Things to Do in Southern Sri Lanka: 11 We Actually Did in 28 Days
I want to be straight about what this list is, because most of them are not.
This is only the things we did. Not a roundup of everything you can do in Sri Lanka, not places we saved and never got to. Eleven things across 28 nights on the south coast, every one of them somewhere we actually turned up.
That also means there are famous things missing. We never went inland, so there is no Ella, no Kandy and no hill country here. If that is what you came for, this is not your list.
The Best Things to Do in Southern Sri Lanka
If you only do three, make them the safari, Turtle Beach and sunrise at Coconut Tree Hill.
1. Go on Safari at Yala
The best thing we did in Sri Lanka and the only one I would call unmissable.
We stayed two nights at a tented camp on the edge of the park, which included two game drives. The first left before five in the morning. Across the two we saw elephants, a leopard asleep on a rock too far away to see its face, peacocks displaying, and a sloth bear, which our guide told us is one of the rarest sightings in the park.
The drive in is rough and our transfer driver played back to back elephant attack videos the entire way, which I could have done without. Worth it.
Two nights for two of us was A$900 including every meal. If that is too much, a half or full day safari with meals starts at around US$13 and it is the same park.
2. Swim With Wild Turtles at Turtle Beach, Talpe
This was the best single day I have had travelling, and I do not say that lightly.
From Hikkaduwa it is about a 45 minute scooter ride, past Galle, to a beach at Talpe, just along from Unawatuna. Green turtles come into the shallows to feed and they are completely relaxed about people. I could not believe how many there were or how clear the water was. I ended up flipping my phone upside down and putting the camera in the water, which turned out to be the best decision of the day.
Someone will probably try to sell you sea urchins on the way in. The turtles are free!
Where to eat after: Roy's Cafe is about two minutes further along on the scooter, right on the beach. There is a cafe dog, also called Roy, who put his head on my hip and stayed there for my entire lunch!
3. Watch Baby Turtles Hatch
You cannot plan this one, which is the whole point.
It happened to us twice. Once in Hikkaduwa, when word went round that they were releasing hatchlings and I sprinted down to the beach. And once at Turtle Beach, mid-lunch, when I put a very good burger down and walked away from it without thinking!
Watching something the size of your palm make its first run at the ocean is not something I was ready for. Their survival odds are grim and I have thought about it a lot since.
4. Sunrise at Coconut Tree Hill, Mirissa
Go at sunrise. Not sunset.
We did sunset first and it was heaving. We came back just before six the next morning, walked up the path in the half dark, and there were two other people there! The moon was still up and the fishermen were out on the beach below.
I am not going to tell you to skip sunset, because the sun goes down over the water and it is genuinely beautiful. But if you want the photo without a queue for it, set an alarm.
5. Learn to Surf
I had a few people message me asking whether the coastal towns here are good for beginners, and from everything we saw the answer is yes, almost everywhere.
Weligama is the obvious one. It is a big protected horseshoe bay with soft waves and lessons on every corner. Hiriketiya works for more levels at once, with a mellow inside and a left-hand point for people who know what they are doing. Hikkaduwa has proper surf too.
Daniel surfed most days. I mostly watched from the sand with a coffee, which I also recommend.
6. Hire a Moped and Ride the Coast
A$6.17 a day! We had one for thirteen days and it cost A$80.16 in total.
This is the thing that made the trip! Turtle Beach, Mirissa, Ahangama, every cafe we wanted, all of it opens up when you are not negotiating a tuk tuk each time. The coast road is genuinely lovely to ride.
You need a physical international driving licence, so sort that before you fly. And take cash out early, because you pay for the bike before you leave and the ATMs are unreliable. We learned that the hard way.
7. Go to a Jungle Party
We went to two, one in Weligama and one in Hiriketiya.
Hiriketiya was the better night, and it came down to the music. You could sing along, and there is nothing better than being at an event where you actually know the words!
8. Eat at a Rooftop in Ahangama
We had walked out of somewhere else that had almost nothing left on the menu, and ended up at Kai in Ahangama instead, which turned out much better. Rooftop, good pasta, and a location that does most of the work.
Every place we ate is in the southern Sri Lanka food guide.
9. Spend a Whole Day at a Beach Cafe
This sounds like filler and it is not. It is what this coast is actually for.
The setup is the same everywhere: chairs and tables directly on the sand, facing the water, and nobody minds how long you stay. Our favourite was Amaroo in Hikkaduwa, where we went so often over two weeks that the staff learned us, and brought out a birthday cake for Daniel that we had not asked for!
10. Watch the Fishermen Go Out at Sunset
Free, and it happens every evening.
The outrigger canoes go out as the light drops and you get these silhouettes against flat gold water. The sunsets on this coast are the first thing I mention when anyone asks about Sri Lanka.
11. Drive Through Galle
I am including this honestly rather than pretending it was a day out.
We rode through Galle on the way to Turtle Beach rather than stopping properly, and that is my mistake, not Galle's. The fort is the thing everyone tells you to see and we did not give it the time. If I were planning this again I would build a night in there.
Where to Stay for All of This
Everything on this list is reachable from three bases. These are the ones we would book, and there is a full breakdown in where to stay on the south coast.
Amaroo Hikkaduwa
Hikkaduwa. Our favourite cafe in Sri Lanka turned out to be somewhere you can sleep. On the beach, and set up for working.
Silvas Surf Home
Weligama. A surf town first, and staying somewhere set up for it makes the mornings much easier.
Big Game Yala by Eco Team
Yala. Tented rooms on the edge of the park, with two game drives and every meal included. Where we stayed.
What We Missed
Being straight about it, because these come up constantly.
- Ella and the hill country. Our biggest regret. Sri Lanka is more spread out than it looks and we never left the coast.
- The Kandy to Ella train. Did not do it, will not review it.
- Whale watching from Mirissa. It is a big draw here and we did not go.
- Sigiriya, Kandy, the cultural triangle, the east coast. All of it.
Still planning? Here is where to base yourself for all of it and the 14 night route.
FAQs About Things to Do in Southern Sri Lanka
What is the one thing you cannot skip?
The Yala safari. It is the only thing on this list I would rearrange a trip around.
Do you need to book the safari in advance?
We booked a two night camp that included both game drives. Day safaris are widely available and cheap, so you have options either way.
Where is Turtle Beach in Sri Lanka?
At Talpe, just past Galle and along from Unawatuna. Roy's Cafe is at Dalawella, two minutes further on. About 45 minutes on a scooter from Hikkaduwa.
Can you see turtles hatching in Sri Lanka?
We saw it twice in a month, both times by chance, both on the south coast. It is not something you can book.
Is the south coast good for non-surfers?
Yes. I barely surfed and never ran out of things to do. Sunsets, cafes, the safari, the turtles and the drive itself are the trip.
How many days do you need to do all this?
Two weeks on this coast covers everything on this list comfortably. Our itinerary sets out how I would split them.
Final Thoughts
The best things we did in southern Sri Lanka were mostly free and mostly unplanned. Turtles that were not on any itinerary, a sunset we stopped for, a beach cafe we never left.
The one thing worth planning properly is the safari, and the one thing worth buying is a moped. Everything else on this coast will find you!
Want your Sri Lanka itinerary planned in a couple of clicks?
Pick your towns, and it lays the days out from everywhere we actually went.
- Two lengths, five to seven days or the full fortnight
- Only places we actually went, never a generic list
- Every drive between the towns worked out for you
- Share it to your notes or send it to whoever you are travelling with
