Koggala Lake mangrove islets: visiting Madol Doowa and Cinnamon Island by kayak?
3 Answers from travellers
Koggala Lake is a coastal lagoon system containing eight islands, including Madol Doowa (made famous by author Martin Wickramasinghe) and Ananda Doowa (Cinnamon Island). Launching sea kayaks from the southern road bridges near Kathaluwa allows navigating around speeding motorized tourist longboats, which generate short wake waves in the main navigation channel. The northern and eastern bays are designated conservation areas containing intact stands of Bruguiera gymnorhiza and Rhizophora apiculata mangroves. Kayakers should navigate with the morning outgoing tide to minimize paddling fatigue across open sections.
Visiting Cinnamon Island allows paddlers to step ashore and observe generational families harvesting, scraping, and rolling true quills over hand benches.
Monitor lizards and night herons populate the uninhabited islets; maintain a respectful distance to avoid disturbing nesting waterbirds during paddling runs.
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