Taprobane Island
Taprobane Island is a small islet off the west coast of Weligama Bay. Taprobane (the name which the Ancient Greeks had called Sri Lanka) is perhaps the most Instagrammed place in Weligama; a lot of people come to the beach to take a picture of the tiny island, which looks as though it has been overrun by a thick covering of greenery, surrounded by the azure water of the Indian Ocean. Even though the island looks like a tiny jungle in the middle of the ocean, there is a small house on the island.
An Intriguing Origin Story and its Interesting Features
In the 1930s, an exiled French Count de Maunay made this islet his holiday home; he built a small white villa with a red-tiled roof which you can occasionally see peeking through the lush foliage. Today, the villa has become a five-bedroom boutique hotel and is open to anyone who wants to come to visit. This jungle oasis in the middle of the ocean seems surreal and when you visit the island it is as though you leave the outside world behind. During low-tide, there is a spit of land which connects Taprobane to the mainland so you can just walk there, however, during high-tide and the offseason you will have to take a short boat ride.
