"TRAVEL DIARIES, Weligama- A Surfer’s Paradise" - Salty Adventures

Weligama- A Surfer’s Paradise

Weligama is located in the south coast of Sri Lanka and is visited by many tourists all year round. It’s close to the many other tourist attractions in the south including, Galle, Mirissa and Hikkaduwa.

How to get there?
Unlike many other beaches in the East Coast, Weligama is very easy to get to. Be it road or rail, you can easily get there.

By Train
Weligama is a train station in which all trains stop at. As at June 2018, there is a train which leaves Colombo at 6.30 a.m. and reaches Weligama at around 11. There is also a special train which is very much faster and barely stops in between. However, it only operates on public holidays and weekends. It leaves at 6.00 a.m. and reaches Weligama at 8.40 a.m. Traveling by train is also the most convenient mode if you are with your surfboard. It would only cost you $1.5 (Rs. 240) to get there. By Bus
Traveling by the normal public bus will give you the creeps. However, it’s the only option available if there are no trains or luxury buses. You can also take the luxury bus from Colombo to Matara which takes the express way and reach Matara and take a tuktuk or a bus from Matara to Weligama.

When to go there?
Technically, they call the period from April to September off season. Nevertheless, I find no reason to call it off season. There are two point breaks in the Weligama Bay and when the swell is low in one the other takes over. So it works well all year round. I personally prefer the off season because there are very less people and sometimes you’ll find as the only surfer at the beach.

What to do?
Surf, obviously Is that even a question to ask? Weligama is the ideal spot to surf. The beach is shallow and you can literally stand on your feet even at the place where the waves take off. The swell and the height of the waves are just memorizing to watch even if you’re not surfing.

Learn to surf
The beach is also regarded as one of the best beaches to learn surfing. You’ll find surf schools throughout the long stretch of the beach and all you have to do is to run into one. It’s pretty much guaranteed that they’ll make you stand on the board.

Enjoy the beach
Weligama is a golden stretch of beach with the sun right on top of you. You’ll find lounge chairs on the beach and it’s free to sunbathe. It’s also so much fun to go take a dip in the sea. Like I said it’s so shallow and has very less people off season.

Yoga
Most surf schools offer yoga sessions and most surfers do yoga before or after they surf.

The Food
I’ll do a complete review of the restaurants close by. However, the food is generally regarded to be exquisite. Certain restaurants like W15, Ceylon Sliders and The Marriott are constantly filled with lots of touristswho just visit them for the good food that they offer.

Review
I would regard Weligama as one of the best beaches in Sri Lanka, both for surfers and non-surfers. If you’re visiting Sri Lanka, don’t go back without stepping foot on the Weligama Beach.