Surfing, Hiking and Adventuring in Sri Lanka

After a year long internship that wasn’t always easy, or stress-free, I needed a break. A substantial one with sunshine and something new. Enter Ticket To Ride, a surf and snowboarding travel company who have adventures all around the world. This was just what I needed: I’d spend a month learning to surf, exploring a new culture and resetting before moving to a new city and starting a new job. And what an amazing decision that turned out to be.

So, off I set with my pasty, pale skin into a world of 30-40 degree heat – you can imagine what came next… Sufficiently burnt from seemingly stepping off a plane, and under the watchful eye of surf coaches (and overall pros) Nikita, David and Max, we went for our first lesson on the South West coast.

The town of Weligama is full of surf schools and good vibes, and where I flailed and tried to surf for the first two weeks of the trip. Characterised by the fishing boats that apparently wait for the surf schools to arrive on the beach to help either push them out to see or pull them in, it’s a cool place that offers a pressure free place to learn to surf.

Also, because of the boom in surf schools and tourists, Weligama, Mirissa, and the surrounding towns also have some great places to eat drink, and do yoga after a long day of being battered by the ocean. Luckily for us, we had our own yoga guru, Maddie, to help stretch us out and generally get us into a great mindset for the day, no matter how bad the surf session might have been.

One of these cool spots that is just a short tuk tuk drive away (warning: the driving style of Sri Lanka is a whole experience in itself) is the Doctor’s House in Mirissa. Always full of different kinds of people, locals, tourists and seasoned surfers alike, it’s got a relaxed vibe and amazing pizza. It normally has a band or two playing, lots of strong cocktails, and chilled seating where you can catch up and unwind after a long day in paradise.

After two amazing weeks on the South West coast, we packed up our kit and heading to the opposite coast and the Sri Lankan surfing mecca of Arugam Bay.

Arugam Bay has a completely different vibe to the South West coast, as it’s all based on one main drag. There were two main surf spots that were working when we arrived, Main Point, where the experienced surfers headed, and Whisky Point, we us newbies headed for with some local guides. It’s an odd place to come after Weligama, which is a lot quieter and has a beach break, as opposed to Whiskey Point which is a super busy point break. And apparently, we weren’t even in season. It’s chaotic, but fun when you manage to get on a wave, and a learning curve when it comes to surf etiquette.

Whilst in A Bay we had more free time to explore the local area, doing a local cookery class with a wonderful family who showed us how to cook authentic dahl, and rotis, and how to correctly hollow out a coconut – an unusually technical workout. We also visited a tea plantation and sampled 40 (yes 40) different types of tea, which is an overwhelming amount of tea to try, even for a Brit. However, a highlight was the safari at Kumana National Park.

It’s hit and miss whether or not you see a leopard in Kumana, apparently, there’s only one in the park, and I have no idea how the drivers managed to see it camouflaged in the treetops but they did. What wasn’t camouflaged however, were the beautiful elephants that roamed the park. Although you can see them in the wild across Sri Lanka, to see them up close (they actually charged towards one of the jeeps that our group was in) was spectacular.

Following an altogether too brief week in Arugam Bay, we packed up once again and headed up into the hills of Ella. This also marked the end of the surf part of our journey and the start of our hiking adventure. After not using our legs for three weeks it was definitely a shock.

More shocking than this, however, were the terror attacks that were happening around Colombo, Negombo, and Batticaloa at this time. Although we were far from where the bombings were happening, the effects echoed across the island with curfews and social media lockdowns in place. What I can say, is the solidarity and kindness of the Sri Lankan people of all faiths during this time were overwhelming. And despite what was going on, Ella quickly became my favourite place in Sri Lanka.

It’s dominated by hiking trails, bridges, and cool bars and cafes, and you find it hard to believe it’s the same country that also has the gorgeous coastlines of A Bay and Weligama. It’s also a weird thing to discover that people walk on the train tracks to get between the town of Ella and the popular hiking trails of Little Adam’s Peak and Ella Rock. However, when you see the speed at which the train passes – not even 20mph in places – you have plenty of time to hop off the tracks and into the grass.

After two short days in Ella, we boarded the iconic blue train to Kandy. If you’ve seen anything about travelling to and around Sri Lanka, it probably includes people hanging off this blue train, which looks like a dumb thing to do until you realise as we did in Ella, the train moves at a trudge.

The best thing about the Blue Train is the food. Different traders walk up and down the entire train with rotis, nuts, fruits, tea, and a whole host of other tasty bites to make the long and sweaty journey a bit more bearable for the uninitiated. Nevertheless, an absolute must if you’re travelling in Sri Lanka.

Being in Kandy was pretty disorientating after not being in a city for over three weeks. The noise and the busyness of the place were incredible, as were the giant botanical gardens that we visited. What other botanic gardens have monkeys after all?

After a whistlestop tour of Kandy, which was our hiking rest day, we hopped back on the blue train to head to Adam’s Peak for our final adventure. If you’re not aware of Adam’s Peak it’s a temple that has importance for four major religions: for Christians and Muslims it’s believed it’s Adam’s footprint, Buddhists believe it’s Buddha’s footprint, and Hindus believe it’s Shiva’s footprint. No matter what you believe, this place is sacred and a pilgrimage for many.

It’s also 2500 stone steps up to the top, and these aren’t small steps.

As it gets hot quickly once the sun’s up, most people opt to hike up so that they’re at the top for sunrise, which was our plan and meant a 3.30am set-off time.

What you will see though, is a giant statue of Buddha, and the route is lined with tea shops and snack stops, but definitely bring enough water to get up and down – you’ll need it, and layers are absolutely your friend. Not only that but once you get up towards the top, you will need to cover up a bit and remove your shoes as a sign of respect.

So, after powering through, trying not to stop too much, we arrived at the top all at different times, but all before sunrise and the sunrise ceremony that’s performed each day, complete with a parade and giant drums. It really does make you forget about how difficult the climb is once you’re up above the clouds with the view. Also, jumping into the ice-cold pool at the hostel afterward really helps with the achy joints.

Although I was out there for a whole month, and met some of the best people, it went all too soon, and it was time to fly back home, but I can’t wait to get back out there, eat more tasty food, and enjoy an ice cold Lion beer after a decent day of surf and yoga.