari is offered by Bentota Travel Mart (BTM) for travelers located in Bentota, Induruwa, Kosgoda, Ahungalla, Balapitiya, Ambalangoda, Aluthgama, Beruwala, Maggona, Kalutara, Waskaduwa, and Wadduwa. Complimentary pick-up and drop-off services are provided from these areas.
For those seeking a distinctive lagoon safari experience,…
Bentota River Boat Safari is offered by Bentota Travel Mart (BTM) for travelers located in Bentota, Induruwa, Kosgoda, Ahungalla, Balapitiya, Ambalangoda, Aluthgama, Beruwala, Maggona, Kalutara, Waskaduwa, and Wadduwa. Complimentary pick-up and drop-off services are provided from these areas.
For those seeking a distinctive lagoon safari experience, observing mangroves and rare wildlife such as crocodiles, the Bentota River Safari is the premier activity in Bentota.
Key Highlights:
• The River Safari can commence at any chosen time between 7:00 am and 4:00 pm.
• Duration: 2 hours
• Enjoy time in nature exploring the island’s third-largest river.
• Witness wildlife in their natural settings, including water monitors, river birds like kingfishers, bee-eaters, egrets, eagles, fruit bats, cormorants, monkeys, and possibly even a rare crocodile.
• Relax on board and admire the stunning views of the mangroves.
This is an all-inclusive package with no hidden costs.
- 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.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(111 Ratings)
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Debra
Mar 27, 2026
Excellent 2hr boat ride on the Bentota river - Great communication and prompt pick up from our hotel by tuk tuk followed by a wonderful two hour boat trip on the Bentota river this morning. Harin, our guide was very knowledgeable, friendly and great at spotting lots of wildlife as we travelled peacefully along the river and the mangroves. We saw several water monitors, crocodiles, bats, fish eagles, many different birds, waterhens, brown monkeys and families of langurs. A great way to spend the morning. Highly recommend this tour!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
P7220swmattk
Mar 17, 2026
Excellent experience - I could not recommend the river safari in Bentota more. Hari was an exceptional, friendly and knowledgeable guide whose love of wildlife was apparent from the start. We were lucky and were able to see a large array of wildlife from kingfishers, eagles, chameleons, bats, monitor lizards and crocodiles of all sizes (from babies to extremely large adults). However the experience of going deep into mangroves is breathtaking and worth the experience regardless of wildlife you are able or see on the day. Would highly recommend booking and would happily do the tour all over again!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stephen_g
Feb 9, 2026
River safari - Enjoyable experience. I would recommend it. Polite and friendly both the driver and boat guide. We saw a number of local wild life.
Review provided by Viator
Dreamer43993372682
Feb 1, 2026
A birthday and experience to remember! - Harindra was hands down the best tour guide we’ve ever had — and we’ve travelled to many places around the world. He is an exceptional, kind, and genuinely caring person who went above and beyond to make our experience unforgettable.
It was my birthday, and Harindra surprised me by arriving at the boat with a birthday banner and then, halfway through the river cruise, presenting me with a birthday cake. It was such a thoughtful and touching gesture that made the entire experience incredibly special and memorable.
The river cruise itself was absolutely amazing. We were lucky enough to see monkeys swinging through the trees, baby crocodiles and even a larger one, iguanas, and an incredible variety of birds and wildlife. The scenery and atmosphere were just pure magic.
Harindra provided outstanding service from start to finish, and his passion and knowledge truly elevated the entire cruise.
I would 10,000% recommend booking this river cruise — you will not be disappointed!
Thank you Harindra for being the best guide and Sam for communicating with us who was also very accommodating and exceptional at coming back to me so quickly on messages.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Shidoshiu
Dec 17, 2025
Awesome River Safari Bentota - We booked a number of trips through Viatours & Get your Guide, these were routed through the Bentota Travel Mart, as soon as we had booked I was contacted by Sam the tour manager who confirmed the bookings and made us aware of any info we needed & sorted out any additional tickets needed for certain trips.
The day before the river safari Sam contacted us with details of our collection driver Suran who was excellent and had arrived early and a pic of the vehicle via whats app.
The river safari was fantastic it was a private tour so just us and our Guide Sumal, Sumal shared his knowledge of the wildlife and was great at spotting even the smaller animals/birds and amphibians from the boat. The tour included a trip through the mangrove sections, the large river up to the point where it joins the sea and the forest area, in total it took about 2 hrs and was well worth it, we thought it was excellent value for money.
5 star rating from us for both the tour operators and the individuals who looked after us Sam, Suran and Sumal. Would def recommend and would do the trip again should we revisit in the future.
many thanks Dave & Kathryn T
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Brenda_h
Dec 15, 2025
Great tour with Sumal - Fantastic tour. We had a very enthusiastic guide who ensured we had a memorable experience. We saw 3 crocodiles
Review provided by Viator
F109ujannab
Dec 9, 2025
Perfect! - Amazing experience! Best service! Harry was great boatsman. Nows what and how to do. There was, also, fresh coconut whater and peanaple. Recomend for sure.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Climber66027625351
Nov 25, 2025
Amazing experience - Went twice! First time in 2024 with my Husband, and yesterday we sent our parents on this tour too. The guide is so very kind, it's such a peaceful and fun experience. Our parents truly enjoyed. They are still happily raving about the King Coconut and Pineapple that was served mid tour! Highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Traveltheworld114
Nov 6, 2025
River safari experience - This was such a memorable day. 2 hours approximately on the river cruise, with various animals being carefully shown by the experienced tour guide. Highly recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ana_r
Dec 9, 2025
Respectfull river safari - We enjoyed a River Safari with Bentota Travel Mart agency. They were very professional. All the process, from the booking, the pickup service and the safari was smooth and save. The guide, Harinda, was great, kind and informative. The thing we liked most was the respectful way in of how Harinda approached the animals. We sighted several Srilanken birds, a large crocodile, and a snake among the others. It was expensive but it was really good
Review provided by Viator
