Things to do in Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka

This article is based on my own experience living in Hikkaduwa (a small seaside resort town in Southern Sri Lanka) for over three months. The post covers the best things to do in Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka within a day (but hopefully you will have several days in this beautiful seaside town).

Keep reading because this article covers finding yourself a place to stay, surfing, cafes, working (for freelancers), partying, and more.

Getting around in Hikkaduwa

First, let’s see how you can get to Hikkaduwa.

It’s OK to just use tuk-tuks if you stay for a few days or weeks. In case you intend to stay for longer (for a month or a few), it’s best to rent a bike or scooter. You can do that for $100-120 per month. If you’d rather rent a bike, you may need to shell out something around $150-200 per month.

In case that’s just too much, you’ll be able to easily catch a tuk-tuk to give you a ride at any time. They are everywhere here. If you are interested, you can also rent a tuk-tuk and drive it around yourself. Fun, right? 

Surfing in Hikkaduwa

The South province of Sri Lanka is a mecca for novice surfers. You can both fine-tune your surfing skills if you’re not exactly a newbie as well. Long story short, Hikkaduwa surf comes in all shapes, forms and colors. Since it’s best to start surfing in the morning, you need to get ready for getting up in really wee hours. If that’s not exactly what you’ll looking to do on your vacation, you can just visit multiple cafes.

Cafes & Food in Hikkaduwa

There are tons of cafes on the Hikkaduwa ocean shore. Though you won’t find a super classy pub with a bartending school here, most pubs still cut the mustard. Plus, it’s not exactly what you come to Sri Lanka for, right? You want  to focus on the scenery and the grandeur of the ocean and beaches.

You can eat different types of dishes, which include prawns, fish, tropical fruits and vegetables, such as pineapple, mango, papaya, just to name a few. The prices are low enough, but you need to keep in mind that they add 10% of taxes to your bill in all cafes. That’s still very affordable, but you need to remember about it in case you like partying big time.

Food Market in Hikkaduwa

If you’re on a shoe-string budget or just want to save some money, you can visit the local farmer’s market and buy all sorts of ingredients for cooking your own meals. If you cook for yourself at least from time to time, you can save good money here. Before you do that, you want to make sure that your place has the required kitchen utensils. We’re talking about sauce pans, frying pans, etc. Otherwise you’ll have to buy it additionally as well.

Visiting the Hikkaduwa beach

If you’re into huge waves and hot Sun, Hikkaduwa is a great place for you. You’ll find what to do here no matter if you’re a big-time surfer or just a pensioner who finally decided to visit a tropical country. Since the sun can be really burning here (you’re close to the equator), using some sunscreen really hits home here.

Speaking of huge waves, they are really ginormous here and sometimes you want to stay away form getting in the water altogether. Things is, waves can get so huge and massive that they drift you along the shore pretty fast and you need to really make sure that your swimming skills are good enough before you take the plunge and swim in such conditions.

Turtle Beach Hikkaduwa

Turtle Beach is located in the part of Hikkaduwa where the turtles can usually be found swimming, which is directly in front of the Hikka Tranz by Cinnamon Hotel.

To get there, if you are at the main part of Hikkaduwa Beach, simply head left (when facing the ocean) until you hit a rocky divide and the Hikka Tranz.

Where to Party in Hikkaduwa

Though Hikkaduwa or Sri Lanka itself is not really that big in terms of partying, you still can find a few places to have fun at. In Hikkaduwa, you can visit a few places on the sea (or rather ocean) shore. Most of them close after 10 p.m, but some (like Funky da Bar) work late at night. You’ll be able to sip your fresh tropical drink or the local Lion beer and enjoy the awe-inspiring scenery.

In case you don’t want to just enjoy the ocean landscape but you’d rather party a bit harder, you have the option to visit the Vibration music bar that throws parties every Friday. Alternatively, you can drop by Blue Moon which is located right on the beach. You’re going to love it if you’re a big fan of dancing on the sand.

Freelancer & Digital Nomad Tips for Hikkaduwa

If you’re a seasoned freelancer who combines work and travel, you may have issues in Hikkaduwa (just like in the whole Sri Lanka in general). Thing is, there’s no real unlimited broadband connection. So you will have to constantly keep track of how much Internet you use on a daily basis. It’s still possible to work online, but you’ll need to take the factor into account.

Hotels & Accommodations 

If you did not bother booking accommodation beforehand, that’s no problem at all. That especially holds true if you come not around the New Year season because Hikkaduwa has a superfluous amount of accommodation options. You can just take a quick walk along the main street (or even adjacent ones for that matter) and you’ll see ads claiming free rooms availability before you know it.

Getting to Hikkaduwa

If you like everything authentic and you really want to see and feel how the locals get around in Sri Lanka, you most definitely want to take a regular bus. Though such buses move pretty fast and create some wind inside, you still want to make sure that your grab some cold beverage with you before you get on the bus because regular buses have no conditioners and your journey to Hikkaduwa can take up to 5 hours or so.

Alternatively, you can catch a luxury bus with a conditioner and toilet inside. The option works better for older folks and people who just can’t stand harsh conditions for a few hours. Also, it may be a good option if you’re really tired of your air flight to Colombo. In case it’s also not right up your alley, you may just take a taxi.

If you’re not a big fan of getting to know how the local people get around, but you just want to get to your destination, you may want to consider using a taxi, you can find them right when you go out of the airport in Colombo. It will cost you a bit more (around $50-60), but you’ll get to Hikkaduwa within 2-3 hours and with by a long shot more comfort.

Other than that, you may use the local railway to get from Colombo to Hikkaduwa for as low as $1. You just need to make sure that you buy a class one ticket. Plus, you need to be fast if you want to get a sitting spot in your carriage, because you can get a class one, but you may still have to stand all the way to Hikkaduwa.

How to Get to Hikkaduwa from Colombo

The quickest way to get from Colombo Airport (CMB) to Hikkaduwa is to taxi which costs Rs. 8000 – Rs. 9500 and takes 1h 45m. Another option to get from Colombo to Hikkaduwa is to take a train which takes 1h 30m and costs Rs. 260 – Rs.

Hikkaduwa Bottom Line

Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka is a great place for you if you want to surf and have some relaxed leisure time. You can easily find accommodation, find where to do some surfing, relax and have fun. Most people who come here find what to busy themselves with in accordance to their preferences. You can rest assured that you’ll be able to find something right up your alley. 

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