Sri Lanka in April!

[B'town surf]

Hi guys, i know there are a lot of threads about Sri Lanka, but i was wondering if any one could offer some clear advice! Where is the best place to go at the start of April?, me and my friend are starting are round the world trip there and plan to stay for a month before heading over to bali. We where thinking of starting at Hik's and moving down towards Mirissa after that, but some sites say its better to head more towards Arugam at this time of the year !!!

Any help would be mucho appreciated!!

Thanks all.

[MTPockets]

Hi mate,
I'm heading there next wk - know what you mean about conflicting info but overall from what I've read swest coast is best up to/inc march, then east coast from april - so guess best thing is start sw and head round to A-bay as your moods/conditions dictate.

I plan on just playing it by ear really - and maybe heading to bali too, depending on how things look really. Post me a msg nearer the time if you like and I'll tell you what I can see from the beach...

[B'town surf]

Hi mate, thanks for the reply! Me and my mate came to the same conclusion. Going to start at Hik's and just wing it from there. Imagine i will take you up on the offer and get in contact just before we leave. Sounds like you could being do that same as us, we are heading over to bali at the start of may for a couple of months too! Thanks again for the reply.

Have a good one!!!

[Paulw]

Hi,
Spent quite a bit of time in Sri Lanka. Ignor my spelling but from Sigaria Rock, Kandy then all the way down the coast and around to Arugum. If you are just going for surf. Then don't hang about head straight down to Hik. Midigama, Mirissa & Weligamma all great.
Found a couple of breaks around Bentota but nothing great. Didn't find alot from Dickwella round to Tangal and onto Yala either. Although it wasn't a complete right off. One or two dumpy waves for a bit of fun. Beautiful area though. Especially the Paradise Beach Cabanas at Tangal. Its a long crazy drive down to Hik from Colombo and its a huge drive round to Arugum. Cutting across can be done but for the short distance and diversions we made heading back during Poya to avoid main roads it just ain't worth it. Too slow and not always that accessable. What ever happends your gonna love the food, people and Three coins and Lion Beer.
If you need any more info give me a shout and I'll see what I can do. Best way as always to avoid any crowds is hit the spots early morning. You'll definately have a laugh in Hik and theres a nice enough place to stay at, I think Jai's or something similar near Welligama or Midigama. Always get the two mixed up. Anyhow I can root through the albums and pass on the info if you'd like.
Cheers & Have a Good one.
Paul

[B'town surf]

Hi mate, first off thanks for the reply, it's greatly appreciated! The more i hear the better it all sounds. Was just wondering what the best way to get around out there is, aka between Hik's and Midigama, Mirissa etc as we were not thinking of getting a car? A number of people have mentioned Midigama and Weligamma now so i am deffo going to check it out round there, how many brakes are there in that area? are they all reef brakes? and is it as cheap to live out there as i hear it is? (sorry for all the questions just getting excited now )

Thanks again for all the info.

Andy

[Paulw]

No worries for the info. I didn't drive there except for about 5 minutes in a tuc tuc. Great fun but when you drive it you think your going alot quicker than you really are.
I generally paid a tuc tuc to get from A to B if the distances weren't too big. But getting a driver and a car are easy enough. Make sure you agree a price first and let them know what time you want to head back from where ever they've taken you. On one short 2 week trip I used a tour operator to track down some nicer accommodation for the girlie and they were really helpful. Elephant Island. Its really easy to sort everything out for yourself though. Only reason I mentioned it, is because he gave me loads of advice of things to see in different areas. some info on surf and the most helpful thing was he organised a driver from the airport at a pre arranged price. Bonus was it was an aircon van which was great with the board bag. Met some guys struggling to get lift down to Hik with board bags so they jumped in the van which was great for cutting costs.
The place is real cheap as there isn't as many tourists as in previous years since Tsunami and the flare up of the civil war. So the currency is really weak. Its pretty sad for them but keeps things really cheap for them. Even though stuff for them is tough they are still appear to be very happy friendly people. Who will go to huge lengths to help you out.
Don't worry about asking more questions. Its brings back great memories.

[Paulw]

I took a couple of sraps which came in handy to put boards on rooves of vehicles.