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Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka

Stay in Hikkaduwa: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of Hikkaduwa

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Hikkaduwa beach beauty
Hikkaduwa. Photo: Dinusha Chathuranga, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Hikkaduwa

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces SW (236°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (56°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.3 km out (1 in 127). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 28°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in April, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually December, with about 5 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Hikkaduwa, 0.9 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots.

Water about 28°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 29 h 55 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to Bandaranaike International Colombo Airport (CMB), changing at İstanbul Airport (IST). About 7 flights a week that month.

    See flights ORD → CMB · Skyscanner from about £800 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 2 h 35 from the airport to Hikkaduwa, 149 km.

    By bus: SLTB, SLTB expressway bus, Local bus. Time from the operators and travel guides, checked by hand.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in HikkaduwaAd

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

    Surf lessons in Hikkaduwa · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Hikkaduwa · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Hikkaduwa on Google Maps · Directions

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Forecast

The score for intermediates, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct604 ft8 ssoft209kJ30°C
Mon 19Oct534 ft9 ssoft242kJ29°C
Tue 20Oct465 ft10 ssoft501kJ29°C
Wed 21Oct455 ft10 ssoft411kJ28°C
Thu 22Oct444 ft8 smushy197kJ28°C
Fri 23Oct433 ft8 smushy123kJ29°C
Sat 24Oct604 ft13 ssoft458kJ29°C
Sun 25Oct474 ft12 ssoft413kJ28°C
Mon 26Oct564 ft9 ssoft281kJ28°C
Tue 27Oct383 ft8 smushy143kJ28°C
Wed 28Oct0––––

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for intermediate surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Fly ORD to CMB, changing at IST, then 2h 35 by road (or about 4h by bus, two changes). About 29h 55 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Owerkanda

    Best 08:30 to 11:30 local time: 5 ft at 10 s, wind 5 kn (8 km/h).

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Bennys

    Best 08:30 to 11:30 local time: 5 ft at 10 s, wind 2 kn (4 km/h).

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Owerkanda

    Best 11:30 to 14:30 local time: 4 ft at 9 s, wind 7 kn (13 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Owerkanda

    Best 08:30 to 11:30 local time: 3 ft at 8 s, wind 2 kn (3 km/h).

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Owerkanda

    Best 17:30 to 20:30 local time: 4 ft at 13 s, offshore wind.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly ORD to CMB, changing at IST, then 2h 35 by road (or about 4h by bus, two changes). About 29h 55 door to door

The plan picks the best of 6 spots near Hikkaduwa each day: Bennys, Coral Garden, Hikkaduwa, Local's Point, Main Point, Owerkanda.

The trip from Hikkaduwa, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,040–£2,080 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to CMB, estimated from distance and season, changing at IST, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£800–£1,660
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Hire car6 days, shared£30–£55
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£75–£125
Food7 days eating out£70–£125
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£30–£50
Total£1,040–£2,080

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Places to eat near Hikkaduwa

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

Where to stayAd

Places to stay · Booking.com

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.