Twenty-five days of wildlife and wild places
Negombo → Kalpitiya → Wilpattu → Sigiriya → Polonnaruwa → and 8 more
North-west
Kalpitiya
A long, windswept peninsula of lagoons and beaches on the west coast, known for kitesurfing and for spinner dolphins offshore.
- Time to spend
- 2 nights
- Best months
- November to April for dolphins and calm seas; May to October and December to February for wind.
- Getting around
- Your lodge will arrange tuk-tuks and boats. Public transport is limited.
- Good to know
- It is about three hours by road from the airport, so Kalpitiya works well at the start or end of a trip. Ask for a dolphin operator who keeps a respectful distance.
Kalpitiya is a narrow peninsula between the Puttalam Lagoon and the Indian Ocean, with fishing villages, salt pans, coconut groves and a small Dutch fort in the town.
From about May to October, and again from December to February, steady winds make the lagoon one of Asia's best-known kitesurfing spots, with schools and camps along the shore.
From roughly November to April, boats go out in the morning to see large pods of spinner dolphins, and the Bar Reef marine sanctuary lies offshore.
What to see and do
An early-morning boat trip to look for spinner dolphins, which are often seen in large pods off Kalpitiya in season. Sometimes whales too.
Per person, depending on group size and boat; a planning range.
Usually not running or closed: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sept.
Lessons and board hire on the flat, shallow lagoon at Kappalady and Kandakuliya, one of the most reliable kitesurfing spots in South Asia when the wind blows.
A beginner lesson; prices vary by school.
A small 17th-century Dutch fort of coral stone and the old Dutch church nearby. The fort is inside a navy camp, so access depends on permission on the day.
Inside a navy base; ask at the gate whether visits are allowed.
Also consider
Worth the trip if you have time. The planner leaves these out unless you add them.
Bar Reef snorkelling
A boat trip to the Bar Reef marine sanctuary, the largest coral reef in Sri Lankan waters, for snorkelling when the sea is calm.
Per person by boat, depending on group size.
Photos
Ready-made trips that include Kalpitiya
Use one as it is or open it in the planner and make it yours.
Two months around the island
Negombo → Kalpitiya → Wilpattu → Anuradhapura → Jaffna → and 21 more
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Ninety days: the whole island
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