Thalpe, Sri Lanka

No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Unawatuna, 4 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: KCT (KCT), 5 km.

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About Thalpe

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

The spot faces S (197°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (17°). 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 steeply: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 19). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. 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 months are usually February and December, with about 6 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Unawatuna, 4 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: KCT (KCT), 5 km. Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots and 3 dive sites.

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 31 h 05 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to KCT, changing at Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Bandaranaike International Colombo Airport (CMB).
See flights ORD → KCT · Skyscanner from about £805 returnAd
Getting there. 30 min from the airport to Thalpe.
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Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Unawatuna, 4 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: KCT (KCT), 5 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Thalpe · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in Thalpe · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Thalpe on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

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Forecast

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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Thalpe, each day
Day	Score for intermediates	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Sun 18Oct	61, good	4 ft8 scrumbling	195kJ	wind from the north-north-west, 4 knots, offshore	30°C
Mon 19Oct	54, good	4 ft10 shollow	366kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 3 knots	28°C
Tue 20Oct	52, good	5 ft11 shollow	582kJ	wind from the north-north-west, 3 knots, offshore	29°C
Wed 21Oct	47, fair	5 ft9 scrumbling	364kJ	wind from the west, 4 knots	28°C
Thu 22Oct	57, good	4 ft9 scrumbling	251kJ	wind from the west-north-west, 1 knot	28°C
Fri 23Oct	47, fair	3 ft8 smushy	124kJ	wind from the north, 3 knots, offshore	29°C
Sat 24Oct	58, good	4 ft13 shollow	466kJ	wind from the west, 6 knots	29°C
Sun 25Oct	53, good	4 ft12 shollow	431kJ	wind from the west, 5 knots	28°C
Mon 26Oct	51, good	4 ft10 shollow	285kJ	wind from the west, 6 knots	28°C
Tue 27Oct	55, good	4 ft8 scrumbling	154kJ	wind from the west-north-west, 5 knots	27°C
Wed 28Oct	0, poor	–	–	–	–

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

Mon 19 Oct
Travel out
Fly ORD to KCT, changing at DXB and CMB, then 30 min by road. About 31h 05 door to door
Tue 20 Oct
Surf Thalpe
Best 08:30 to 11:30 local time: 5 ft at 11 s, offshore wind.
Wed 21 Oct
Surf Thalpe
Best 17:30 to 20:30 local time: 5 ft at 9 s, wind 4 kn (7 km/h).
Thu 22 Oct
Surf Thalpe
Best 08:30 to 11:30 local time: 4 ft at 9 s, wind 1 kn (2 km/h).
Fri 23 Oct
Surf Thalpe
Best 08:30 to 11:30 local time: 3 ft at 8 s, offshore wind.
Sat 24 Oct
Surf Thalpe
Best 17:30 to 20:30 local time: 4 ft at 13 s, wind 6 kn (11 km/h).
Sun 25 Oct
Travel home
Fly ORD to KCT, changing at DXB and CMB, then 30 min by road. About 31h 05 door to door

Rough cost

About £955–£1,940 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book. No town nearby, so no stay is in it.

Rough cost per person for this trip
What	How we worked it out	Each
Flights	return ORD to KCT, estimated from distance and season, changing at DXB and CMB, full-service airlines, with a hold bag	£805–£1,675
To the UK airport	parking or the train, there and back	£35–£65
Taxi	airport and back, shared	£15–£25
Food	7 days eating out	£70–£125
Board and wetsuit	5 days, or about £85 to fly your own	£30–£50
Total		£955–£1,940

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

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Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

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