SK Town Surf & Travel Guide – All You Need To Know

Stay a couple of days in the chilled beach hotels of SK Town to discover one of southern Sri Lanka’s hidden breaks. Fronting a wide beach, there are peaks here for almost every level of surfer.

An introduction to SK Town surf

Hidden along an exposed stretch of the Sri Lankan coast to the south-east of Matara City, SK Town is a little conglomeration of surf shacks and beach hotels that faces the open ocean.

Lanky coconut palms sway overhead and a few dirt tracks lead to the shoreline. Welcome to one of the region’s most hidden surf spots.

Officially known as Lakshawaththa Beach, SK Town is actually the name for the group of shacks and hotel rentals at the eastern end of the sands. More recently, it’s become the moniker for the place as a whole. And what a place that is…

With a wave for pretty much every level of surfer, there’s loads to be said for the versatility of SK Town.

You can grab a board for as little as 1000 LKR (as little as £5) for the whole day and ride the whitewash if that’s what you want. But sets can also be big here out back, with plenty of punch and even semi-hollow sections to keep more advanced people entertained.

The real beauty of SK Town’s surf is just how off the beaten path it is. As Sri Lanka’s surf scene goes from strength to strength, it’s becoming harder and harder to find secluded places like this.

Wind will be the main enemy. This is an exposed beach and it gets wrecked when the crossshores start about 10am. There are two windows for surfing – pre-breakfast and evening.

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What will I find in this guide to SK Town?

Where is SK Town?

One of the last beaches before the rocky outcrops of the Cabo Dondra, SK Town runs westwards from the town of Matara. It opens up into wide Dondra Bay, where you can watch huge tankers drifting between tiny fishing boats out in the open ocean on the horizon.

Near to the surf meccas of Weligama and Mirissa, SK Town is located on the extreme southern edge of the island. It’s linked to close-by cities like Galle and Colombo by the E01 highway and the A2 coast road.

To get here, take a tuk-tuk from Matara (which you can reach by direct train from Colombo, so long as you’re not brining a surfboard with you). Or just get a private transfer from the airport – that takes like 2 hours.

The surfing in SK Town

SK Town is really a single spot. The beach runs for just over a kilometre from the headlands in the east to the city of Matara in the west. Along the way, it’s got countless peaks. Some are hard and heavy. Some are low but punchy A-frames.

There’s also a nice load of whitewash where you’ll catch the occasional beginner surf school working their thing. Every inch of this one’s a beach break, and there’s hardly an underfoot rock to be felt – or, at least – we didn’t feel one in five whole days of surfing there!

There’s really no hard and fast rule to what you’ll find. The movement of the sandbanks, the weather, and the swell direction will all play their part.

You can rest assured that SK is relatively reliable, so there’s usually something surfable. It’s also exposed, so you might want to tuk-tuk it elsewhere in high winds and rain. Winds especially can be a problem.

For the sake of this guide, we’ve divided the beach into two sections. There’s SK Town that’s closest to the Dondra Head (the east end of the beach). And then there’s Lakshawaththa Beach, which runs into the headland that separates the surf spot from the beach in Matara.

We’ve also included the spots to the west and east of SK here. That’s because they’re good options to know about when SK is either windy or busy. Or if you just fancy mixing things up a little bit.

When to surf in SK Town?

The dry season between November and March is the best time to surf in SK Town.

One thing we wouldn’t skip on is the sunscreen. I use Suntribe’s blocks because they’ve made a real effort to strip out any unneccessary chemicals. Plus, they offer Surf Atlas readers 10% orders with code Surfatlas10.

Where to stay in SK Town?

If you’re not already planning to, we really recommend you take a few days and stay in SK Town.

Granted, for the non-surfer, there’s not a whole load to do. But there are some top beach hotels that look right over the surf.

They’ve got grassy gardens shaded by palm trees where you can kick back with a book between sessions on the waves. And they’re typically priced at lower than hotels in similar locations in more popular surf towns.

Here are the ones we’ve come to love…

• The Seascape – We rank this one among the top surf hotels in the country. It’s verynicely done out, has prime position in front of the section of beach that has the best sandbanks, and does great food.
• Top Secret Beach Hotel – One of a few Sri Lankan-owned accommodations in the area is a Top Secret Beach Hotel. With its perfect beachfront location and sea views in most rooms, this hotel is a mid-range option for surfers on a decent budget. The friendly owner makes a yummy Sri Lankan breakfast every morning – roti, fresh fruit, eggs in a spicy omelette – cheers man!
• Vanina Villas – This is a French-owned luxury treat facing the main surf break. With a stunning garden and a refreshing pool, the stylish huts and suites are located just a stone’s throw from the beach. All the rooms are built with high quality, environmentally-friendly materials.

How to get to SK Town?

A private taxi or tuk-tuk is probably the best way to get to the SK Town surf breaks. There are local buses but it’s tricky to suss out the timetable and find the ones that stop along the main Matara Road. Anyhow, you’ll still need to walk from there to the beachfront once you do get off.

Make sure you show your tuk-tuk or taxi driver the hotel you’re staying at before you arrive at SK Town. There are a number of different roads in and out, not all of which are connected close to the beach, so you’ll need to take the right turn off to get to your accommodation.

Once you’re here, all the breaks in SK Town are no more than a few minutes from the door of any of the town’s hotels or hostels.

This is a chilled, compact little spot. You can walk everywhere. And when you can’t be bothered, a couple of rupees to the nearest tuk-tuk and you’re away.

Where to eat in SK Town?

Aside from being an upcoming surf destination, SK Town also has a smattering of enticing eateries and hotels – including one that we think is quite possibly the BEST restaurant in the whole of the south.

They’re often locally owned affairs with plenty of fish options, but also loads for vegetarians…

• Uprising Restaurant – We really can’t sing the praises of this one enough! It was arguably the single best rice and curry we ate on our whole surf trip through Sri Lanka in 2020, and we went back again in 22. Everything – literally, everything – is cooked fresh right in front of you. We ordered the veggie plate and we watched as the lady cracked open a coconut and started mixing up the sambal. Dal was masterful, okra still makes the mouth water.
• Sachinthana Rasa Bojun – We usually headed to this tiny stand on the main road (a 5-min walk from the beach) to stock up on samosas for lunch. Warning: They are made to Sri Lankan tastes so are HOT.

Things to do when you’re not surfing in SK Town

We’re not gonna’ lie – non-surfers will find themselves twiddling their thumbs pretty fast here. Surf aside, there’s not a whole load to do. That’s largely because the beach isn’t the cleanest or nicest, so there’s no option to lay the towel and laze. Trips out of town are the best option if you do want a break from the waves.