Which is the best beach in Sri Lanka?
I decided to continue my trip from the capital, Colombo, along with the coastal line in Sri Lanka. After have been spending many months inland, I couldn’t wait to get back to the beaches, palm trees and the ocean. To start the journey, I took a train from Colombo to Hikkaduwa (the link takes you to the Sri Lankan Railways website) which is one of the first stops along the coast in the southwest. The train ride itself was already incredible. The tracks followed the seaside and I was just hanging out of the open door all the way during the scenic 2 hours ride.
Hikkaduwa
As I had previously read from other blog posts, Hikkaduwa was supposed to be one the best towns in the south to socialize and spend some beach time. As it turned out though, the off-season (april-november) had taken its toll and the place was pretty quiet. Visiting Hikkaduwa at low season does not make it any worse though. Even though the scuba shops and many restaurants were closed there was still plenty to do. A small surf break seemed to be good for beginners and the long stretches of beach were pretty much empty for lazing around in the sun. The weather was perfect with no clouds and rain as well during my stay there. The sunsets on the beach made the days complete. During the night time, it was possible to see and experience a swim in the glowing ocean which is filled with small non-harmful jellyfish. I had only experienced it in Cambodia on Koh Ta Kiev before, where the sea lit up with phosphorescence (bioluminescent plankton) during the night time. It is truly an incredible feeling. Even though Hikkaduwa was a nice place to stay I was looking for more socializing and backpacker vibes since I had spent previous months travelling in countries which were a bit less popular among tourists.
In Hikkaduwa, I decided to rent a scooter for the rest of my stay in Sri Lanka aiming to discover the whole island with it. It turned out to be the right decision, I had an amazing time and managed to visit places that tourists normally do not have a chance to go to. More about renting a scooter in Sri Lanka will be already in one of the following blog posts.
Unawatuna
Just approximately 50 km south of Hikkaduwa is situated one of the biggest cities in Sri Lanka, Galle. Right next to it is Unawatuna. To get ahead of myself then Unawatuna turned out to be exactly what I was looking for during this period of time. I blame a huge part of it on the hostel I was staying at. I am not hesitant to promote and recommend it to others as well. Singha Lounge Hostel & Restaurant (link to page) is located really close to the main tourist street and the main beach while still being just 100 m away in a bit more isolated location. The owners are young and really know what are the needs of backpackers. There is a reason I returned there after making a circuit all around Sri Lanka before my stay in the country finished. It really felt like coming home again.
Each day we visited a different beach in the area since all of them are just a walk or a short tuk-tuk ride away. Besides Unawatuna Beach, I have visited Jungle Beach, Dewata Beach, Wijaya (Delawella) Beach and Weligama Beach.
- Unawatuna Beach hosts mainly many restaurants for a nice meal/drinks but is still wide enough for lazing around.
- Jungle Beach is a bit smaller and it takes a walk through the forest to get there. There are actually two beaches next to each other. Both of them host a couple of huts to buy food/drinks from as well. Jungle Beach is great to visit during sunset from Unawatuna since it is facing west.
- Dewata (Bonavista) Beach is located on the other side of the Unawatuna peninsula. Dewata beach is great for its surfing opportunities.
- Wijaya (Delawella) Beach is a bit more narrow and quiet than Unawatuna Beach but still hosts some restaurants/hotels. There are a couple of palm tree swings from where you can swing and capture some beautiful holiday photos (a popular Instagram location).
- Weligama Beach is actually a bit further away but still only takes half an hour to 45 minutes to get there with a tuk-tuk. Also a really popular surf location. The beach strip is filled with surf shops.
Besides chilling in the hostel, and the beach and learning how to surf I also managed to make one scuba diving trip in Unawatuna. The waters were not the best for diving during that season (visibility being only about 5 meters) but the one tank dive I took part in, was still a great experience. Plenty of colourful fish and interesting flora. Besides that, it was my first time diving in waters with waves and a current which floated us around underwater.
As I said before, right next to Unawatuna is the city of Galle. There is not much to do in Galle besides visiting the Galle Fort. The fort area is beautiful though and offers many shops and dining opportunities. Galle Fort is especially worth visiting during the sunset. The views of the ocean from the walls are incredible.
Mirissa & Weligama
Another popular beach destination in the south is Mirissa. I stayed for a couple of nights in Mirissa at the end of my trip to Sri Lanka. As well as for other beforementioned beaches, Mirissa beach also hosts plenty of beach bars and restaurants. Besides the main beach, there is a Secret beach just a short walk away.
