The Madu Ganga is a Ramsar-listed wetland, protected since 2003, where some 300 plant species and nearly 250 kinds of vertebrate share a maze of mangrove islets just before the river meets the sea at Balapitiya. By small boat the channels narrow until mangrove roots arch overhead; water monitors bask on the banks and kingfishers work the shallows. On one island a family peels cinnamon bark by hand into the delicate quills that once made this coast rich. On another, Kothduwa temple keeps a legend that links it to Kandy: that the Buddha’s tooth relic was hidden here in the 4th century by Princess Hemamali and Prince Danthakumara on its way to the king. On the return, an optional stop at Kosgoda’s turtle conservation projects – we choose those that release hatchlings promptly rather than keeping them in tanks for show.