Stilt fishermen in Sri Lanka - still authentic or staged for tourists?
I keep seeing photos of stilt fishermen. Is this still a real traditional practice or just something they do for photos now?
3 Answers from travellers
It's mostly staged for tourists now. The traditional stilt fishing was already declining before tourism, and now many 'fishermen' on stilts are there during daylight hours specifically for photos and expect payment. You can still see some genuine ones very early morning (before 6am) or in less touristy spots south of Weligama, but the classic postcard images are usually posed.
We saw them near Koggala. They were friendly but clearly waiting for tourists. Still interesting to see the technique though.
Early morning genuine ones noted. Might try to catch that.
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