Weligama

Weligama, between Galle and Mirissa, is a fishing town on a wide, sandy bay. Its name means sandy village, and its long beach and gentle waves make it the best place in Sri Lanka to learn to surf. The town itself is busy and local, with coconut and rubber plantations behind it, and nearby are Taprobane Island, stilt fishermen and an ancient rock carving.

Surfing

The beach break in the middle of the bay has soft, rolling waves ideal for beginners, and dozens of surf schools and board rental stalls line the beach. Lessons usually last about two hours, and many surf camps include accommodation and yoga. Experienced surfers head to reef breaks nearby. The best waves are from about November to April. See surfing in Weligama.

Taprobane Island

Just off the western end of the beach sits Taprobane Island, a tiny rock topped with a white villa. It was built in the 1920s by the French Count de Mauny, and the writer Paul Bowles later owned it. The villa is now a private rental, but you can wade close at low tide and photograph it from the beach.

Stilt fishermen

Along the coast between Weligama and Koggala, especially near Kathaluwa and Ahangama, fishermen perch on poles planted in the shallows, casting lines at dawn and dusk. Many now pose for photographs for a fee, so expect to pay if you take pictures.

Kushtarajagala

At the western end of town, the Kushtarajagala is a large figure carved into a rock, said to date from around the 8th or 9th century. Local legend says it shows a king cured of a skin disease, but scholars generally identify it as the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara.

Diving and snorkelling

The bay's shallow reefs and rocks have tropical fish and turtles. Dive centres run trips to sites such as Prince Heinrich Patch, Bridge Rock and Yala Rock, with moray eels, rays and nudibranchs. See diving and snorkelling in Weligama.

Crafts

Batik workshops in the area show how designs are waxed and dyed by hand; see batik art of the south. Weligama is also known for handmade lace.

Getting there and around

Weligama is about two hours from Colombo on the Southern Expressway, with its own exit, and about 30 minutes from Galle. Trains on the coastal line stop at Weligama station. Mirissa is ten minutes east by tuk-tuk.

When to go and how long to stay

The season runs from about November to April, when the sea is calm and the weather mostly dry. From about May to September the south-west monsoon brings rain and bigger, messier waves, though some surf schools stay open. Surfers often stay a week; others spend two or three nights.

Food, stays and day trips

Beach cafes serve smoothie bowls, seafood and rice and curry, and the town market has cheap local food. Accommodation ranges from surf hostels and guesthouses to boutique hotels on the headlands. Whale watching from Mirissa, the Dutch star fort and Paravi Duwa temple in Matara, and Galle Fort are all within easy reach.

The town

Behind the beach, Weligama is a working market town with a busy fish market by the bay, shops along the main road and the Agrabodhi temple, whose Bodhi tree is believed by local tradition to be among the oldest in the south. The railway line runs right along the bay, and the view from the train between Weligama and Mirissa is one of the best on the coastal line.

Along the coast

Weligama sits in the middle of a stretch of coast full of small surf towns. To the west, Midigama, Ahangama and Kabalana have reef and point breaks for intermediate surfers, cafes and boutique stays, and Koggala has a lake with islands, a museum dedicated to the writer Martin Wickramasinghe and a turtle hatchery. To the east, Mirissa is known for whale watching and Matara for its old Dutch forts.

Suggested plan

Book a surf lesson for the morning, when the wind is lightest, and spend the afternoon resting or exploring by tuk-tuk: Taprobane at low tide, the Kushtarajagala statue, and the stilt fishermen at sunset. A second day could include whale watching from Mirissa or a snorkelling trip in the bay.