How to get to Dikwella, from the airport and the coast

The quickest way to Dikwella is by car on the Southern Expressway: about three to three and a half hours from Colombo airport. Trains and buses cost far less and take longer, and both end with a short tuk-tuk ride.

Timetables and fares in Sri Lanka change often. The times below are ranges taken from recent travel guides and route planners, and we give no fares for that reason. Check on the day.

From Colombo airport

The airport is at Katunayake, north of Colombo, about 200 km from Dikwella by road.

• By car. A private transfer takes about three to three and a half hours, most of it on the expressway. Ask when you book whether the expressway tolls are included. This is the choice for families, for a late arrival, and after a long flight.
• By bus. An air-conditioned airport bus runs to Colombo, and from there you continue south as described below. Some booking sites also list expressway buses from Katunayake directly to Matara, in about two and a half hours. We could not confirm their timetable, so ask at the airport before you count on one.

If you land in the evening, a night near the airport or in Colombo and a fresh start in the morning is kinder than arriving on the coast at midnight.

From Colombo

By train. The coastal line from Colombo Fort follows the shore south, through Galle. Trains reach Matara in about two and a half to three hours. Since 2019 the line goes on towards Beliatta, and the small station of Wewurukannala is the nearest to Dikwella, about ten minutes away by tuk-tuk. A recent guide counts four or five direct trains a day from Colombo Fort to Wewurukannala, taking from about three hours forty minutes to nearly five hours. Another guide finds that station's timetable irregular and prefers Matara, where buses and taxis are always waiting. Look at the day's timetable and choose.

By expressway bus. Buses to Matara leave from the Makumbura transport centre at Kottawa, on the edge of Colombo, and take about one and three quarter hours on the expressway. Reaching Makumbura from the centre of Colombo can take 40 minutes to an hour. Buses from the centre of the city take longer, around two and a half to three and a half hours.

The last stretch from Matara. Dikwella is about 22 km east of Matara. A local bus takes about 45 minutes to an hour. A taxi to us at Turtle Beach, on the Matara side of the town, takes 18 to 25 minutes. The bus station in Matara is about 1.5 km from the railway station.

By car from Colombo, allow about two and a half to three hours.

From Galle, Mirissa and Weligama

From Galle:

• By car: about an hour to an hour and a quarter.
• By train: take a train going east, to Matara or, when the timetable fits, to Wewurukannala. Then a bus or a tuk-tuk.
• By bus: along the coast road, changing at Matara if the bus ends there.

From Mirissa and Weligama, the easy ones:

• From Mirissa: about 35 to 50 minutes by car.
• From Weligama: about 45 minutes to an hour by car.
• By bus: take any bus east to Matara, then one that goes on towards Tangalle, and ask the conductor for Dikwella.
• By train: from Weligama station east to Wewurukannala, if there is a train at the right hour.

Many visitors come for the day. We wrote that day out in a day trip to Dikwella.

From Ella, the hills and Tangalle

There is no railway between the hill country and this coast, so this is a road journey.

• By car: about three hours, and it is wise to allow three to four.
• With a safari on the way. Some drivers and shuttle services break the journey at Udawalawe or Yala, with a safari in the middle. It turns a transfer into one of the days of the trip.
• By bus: possible, but the route planners we looked at send you through Colombo and count most of a day. If you want to go by bus, ask at your guesthouse in Ella whether a more direct bus runs towards Matara or Tangalle that week.

From Udawalawe itself, allow about two hours by car. From Yala, two to three.

Tangalle is the next town to the east: 18 to 25 minutes to us by road. Buses along the coast road towards Matara pass through Dikwella.

The last few minutes, to Turtle Beach

Ohana is at Turtle Beach, on the west side of Dikwella, less than five minutes by road from Hiriketiya.

• From Wewurukannala station or the Dikwella bus stand: take a tuk-tuk, and agree on the fare before you get in.
• If your driver is unsure: say "Ohana, Turtle Beach, Batheegama", or show the pin on our Find us page.
• With a car or a scooter: our own car park is in front of the restaurant's entrance, and it is free.
• From a hotel nearby: we can send a tuk-tuk, for 300 to 1,500 LKR depending on the distance. Write to us on WhatsApp at +94 76 016 4768.

Which way should you choose?

• You are tired, or you travel with children or parents: a car, door to door.
• You have time and like to look out of a window: the train to Matara.
• You travel light and count your rupees: the expressway bus, then the local bus.

Once you are here, almost everything is a few minutes apart. See getting around Hiriketiya and Dikwella, and the rest of 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.
• Arriving hungry is a good plan: the kitchen cooks to order, and filtered water is on the house.
• 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.