Looking for te creme-de-la-creme of Sri Lanka surf camps? We’ve got ya’! Research trips throughout 2022 have helped us piece together this list of the best experiences, packages and stays for folks heading to the Teardrop of India.
Sri Lanka is a special, special place to surf. Good vibes, warm water, great food, and two coasts that work at different times of the year all help on that count. We’d also say that this stunning isle is among the finest places to learn to surf on the planet. The reason? An outlying web of reefs on the southwest coast help to tame the swells into more manageable, soft, and mellow peaks, leaving plenty for the learners. The reef breaks also tend to be deeper and more forgiving than, say, Indo, which is great news for intermediates moving from the sand to the corals and rocks.
Perhaps more than anything, though, Sri Lanka surf camp stays are among the best in the whole wide world…
We don’t say that lightly, either. Sri Lanka really is a stand out if you’re looking to do a planned package. With so much surfable coastline on offer, lodges here are often able to get within easy walking distance of the breaks. They also have a gorgeous aesthetic (think plenty of polished concrete), serve ridiculously nice food (dal for dinner and breakfast, please), and have casual instruction that’s accessible to even complete novices.
We’ve just come back from a long research trip on the southwest shore of Sri Lanka (it’s a tough life, ay?). That’s helped us sift the top-quality camps from the not-so-good ones. It’s been tricky, but here goes our selection of the very best Sri Lanka surf camps for 2023…
We might use affiliate links in this post. Basically, you click em’ and we get a little something from your booking or purchase. They help us keep offering more and more in-depth surf guides to awesome places all around the globe. So, thanks for that!
This is just one part of our complete overall guide to surfing in Sri Lanka
The Salty Pelican
- Location: Hiriketiya Bay
- Best for: All levels – everyone!
- Price: Deals start at $350 (£368) for four nights
The Salty Pelican wooed us back in 2019 before anyone even knew what COVID-19 meant. We stayed a whole month in the upcoming beach town of Hiriketiya and literally watched the place being built – an extra window or door was added every time we walked to grab lunch in nearby Dikwella town.
Anyway, the finished product, which we had the pleasure of visiting in 2022 on our return to the island, most certainly is up to scratch. It’s a proper Sri Lankan coast lodge set between the coconut groves some eight minutes’ walk from the cruisy beach break down in Hiriketiya itself. There’s a lovely pool stretching through the garden, a stylo working space come bar, and a plush lounge with come-laze-in-me sofas in the lobby. One of the best-designed surf hangouts we’ve laid eyes on. Big words.
There’s a whole bunch of different packages on offer here. They have 4-day, 8-day, and 11-day options. All of them include unlimited yoga sessions, which are run every day by the in-house instructors on a lofted yoga deck behind the pool. All also include surfboard rental – and we’d add that the gear these guys have is just as new as the place itself (AKA – some of the best in town).
Our hunch is that the Salty Pelican is best for beginners or lower-intermediate surfers. That’s not a comment on the tuition, which is top-notch all round. It’s more a comment on the location – Hiri has one intermediate break to its name and nothing overly hard.
We should also mention the upshot of the location here. Mirissa itself doesn’t have the best on the southwest coast – there’s one right reef that’s an urchin fest and some other lefts by the camp itself. However, Mirissa shines as the gateway to the whole region. A short tuk-tuk to the west and you’ll be in Weligama, the learner mecca. Go east and you can hit Dondra, SK Town, and even Hiriketiya. That makes this camp a doozy for exploring the whole region, great if you don’t like surfing the same break twice.
The reason that you can bag all that for under the $300 mark is that this is an indelibly local camp. It’s not some fancy surf hotel with a Swedish masseuse on standby. It’s run by locals, with only local instructors. The downside there is that you don’t get the benefit of proper ISA coaches. On the flip side, you will get richer local knowledge (AKA – access to secret breaks down the Mirissa strip!). We know which we prefer.
The accommodation here is simple but clean. It’s set on the side of the winding river just back from central Weligama (the beach is 5-10 minutes’ walk), opening into a garden filled with geckos and monkeys.
