Things To Do in Arugam Bay
Arugam Bay Surf and more
After leaving Ella and the best train ride in the world, it was time to head to the coast of Sri Lanka and enjoy the famous Arugam bay surf activities.
Contents
From Ella to Arugam Bay
There is no train service between Ella and Arugam Bay, so you have the tuk-tuk option or the bus ride. I opted for the bus, of course. My favorite place to meet local people and other backpackers, as it happened to me during this bus-ride, where I met 2 beautiful travelers souls.
To get to Arugam Bay you will need to travel to Pottuvil first (the closest village). But there is no direct bus from Ella, so the most probably is that you need to get the bus to Monaragala (direct one or stop first in Wellawaya). The route is Ella, Wellawaya, Monaragala, Pottuvil, Arugam Bay so if you can go to Monaragala first, take this option. From there you take the next bus to Arugam Bay. The whole journey should be around 400LKR.
TIP: When you reach Pottuvil, the bus will stop for a few minutes, and many tuk-tuk drivers will tell you it’s the last stop, but don’t trust them! Ask your driver that you want to stop in Arugam Bay.
TIP: In case you hop off in Pottuvil (6km from Arugam Bay), there is a bus going to Panama (the main road). If you don’t want to wait you can also take a tuk-tuk, which should not cost you too much. It’s a 10 minutes ride (6km).
Where to stay in Arugam Bay
Arugam Bay is a small town, and it has a main road parallel to the beach where you can find all the budget hostels. So, the best area to stay is on the main road where you will be able to choose between a wide range of hostels and also some Arugam Bay hotels and resorts.
Sleeping in Arugam Bay
TIP: I recommend you to book a hostel near Panama Road. I booked my hostel on this main road, which is close to the main beach and it’s a short walk to the pubs and restaurants. It is also a budget backpacker’s hostel very clean and with very good vibe. The owner is super nice as well: East Beach Surf Resort. It is one of the best rated hostel in town, and, hands up, it has breakfast included!
TIP: If you want a hostel with a nice swimming pool and still cheap if you are in a budget, we can hardly recommend the Arugambay Roccos.
Arugam Bay must see
This is a very small town, with just a main road full of hostels and a few pubs and restaurants. This is basically a backpackers chill surfing village, and it’s a nice place to come surfing or just spend a few beach days. In case you don’t know if it’s worth visit Arugam Bay, let’s see what this beach town has to offer.
Arugam Bay Surf
Surfing is, no doubt, the top activity to do in Arugam Bay. There are many different Surf Schools and Surfing rental shops in town. We can not recommend a specific one. Just walk along the main beach and check the different shops/schools.
Best Surfing spots in Arugam Bay
The best Surf places in Arugam Bay are Okanda, Peanut Farm, Pottuvil Point, and ArugamBay of course.
Just take into account the time of the year when are you visiting the town for this purpose, check the following tips:
TIP: There are several spots in Sri Lanka which are top places where many professionals and enthusiasts go there to enjoy surfing. Just take into account which is the best time of the year to enjoy the best waves.
TIP: The Surfing season in Arugam Bay usually takes place in the dry season (the best months to surf Arugam Bay are from May to September). If you visit Sri Lanka at another time of the year, check the beaches in the south of the Island.
Arugam Bay beaches
Included in the top things to do in Arugam Bay are, of course, the different beaches in town: ArugamBay, Peanut Farm, Pottuvil, Okanda,…where you can spend amazing times with the local people enjoying the waves.
Elephant Rock Ancient Viharaya
Heading south of the main beach you will reach an ancient Buddhist temple whose “Elephant rock” is one of the most captured Instagram spots.
Atman Festival
One of the most important Psy-trance festivals in South-East Asia, Atman Festival, takes place in Sri Lanka (without taking into account the ones taking place in Goa, India, of course). If you are lucky enough to be in the country during the same days that this famous psytrance festival takes place, check the location, it normally takes place in this area of the country.
TIP: There is also an “after-party” festival, an alternative festival that takes place after the main festival, which lasts 4-5 days on a secret-location in the beachside. This is the one I went to, and you can check the pictures in the gallery section below.
TIP: Among the best Travel Gear I recommend you can find this LifeStraw Go Water Bottle to bring with you to be hydrated all-the-time and save money and water.
From Arugam Bay to Tangalle
The next step in this Sri Lanka itinerary was another village close to the beach. After having visited the North and the Center of Sri Lanka, our route back to Colombo would follow the coast from East to West stopping in the most beautiful villages in the South.
So, our next stop was Tangalle, another laid-back town in the South of Sri Lanka.
There is no train service in the South of the country, so we choose again the local bus to go to Tangalle.
There should be a direct bus to Matara that stops in Tangalle, which usually leaves at 6AM daily from Pottuvil bus stand. In case that this direct route is no longer available you will need to stop first in Monaragala and then take the next bus to Tangalle. The total bus ride should take around 5-6 hours and will cost you around 500 LKR.
TIP: I recommend you better go to the Pottuvil bus stand and check the bus schedule in advance. Be also aware that the bus drivers taking this route are the fastest I ever saw in South East Asia, they drive crazy fast!
Click in the next link if you want to know what to do in Tangalle.
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BROWSE THE GALLERY AND CLICK FOR HQ PICTURES