The long beach of Weligama right next to Mirissa is really popular for surfing. Each time I passed it, there were plenty of both beginners and more advanced surfers practising their skills. The beach is full of surf shops as well, so it really easy to just go, rent a board and head into the waves.
OTHER BEACHES ALONG THE SOUTH-WEST & SOUTH COAST
Besides the mentioned ones there are plenty of more beaches and resorts along the south coast of Sri Lanka. There is something for everyone. If looking for more action then head to the bigger towns and if looking for a more quiet place just find a resort/guesthouse somewhere along the beach a bit away from towns and an idyllic beach holiday is guaranteed. List of a couple of other options which are probably quieter:
Renting the scooter was already worth it in order to drive along this coast. The road follows the beaches, so you are constantly next to the sea and can make a stop anywhere you want.
Arugam Bay
Arugam Bay lies on the east coast of Sri Lanka and so it is exposed to a different climate than the south coast. I wrote about the different climate zones in Sri Lanka in my previous post – Introduction to Sri Lanka.
Arugam Bay is a surfers’ paradise. People from all over the world (and mostly Australia as it seemed to be) come here just to surf. Arugam Bay is a small town which has been taken over by tourism. There is one main road where all of the surf shops, restaurants, bars and guest houses are located at. So it is an ideal place for surf and parties.
Batticaloa
I spent just one night in Batticaloa with the main reason to break up the journey between Arugam Bay and Trincomalee. I arrived in Batticaloa early afternoon, which allowed me to browse around for half a day. I visited some sights in the city including Batticaloa Gate, Batticaloa Fort and the Lighthouse.
Batticaloa hosts a large strip of beach which turned out to be huge and at the same time pretty empty. I spent quite some time observing local fishermen pulling the fishing nets out of the sea on the beach. The city is not a popular tourist destination for some reason so it has a completely different vibe than for example Arugam Bay. The white sand beach is beautiful and was empty while I was there, so it makes a good destination if you really want to be away from anything touristic. That also means that is more difficult to find a place to eat and sleep of course.
Trincomalee
About 140 kilometres to the north of Batticaloa is located Trincomalee. The city is mainly known for its beach (of course), scuba diving and whale watching opportunities among tourists. I spent 3 full days in Trincomalee during which I managed to take part in most of these activities. The actual popular beachfront is on the north side of the city and is called Uppuveli. Another, but a bit less visited beach is more to the north and called Nilaveli beach. The season had just ended in Trincomalee and it was pretty quiet around but according to some locals I met, the streets had been full of people just a couple of weeks before.
For one early morning, I booked a dolphin & whale watching tour. Trincomalee is one of the two main places in Sri Lanka where it is possible to see blue whales. The other location is in Mirissa, but as I heard then in Mirissa they go out with big boats and if lucky, you can see the whales from a long distance. In Trincomalee though, the tour operators have small speed boats which allow getting really close to the whales. While on the boat we managed to see a couple of herds of dolphins and multiple blue whales. I seemed to have been a bit lucky though since some other people told me they had only seen a couple of whales. Which is also amazing still. Seeing the whales from a close distance was a breathtaking experience BUT it makes you wonder if driving so close to the whales with the speedboats is natural and healthy from the whales’ perspective. Whenever the driver noticed a whale he pumped the speed up and got extremely close to the whale. It felt like it was probably not comfortable for the whales.
I also decided to check out the underwater life in Trincomalee Bay and went scuba diving. With a visibility of 15 m and a water temperature of 29 degrees Celsius, I enjoyed the dives. One of the dive sites offered plenty of healthy coral life and the other one had many tropical fish (schools of barracudas etc). Sri Lanka also has a large variety of wreck diving options both for beginner and advanced divers. I did not manage to do any wreck dives this time though.
Which is the best beach?
As you can see, Sri Lanka has more than enough options for a beach holiday. Choosing the best location and destination is too much to ask. I enjoyed my time the most in Unawatuna but I met a guy who fell in love with Mirissa and spent a month there and I also met a guy who had not left Arugam Bay for 3 weeks straight. As it seems to happen often, then while being a solo traveller the enjoyment of a location comes down to which people you happen to meet and hang out with. Let’s not forget about the location itself of course, but that extra experience which turns 99% to 100% and puts the dot onto the “i” are the people.
To get most of your holiday in Sri Lanka, then it is worth matching the month of the year you are visiting Sri Lanka with the coast that is “in season” during that time. The island is relatively small with decent transportation options and roads so getting around is not a problem as well.
In the next post, I will describe what the central part of Sri Lanka has to offer as well.
Meanwhile, I will leave you off with a sunset photo from Galle Fort.
