Stone-walled Kalpitiya Dutch Fort entrance with a single arched gateway, surrounded by trees
Kalpitiya Dutch Fort with Single Entry Point

Travel Guide Contents

The Oldest fort in Sri Lanka – Kalpitiya Ducth Fort

Kalpitiya Dutch fort is an amazing place with his historical values. The fort is mention as a oldest fort in Sri Lanka. Kalpitiya Dutch Fort was design in 1666 and the constriction was complete in 1676 and build by Dutch. That time Dutch was identified Kalpitiya as a main business strategic point due to facts that are near by Kapitiya and Puththalam areas, because Puththalam area was a main Cinnamon cultivation area of the Sri Lanka. The Dutch even created a ship canal to transport cinnamon form Puththalam to Colombo.

Kalpitiya Dutch fort designed a architectural way and the layout is very simple.This is a unique fort has single entry point and faces to the Puttalam Lagoon. its facilitating to high security mechanism with single entry at a time. You can see two elephant and represent ‘Strength’ and palm tree shows the richness of the region shows the richness of the region.

Informational signboard on the fort's weathered wall showing a layout diagram and history of Kalpitiya Dutch Fort
  • Kalpitiya Dutch Fort has four guard post (bastions) on each corner and two of them are facing to Puttalam lagoon.
  • There are two wells inside the fort and used to take water to the resident.
  • After taking control from British, The Kalpitiya Dutch fort is used for mainly for exchanging and trading goods along with Mannar fort.
  • Still today, The ramparts (walls) are in strong condition today.

Aerial view of the fort's stone rampart walls surrounding a large grassy courtyard with buildings and palm trees inside

Things to know before you go

  • You have to take a permission for Navy base, presenting your ID card or Passport
  • Best time to visit in Morning Hours (Day time is very hot).
  • Travel Duration : 1 hours Maximum.
  • Navy Staff member take you on tour and explaining the stories of history. You can get more idea form that.


Ticket price of visiting Dutch fort.

  • Free Entry into dutch fort and times of entry are 8 AM to 4 PM.


How to reach Dutch fort | Route

  • Colombo->Puttalam->Kalpitiya
  • Main entrance is just located behind the huge Buddha statue which is in middle of the town.


Hotels in Kalpitiya

Booking.com

Image Galley | Pictures of Dutch Fort

  • Kalpitiya Dutch Fort's stone rampart walls with a green grass courtyard, palm trees, under a dusky cloudy sky
  • Fisheye view of the Kalpitiya Dutch Fort walls with a telecom tower visible in the background
  • Kalpitiya Dutch Fort walls with the village visible beyond, palm trees and grassy courtyard
  • Fisheye close-up of the Kalpitiya Dutch Fort's stone wall texture with grass and blue sky
  • Informational signboard about local marine life in Sinhala, with an illustration of a blue whale, Kalpitiya
  • White lounge chairs set up on the grassy courtyard of Kalpitiya Dutch Fort, palm trees around
  • View through a stone archway in the Kalpitiya Dutch Fort wall looking into the green grassy courtyard
  • Wide panorama of the grassy interior courtyard of Kalpitiya Dutch Fort with stone walls under a cloudy sky
  • Weathered stone ruins of Kalpitiya Dutch Fort with green trees and entrance pathway


Other places you could visit in Kalpitiya

Frequently Asked Questions

How old is Kalpitiya Dutch Fort?

It’s considered the oldest fort in Sri Lanka, designed in 1666 with construction completed by the Dutch in 1676.

Do I need permission to enter?

Yes – the fort sits on a Navy base, so you’ll need to show your ID card or passport to get permission to enter.

What does it cost, and when is it open?

Entry was free at the time of writing, with visiting hours from 8AM to 4PM, but since this is a Navy-administered site, confirm current entry rules and hours before you go.

When’s the best time to visit?

Morning hours are best, since it gets very hot later in the day. Plan for around an hour on site – a Navy staff member typically guides visitors and explains the fort’s history.