Sri Lanka Surf Camp

You reserve your spot for free and pay nothing to join. Reservations close 7 days before departure. Once enough travellers have signed on, usually around 10, we confirm the departure and email you a confirmation with an invoice for the full trip price, which you pay by card or bank transfer within 7 days, in US dollars, pounds, euros, Australian dollars, Canadian dollars, New Zealand dollars or Indian rupees. The price shown for each date is what you pay.

Rooms are twin-share by default, paired with another traveller of the same gender. If you'd rather have a room to yourself, ask when you book and we'll tell you the extra cost for that departure.

Solo travellers aged 18 to 40. Most people book on their own, and a few come with a friend. You don't need any surf experience to join. Each departure's maximum group size is shown with its dates, and we won't run a departure below our minimum group size either. The surf school sets the size of each lesson group.

Your Trip Host travels with the group for all 8 days, handles every transfer and check-in, and is the person you go to if anything comes up. The surf lessons are taught by instructors from a local surf school. Sri Lanka has had a weekly fuel quota for vehicles since March 2026, and the government has made special arrangements for tour operators; our local agency arranges the van.

It starts at our guesthouse in Negombo on the afternoon of Day 1, and it ends in Hiriketiya on the morning of Day 8. Fly into and out of Colombo (CMB).

January to March, which is when our departures run. The south coast surfs roughly November to April, best from December to March. We don't run this trip from May to September, when the south-west monsoon brings rougher water and more wind, although Weligama's sheltered bay can still give gentle waves for beginners. The east coast around Arugam Bay is in season from about April or May to September, but this trip doesn't go there.

Yes, everyone needs a Sri Lanka ETA, but it's free for passports from 40 countries, including the UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and India, for a 30-day double-entry stay. Ireland isn't on the free list, and only 12 EU countries are. Other passports pay US$50 online. Apply at eta.gov.lk before you fly, and fill in the free online arrival card too. Our Sri Lanka visa guide has the full country list.

Weligama, which is why the coached lessons happen there: it's a long, gentle, sandy-bottomed beach break that suits complete beginners. Hiriketiya has a sandy beach break on one side of the bay that also suits beginners, and a faster reef break on the other side for people with more experience, so it works for practising once the lessons are done.

Surf-friendly guesthouses picked for location: near the beach in Negombo, an easy walk to the break in Weligama, and close to the bay in Hiriketiya. Four meals are included, and you buy the rest yourself. Sri Lankan food is naturally vegetarian-friendly and rice-and-curry meals can be made vegan, so tell us about dietary needs or allergies when you book. Our Sri Lanka cost guide has the 2026 daily budget.

Swimwear, reef-safe sunscreen, a rash vest if you have one (one is included for the lessons), a light change of clothes for the evenings, a refillable water bottle and something to cover shoulders and knees for the Galle Fort day trip. Boards are provided for the lessons. If you plan to surf a reef break, bring reef shoes.

Averagely fit and comfortable swimming in the sea. Surfing is tiring in a way that surprises a lot of first-timers, mostly from paddling, and there's no obligation to surf every free session. It also carries a real risk of injury: a bad fall on coral or rock at a reef break hurts more than one on sand. The FCDO says many Sri Lankan beaches have dangerous surf or rip tides at certain times of year, and not to count on a lifeguard. Ask the surf school or your Trip Host before you go in, and swim or surf where other people are in the water.

Yes, it's a condition of joining, and it must cover medical treatment and evacuation. Many policies cover surfing only as a listed activity or an add-on, so check that yours names it before you buy. Also read your own government's travel advice: as of 6 October 2026 the UK has no warning against travel to Sri Lanka and Canada advises a high degree of caution. Check the current US and Australian advice too.