This hatchery could have been an amazing place if they have more turtles to watch , and let us to release them to the ocean. They just have 5 tanks with Adult and baby turtles and they allow to take pics with baby turtles which was nice. I hope all the turtles get released as soon as they get fully recovered.

Hired our own tuktuk and drove ourselves to the hatchery. The owner was very knowledgeable and took us around each tank to explain each species and what they do to help the turtles. It’s not what we expected however we were pleased to find out that they do hatch and release the turtles and not just hatch them for show. We did want to be apart of the release however they have specific times of the month they do this. If you did want to release a turtle it will cost you.

We paid a visit to the hatchery when we were around Kalutara recently. The place is small with a few tanks to hold turtles and a place to bury eggs for hatching. The ticket cost LKR 2000 for adults LKR 1000 for children. The staff was very knowledgeable and shared their knowledge about the three turtle species. We also got an opportunity to hold and closely see a turtle (a very friendly chap). We did not get a chance to see the eggs hatch. Sometimes, they let visitors release baby turtles into the ocean, though I guess that would be improbable as the center houses baby turtles until they grow up a bit. I guess they might be allowing visitors to release turtles into their retaining tanks or maybe slightly larger turtles into the ocean. Whatever, this was a must-visit place.

Such a cool experience and very informative! We were able to pay to release some baby turtles into the water. Wouldn’t recommend doing that with young children as one of our turtles did get swept up by a seagull, but otherwise very cool and a much better survival rate than the natural run to the water.

I think some reviewers have missed the mark a little. This is a sanctuary and the larger turtles would not survive in the ocean as they are disabled. They are cared for by vets who visit every week. That said, I think they could perhaps create a nicer environment, bigger tanks etc. We were also surprised that they allowed visitors to touch/poke the turtles. Our guide was excellent and we did learn a lot. Considering the issues these beautiful creatures are having with swallowed plastic, one would think Sri Lanka should take note of their over use of the material - one of the worst countries we have visited in terms of caring for the environment. Lastly, the entry fee of 25 USD pp is a touch high but if it all goes into care and research, fair enough.