After a long day driving Sri Lanka’s winding country roads in our Tuktuk, we finally arrived in the chaotic and overwhelming town of Pottuvil. Bustling street markets, bus stations, honking taxis and people everywhere – it was chaos to say the least. But just a short 5-minute drive further along the road, through the chaos, everything changed. As we crossed the bridge, leaving the noise behind, just a stone’s throw away we were met by a family of elephants, standing calmly in the lagoon. Welcome to Arugam Bay, one of our favourite towns in Sri Lanka.
The town of Arugam Bay is centered around surfing, so much so that it is known as the surf capital of Sri Lanka. As you make your way through the town, past the elephant lagoon, you’ll notice the laid back vibes take over. Beachfront bars, reggae music, artisan coffee shops, everything feels a world away from the chaos of Pottuvil, you’ve arrived in paradise.
Arugam Bay Sri Lanka was one of our favourite spots in our whole Southeast Asia trip, the friendliness of the locals and community felt unmatched. We witnessed a sunset surf at main point surf spot with dolphins cruising by, creeks full of crocodiles, and elephant rock. Incredible wildlife, friendly locals, great food, surf and reggae music, what more could you want from a tropical paradise.
Read on to find out everything we wished we had known before heading to Arugam Bay: how long to visit, itineraries to make the most of your stay, the top things to see and do, best places to stay and more, all in one helpful post.
Chapters
No time to read now?
Save this guide on Pinterest
Best Time To Visit Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka
Being a seasonal town, heavily dependent on tourism & surfing, the best time to visit Arugam Bay is during the dry season (May-September), with the best weather which also coincides with the best surf. However, with peak season comes much higher prices, some places can even be 4x as high!
So although October-April is the off season, you will be greeted with cheaper prices, less tourists and rain – lots of it. The town of Pottuvil is much more local and is bustling chaos all year round, compared to Arugam Bay, where many of the restaurants close for the rain. We don’t really recommend visiting Arugam Bay after October as many restaurants shut down meaning there is little atmosphere left.
🗺️ Your Ultimate Sri Lanka Map
On our way, we created a Google Pinned Map with all the places we visited in Sri Lanka. Grab your Pinned Map today and start planning your adventure!
How To Get To Arugam Bay & Pottuvil
Arugam Bay & Pottuvil are located on the south-east coast of Sri Lanka, just next to the Kumana National Park and famous Yala. Being slightly further out of the way from the main tourist loop, going from Ella to the south coast, gives travellers a chance to travel without the crowds, which are evident in Weligama’s surf breaks. There are several main ways to get to Arugam Bay depending on your budget:
Families: Private Car or Taxi
One of the most comfortable and convenient options is a private taxi, the driver will pick you up from your current hotel and drop you off in Arugam Bay at your next stay. This option comes at a cost, however is great for families on a two week vacation.
Rental Car: For the families out there who like to be on their own schedule, a rental car gives you the flexibility to travel at your own pace. Giving you the option to visit the famous elephant road on the way.
Budget Travellers: Public Transport Bus or Train
The buses in Sri Lanka are a budget travellers best friend, cheap and chaotic. They run from both Colombo and Ella straight to Pottuvil bus station, ideal for travellers who can handle the noise, strange looks and sketchy driving. There’s no direct train to Arugam Bay or Pottuvil, so you’ll have to get the train to Badulla, then a taxi or Tuktuk.
Backpackers: Shared Tourist Van or Drive a Tuktuk
Shared tourist vans run from the main tourist towns such as Colombo, Ella and Kandy straight to Arugam Bay in peak season. You can pre-book your transport from Ella to Arugam Bay.
We opted to rent a tuktuk and had a crazy adventure, making our own way and taking the scenic routes between places. We highly recommend you take the leap and book your tuk here!
Top Things To Do Arugam Bay Map
Top Things To Do Arugam Bay
Go Surfing!
This easily has to be the number one thing to do in Arugam Bay, it is a surf town afterall. If you’ve already got a solid foundation with surfing and know your way around the waves then we recommend just renting a scooter/tuktuk and heading to the best surf spots in Arugam Bay. If you’re like us, completely new to surfing, or you need a refresher – we recommend getting a Surf Lesson. The instructor showed us a couple of different spots and gave us the basic knowledge so we could get to a point and go out on our own.
Book your surf lessons here! Arugam Bay is much quieter than places on the south coast so we recommend surfing here
Tuktuk Safari
The wildlife in the surrounding areas of Arugam Bay is incredible, although we did a Wilpattu Safari, we wished we had just stayed in Arugam Bay for longer! The usual safari’s in the national parks and big jeeps will cost anywhere from £50-100 a ticket, which is a high price considering everything that can be seen in the national parks (except for leopards!) can be seen from a tuktuk in the surrounding Pottuvil areas. More on this below!