They also run a pretty packed schedule for the price. There’s a surf lesson for 6/7 days and the same number of yoga lessons, all followed by plenty of time to hit the water on your own and practice using the in-house surf gear (included in the cost). Plus, it’s nearly full board, with breakfast and dinner six days throughout the week.
The surf camp itself isn’t a Balinese villa level of cool but it’s pretty darn nice. It has whitewashed colors like a Greek beach resort and one of the best rooftop kitchens around. The in-house chefs are also known for their da-bomb curry buffets. (Be aware that you can also book this one separately and then pay for surf lessons and whatnot as you go).
Whiskey Point Resort gets around that by beckoning to a location that’s just north of the main town. You’ll be nestled in between the swaying coconut palms, with the mega-consistent point break of Whiskey Point right in front. That’s an all-level wonder of a right that peels away to offer classic Sri Lankan shoulders from morning until night.
In that sense, this is more of a hotel with a surf break in the garden than an out and out surf camp. You book in for just the room and the breakfast to find yourself literally steps from one of the most consistent waves in the Eastern Province. You can opt to add-on surf lessons with their own ISA-certified instructor if you want.
The hotel itself is simply awesome. It’s built over a series of bamboo cabanas. You can choose ground floor pads to stroll straight out of bed and onto the sand. Or go for the upper cabanas for the best views at the evening hours. It’s enough to make Robinson Crusoe jealous.
Daily yoga and 1-hour daily surf sessions are the order of the schedule. You’re poses and meditations are run by in-house yogi master Magali Sasson, a veteran of both Ashtanga and Hatha yoga Ashrams in India. Surfing takes place usually on Kabalana, but you also have the whole of the Ahangama strip to play with for different waves and reef breaks.
The accommodation is bot initiate and quiet, with a boutique vibe that we really love – think white walls and natural wood furnishings. Breakfasts are a la carte each day and they are something special – a mix of healthy granola bowls and shakshuka plates.
Check out the pad. Protected from the bustle of the ever-busy Matara Road by a group of high palms and teak trees, it’s a bit of a secret Shangri-La, though still within touching distance of the vibrant bars and eateries that dot the center of Ahangama. There’s a stunning L-shaped pool, along with quirky, kitschy rooms like the luxury safari tentalow and the dorm, which reminds us of something from Harry Potter.
Anyway, they offer an 8-day package that we feel strikes just about the perfect balance between yoga practice and surfing. There are six yoga sessions included in that, all of which take place in their purpose built yoga shala in the jungle. Surfing wise, you get five classes and a theory session (which not many places do). Plus – and this is key in Ahangama – there’s a ride to and from different breaks in the area. You don’t want to be stuck surfing only Sticks or Marshmallows right out front, though they are fun.
Again, we dropped in here on our Sri Lanka trip in 2022 and were blown away by just how lovely it was. Someone certainly had their design hat on because the garden space sucked in cooling salt breezes over a glistening pool and chillout area. That feeds through to a wrap-around garden bar where you can sit, smoothie in hand, and check the surf at a glance. Head to the rooms and you’ll be welcomed by boho art pieces and wicker seats. The suites that open to face the ocean are something special, but – frankly – all the options are lush.
You have to book a stay at Dreamsea Sri Lanka and then add your surf lessons on top. Thankfully, that’s easy since it can be done at reception when you arrive. Waves are steps off the front of the garden.
Said villa is spectacular, too. It’s set right on the edge of the Indian Ocean in the very heart of Ahangama town. And we mean it, too – the Harding surf break (a good intermediate spot) can be reached by leaping off the front wall. There are also beginner-friendly breaks like Marshmallow and Sticks within a short walk. You get a private pool and a great room orientation – all doubles or twins that open to face your swim spot.
Guests here will benefit from the added flexibility that comes from not having planned daily routines. That said, it is possible to add on lessons and gear rental if required.
We might use affiliate links in this post. Basically, you click em’ and we get a little something from your booking or purchase. They help us keep offering more and more in-depth surf guides to awesome places all around the globe. So, thanks for that!
