Getting around Hiriketiya and Dikwella

Most people get around Hiriketiya and Dikwella by tuk-tuk, on foot or on a rented scooter. The bays are only a few kilometres apart, so nothing is far. The one rule to remember is to agree the fare before you get in.

How do tuk-tuks and their fares work?

A tuk-tuk, the three-wheeled taxi, is the everyday transport of this coast. You find them waiting in the centre of Dikwella and around Hiriketiya, and any reception desk will call one for you.

• Agree the price first. Say where you are going, ask the fare, and settle it before you sit down. The British government's travel advice says the same: agree a price before setting off, or use one with a working meter.
• Asking is normal. A fare offered to a visitor near a beach or a station is often higher than the local one. A friendly counter-offer is part of the conversation, not an insult. So is saying thank you and walking on.
• Carry small notes. Many drivers prefer cash, and small notes make it easy.
• Ask for the way back. For a beach or a temple outside town, ask the driver to wait or to return at an hour you name.

For a sense of scale: one 2026 guide gives 400 to 700 LKR for the short ride between Dikwella and Hiriketiya. Take that as a guide and not as a tariff. Prices change.

Do PickMe and Uber work here?

Sometimes, and you should not build a day on them.

PickMe is Sri Lanka's own ride app and the one that works most widely. Uber works mainly in Colombo and the larger towns. Outside the areas they cover, on small beaches and in villages, you arrange the ride with the driver in person. We could not confirm that either app finds a driver reliably in Dikwella or Hiriketiya, though travellers do report using them for longer rides along this coast.

So open the app and look. If a tuk-tuk appears, good. If not, the fare it shows is still a useful measure for the conversation at the roadside.

Can you rent a scooter, and which licence do you need?

Scooters can be rented around Hiriketiya, and for an experienced rider they make the bays, Mawella and Tangalle easy to reach. Three things are worth knowing first.

The licence. A licence from home is generally not enough by itself in Sri Lanka. Official advice has described two routes for visitors. One is an international driving permit together with a Sri Lankan recognition permit, issued by the Automobile Association of Ceylon in Colombo. The other is a temporary Sri Lankan licence from the Department of Motor Traffic, issued at its office in Werahera and, since August 2025, at a counter in the arrivals area of Colombo airport, for motorcycles and light vehicles. The rules and fees have changed more than once. Read the Department of Motor Traffic and your own government's travel advice, for example the British advice on road travel in Sri Lanka, and check before you travel.

Checks. A guide written this year reports that police check foreign riders' papers in the Southern Province.

Insurance. Many travel insurance policies do not cover scooters, or cover them only with the right licence. Read yours.

And an honest word about the road. The British travel advice calls driving in Sri Lanka erratic, says accidents are frequent, most of all at night, and describes riding a motorbike as especially dangerous. Buses on the coast road travel fast. If you have never ridden a scooter, this is not the place to learn. Wear a helmet, ride slowly, and leave the scooter at home after dark.

Can you walk, or take the bus?

You can walk between some places.

• Dikwella centre to Hiriketiya is a walk of 15 to 20 minutes.
• Inside Hiriketiya everything is on foot. The bay is small.
• Along Dikwella beach you can walk the whole arc on the sand, from the town to Pehebiya at its east end.

Walk early or late, out of the midday heat. On the road, keep well to the side, and carry a light after dark.

To come to us at Turtle Beach from Hiriketiya, the road takes less than five minutes by tuk-tuk. On foot it is 10 to 20 minutes from Hiriketiya, or along the beach from Dikwella.

Buses. Local buses run along the coast road between Matara and Tangalle, and they pass through Dikwella. They are very cheap. From Matara to Dikwella the bus takes about 45 minutes to an hour.

They are useful for a morning in Matara or Tangalle, and they are driven fast. Sit down if you can.

How far is everything?

• Dikwella town to Hiriketiya: about 2 km, around five minutes by tuk-tuk.
• Hiriketiya to Ohana at Turtle Beach: less than five minutes by road, 10 to 20 minutes on foot.
• Dikwella to Wewurukannala temple: about 1.5 km inland.
• Dikwella to Blue Beach Island, Nilwella: about 15 minutes by tuk-tuk.
• Dikwella to the Hummanaya blowhole: about 5 km, a drive of 10 to 15 minutes.
• Ohana to Tangalle: 18 to 25 minutes by road.
• Ohana to Matara: 18 to 25 minutes by road. Dikwella is about 22 km from Matara.
• Dikwella to Mulkirigala rock temple: about 40 minutes inland.

How do you come to Ohana?

Tell the driver "Ohana, Turtle Beach, Batheegama", on the west side of Dikwella. The pin is on our Find us page. If you stay at a hotel nearby, we can send a tuk-tuk for you, for 300 to 1,500 LKR depending on the distance: write to us on WhatsApp at +94 76 016 4768. If you come by car or scooter, our own car park is in front of the restaurant's entrance, and it is free.

For the journey to Dikwella itself, read how to get to Dikwella. For choosing a base, read where to stay near Dikwella. Everything else is in our Dikwella and Hiriketiya travel guide.

Good to know

• Ohana is at Turtle Beach, Dikwella, less than five minutes by road from Hiriketiya.
• We are open every day. Breakfast is served from 08:00 to 11:00, lunch and dinner from 11:00 to 21:00.
• Sunbeds are free for the whole day, one for each person, when each person spends 10,000 LKR on food and drinks; otherwise they cost 1,000 LKR an hour each. A towel comes with every sunbed.
• Prices are in LKR, plus a 10% service charge. Filtered water is on the house.