Elephant Rock
A 5-minute drive out of town in the opposite direction to Pottuvil, you’ll come across signs to a military base. Once you turn onto the dirt track and wind through the trees, you’ll eventually come to Elephant Rock Viewpoint, a stunning spot for sunrise and sunset and one of the best things to do in Arugam Bay.
Elephants and crocs are active in the area so make sure to be aware as you’re going through to get to the viewpoint. As we drove through the dirt tracks in our Tuktuk to get to the beach, we came across an elephant standing in the bushes. We stayed calm, moved the branches that had fallen into the road and gave it space to drive past. Location
Kumana National Park Safari
You’ve probably read in multiple places by now that the national park safaris in Sri Lanka are questionable, however if you’re stubborn like us and adamant to still go on one, we recommend Kumana. A smaller national park connected to the overcrowded Yala, Kumana Park Safari’s are said to be the least crowded and you still have a chance of seeing a leopard.
Muhudu Maha Vihara
On the edge of Pottuvil is the Mududu Maha Vihara temple, the bright white stupa can be seen from Arugam Bay Beach, shining bright in the midday sun. With a rich history to understand, we found that these temples are only really worth visiting with a guide, otherwise it’s just another stupa to look at. When visiting Anuradhapura, the ancient capital of Sri Lanka, we found the same problem of not understanding the history. Location
Yoga Arugam Bay
After surfing, there’s three things that come to mind: a massage, yoga and pancakes. Throughout the town you’ll see signs for all three. Yoga is a great way to meet like-minded travellers in Arugam Bay and release some stress, which might be needed if you chose to get the bus there!
Pottuvil Lagoon Safari
Surprisingly, this is one of the Safari’s we actually recommend doing! Go with a local on one of their boats around the lagoon and you’ll spot wild elephants, giant crocodiles, more birds than you can count, crabs and so much more. This mangrove tour has great reviews and costs a third of what a national park safari would, without the queues of jeeps waiting in line to get a glimpse of a hard to spot “leopard” in a bush.
Spend the morning cruising the mangroves spotting elephants and kingfishers!
Café Hopping
Anywhere there’s surfers, there’s smoothie bowls. Arugam Bay town is jam packed with aesthetic cafés and great food on a budget.
- Hideaway Blue: Trendy & chic
- with top tier smoothie bowls, great coffee and strong Wi-Fi.
- Salty Swamis: Beachfront chill spot, serving up breakfast hoppers and iced lattes.
- Thaththa’s Tea Shop: Cheap & laid back surf café known for strong espresso and massive pancakes. Perfect spot after surfing Arugam Bay Beach.
Kudumbigala Monastery
If you’re up for a challenge and have your own method of transport, then this Monastery gives you epic views of the Pottuvil and Arugam Bay area. It’s a tough climb to the peak and about a 45 minute drive from the main town, so it’s not ideal to get a taxi. If that sounds like too much hard work then the next one is probably more for you. Location
Chill at Arugam Bay Beach
Whether you’re into surfing or not, you’ll find yourself gravitating towards Arugam Bay Beach most days as that’s where the action is. You can grab a sunset cocktail in one of the beachfront bars, or just chill out on the sand. The beach is also lined with the iconic Sri Lankan fishing boats which you can watch the locals lift out of the ocean every afternoon. Location
Peanut Farm Beach
While visiting Elephant Rock Beach, you’ll also see a sign for Peanut Farm Beach located on the other side of the military base. This is a great surf spot and where we went to learn, there’s a surf camp located right on the beach with a small café on site. Definitely worth checking out, even if you don’t surf. Location
Drinks & Beach Parties
Arugam Bay is known for its nightlife in peak season, people surf in the day and party at night. A popular spot is Mambos Bar which has a beach party every week, in peak season there are a lot of parties going on and hostels will host their own nights out. Whiskey Point is also another party spot but requires a tuk tuk to get back. Arugam Bay Beach is a popular cocktail spot, with loads of beachfront cocktail bars, perfect for sunset.
🗺️ Your Ultimate Sri Lanka Map
On our way, we created a Google Pinned Map with all the places we visited in Sri Lanka. Grab your Pinned Map today and start planning your adventure!
Pottuvil Point Beach & Whiskey Point
Just past the chaotic town of Pottuvil is Whiskey Point, a perfect spot for relaxing on the beach in front of the beachfront bars. It’s also a great Arugam Bay surf spot, or you can simply order some food and chill on the beach. Location
Get a Massage Post-Surf
We never fully understood why there were so many massage shops around surf towns in Thailand, until we learnt to surf and couldn’t get out of bed the next day. Muscles hurt in places you didn’t even know existed and even getting to the toilet is a huge effort, that’s where a massage comes in!
