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A long, pale beach at Arugam Bay with waves rolling in on the left, an upturned boat at the back of the sand and a wooded point in the distance

Surfing in Sri Lanka

Start with the best-known places: Arugam Bay, Weligama, Hikkaduwa and Hiriketiya.

15 guides2 itineraries pass throughChecked 11 Oct 2026

Plan your route

Where to find surfing

  • Southern Province 10 guides
  • Eastern Province 4 guides
  • Central Province 1 guide
  • Uva Province 1 guide
  • Western Province 1 guide

Top places for surfing

Map of Surfing

The 5 places with coordinates in their guides; numbers match the top places.

Map of 5 places
  1. 1Arugam Bay
  2. 2Weligama
  3. 3Hikkaduwa
  4. 4Hiriketiya
  5. 5Ahangama
Open in Google Maps© Mapbox © OpenStreetMap

Around Arugam Bay, by distance

Straight-line distance from Arugam Bay, from each guide's coordinates; the road is longer.

Surfing in pictures

Photos from the guides, credited on each page.

  • Aerial view of Arugam Bay beach in early light, with fishing boats on the sand, palms and guesthouses on the left and waves breaking along the shore
  • Taprobane Island, a small wooded islet with a white gateway and steps, silhouetted against an early-morning sky beyond Weligama beach
  • Glass-bottom boats moored in the shallow reef lagoon at Hikkaduwa, seen from the beach past a wooden fishing boat
  • Sigiriya rock rising above a misty forest, seen from the top of Pidurangala with dry grass in the foreground
  • A white beach and turquoise cove on Pigeon Island below a scrub-covered rocky hill, with snorkellers in the shallow water
  • The white temple gateway and two small stupas at Wewurukannala Vihara, with the head and shoulders of the giant seated Buddha rising behind
  • Morning on the shore at Ahangama, with wet sand, dark reef rocks in shallow water and waves breaking further out
  • Surfers paddling and riding a breaking wave in green-blue water off Panama Beach, with dark boulders in the foreground and a low wooded shore behind
  • The wide sandy beach at Arugam Bay looking south, with waves breaking along the shore and a low wooded headland in the distance

Beach in surfing

Surf break in surfing

Where to go for surfing

Experiences: surfing

Weather in Arugam Bay this week

  1. TodayShowers33° 24°100%
  2. TueThunderstorms32° 24°100%
  3. WedShowers31° 24°95%
  4. ThuThunderstorms33° 24°82%
  5. FriShowers30° 24°99%
  6. SatRain32° 24°100%
  7. SunRain31° 24°94%

Daily high and low in °C, chance of rain. Forecast for the guide's coordinates, refreshed every few hours. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com

Itineraries for surfing

What recent visitors report

Lines from the guides' 2025–26 visitor reports.

Planning guides for surfing

Frequently asked about Surfing

When is the surf season at Arugam Bay?

From April to October, according to Sri Lanka Tourism. From the Arugam Bay guide

Is Weligama good for beginner surfers?

Recent visitors describe small, slow waves over a sandy bottom and plenty of surf schools. Currents can still be dangerous: a young surfer died at Weligama in August 2026. From the Weligama guide

When is the surf season in Hikkaduwa?

November to March, according to Sri Lanka Tourism. From the Hikkaduwa guide

Can you backpack Sri Lanka by public transport?

Yes. Buses reach every town on this route, and trains run along the coast and between Nanu Oya and Ella. For trains into Kandy and the hill country, see the travel update at the top of this page. From the Backpacking Sri Lanka guide

When is the best time to visit Sri Lanka's east coast?

From about May to September, the dry season on this coast. Most rain falls from about October to January, when boat trips are often cancelled and many places in Arugam Bay close. From the East coast in 9 days guide

Where is Hiriketiya?

It is a small bay at Dikwella, east of Matara in Matara District, about three hours by road from Colombo. From the Hiriketiya guide

Before you go

Header photo: Kondephy / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.