Arugam Bay Wildlife
As we mentioned above, one of the highlights of our time in Arugam Bay was the wildlife. Pottuvil is hectic, Arugam Bay is touristy, but the surrounding area…. is untouched. Wild and raw, the popular toque macaques can be seen causing trouble all over town, as well as the rarer black-faced langurs.
The Pottuvil Lagoon brings herds of elephants for bathing on a regular basis as well as buffalo, and the creeks are full to the brim with enormous crocs. Arugam Bay and Pottuvil are home to a diverse combination of ecosystems, from the thick jungle, wetlands and lagoons, to the coast, causing a mixing pot of some of the best wildlife we saw during our time in Sri Lanka. A truly wild gem.
Here are our two favourite spots for seeing elephants and crocs for free! We visited at least once everyday because we were so amazed:
The easiest way to get to these spot are by tuk tuk either your own or a taxi! Rent a tuk tuk here.
Arugam Bay Surf Spots Map
Arugam Bay Surf Breaks
Known as the surfing capital of Sri Lanka for a reason! Here are our favourite surf breaks in Arugam bay:
- Main Point: Intermediate to Advanced
- Baby Point: Beginners
- Pottuvil Point: All levels
- Elephant Rock: Beginners to Advanced
- Peanut Farm: All levels
- Whiskey Point: Beginners & Intermediate
Suggested Itineraries For Arugam Bay
3-day Arugam Bay Itinerary
If you’re just passing through, then three days is enough time to see the highlights.
- Day 1: Arrive and check into your accommodation. Explore the town and head down to Arugam Bay Beach where you can have your first look at the Sri Lankan surf. If you plan on surfing, you’ll most likely need to chat to a local surf shop to get some lessons or rent a board.
- Day 2: Surf! Straight into it on day two, either go on your lesson or hire a scooter/board. Alternatively, you could explore Elephant Rock’s Hike and Peanut Farm Beach which are next to each other.
- Day 3: On the last day of the three day Arugam Bay Itinerary, why not explore Pottuvil? Do the Lagoon Safari to spot elephants, crocs, monkeys and more. Then check out the Muhudu Maha Vihara if you’re into temples, and spend the afternoon with dinner on Whiskey Point Beach.
The three days itinerary is a whistle stop tour to Arugam Bay considering your first day is checking in and exploring the town. We recommend spending longer here, especially if you’re surfing.
7-day Arugam Bay Itinerary
- Day 3: More surf! Head to some of the best surf spots in Arugam Bay.
- Day 4: Mooch the local shops, try a local cooking class or just relax on the beach before heading down the beachfront for sunset cocktails.
- Day 5: If you loved the Lagoon Safari, then it might be worth checking out Kumana National Park, either DIY in your own tuktuk or via a jeep tour.
- Day 6: By this time, you’re settled into the relaxed Arugam Bay rhythm, hopefully enjoying the raw nature for free (Crocodile Watching Spot & Elephant Lagoon) and have been surfing. Do it some more and appreciate it, because we found places like this don’t always come around on your travels often.
Longer in Arugam Bay?
If you’re spending more time in Arugam Bay, then you’re most likely a surfer, digital nomad or both. We spent 10 days in this paradise town, we surfed Peanut Farm Beach and worked from the cafés most days.
Best Places To Stay In Arugam Bay
$ Budget
Jama’s Stay
A great option for budget backpackers is Jama’s Stay in the heart of Arugam Bay. For less than $10 a night, Jama’s will give you the perfect base to explore the town as it’s close to main point. It’s also a popular spot with travellers for their homemade rice & curry.
$$ Mid-Range
Upali Beach Surf Resort
Less than $20 a night and located literally on the corner of main point, if you stay here you’ll have a view of the waves from your own private beach hut. The huts are a short walk into town but the real beauty of this place is the two minute commute to the lineup! If you surf or not, this is one of the best places to stay in Arugam Bay.
$$$ High-End
Bay Vista Hotel
Bay Vista Hotel is a great choice for families or luxury couples looking to relax and escape from the chaos that Sri Lanka can sometimes be. The rooms are clean, fresh and comfortable. Located right on the beachfront so you can go for a dip every morning. Great food served in the restaurant and a great choice for a place to stay in Arugam Bay.
Spacing
Best Arugam Bay Restaurants
Read here for all of our recommendations on the best restaurants in Arugam Bay!
