Things to do in Dikwella, an honest list of twelve

Dikwella is a small market town on the south coast of Sri Lanka, and most of what there is to do here is slow: beaches, a surf bay, a temple, a blowhole and the sea turtles. Here are twelve things we would tell a friend to do, with a section for a day of rain.

On the beach and in the water

• 1. Spend a slow day at Turtle Beach. A calm round bay with a reef on the horizon. At Ohana there are sunbeds, hammocks, a cabana and two swings under the palms. There is no reason to rush.
• 2. Look for turtles with a mask. Wild sea turtles often feed on the reef in front of us. We lend masks free. Read how to swim with turtles first: never touch, chase or feed them.
• 3. Surf, or watch the surfers, at Hiriketiya. A small horseshoe bay about 2 km east of Dikwella town. The middle of the bay has a beach break where people learn. The reef break on one side is for surfers with experience. It is busy from December to March, so go early.
• 4. Walk Dikwella beach at sunset. The town beach is a long, wide curve of sand, good for a walk or a run when the light goes soft. It is not patrolled and the pull of the water can be strong in places, so ask someone local before you swim.

A short ride away

• 5. The Hummanaya blowhole. At Kudawella, about 5 km from Dikwella. The sea is pushed through a crack in the rock and shoots up, on a strong day 25 to 30 metres. It is strongest when the sea is rough, roughly May to September, and can be quiet in the calm months. There is a small entrance fee and a climb of steps to the platform.
• 6. Wewurukannala temple. About 1.5 km inland from town. A seated Buddha about 50 metres tall, and behind it rooms painted with the life of the Buddha and, in bright colours, what waits for those who behave badly. Cover shoulders and knees, and take your shoes off.
• 7. The Saturday market. Dikwella is a market town, and Saturday is market day, next to the beach. Go for the fruit and vegetables, and for a look at everyday life on this coast.
• 8. Blue Beach Island at Nilwella. A small island joined to the shore by a sandbar, about 15 minutes away by tuk-tuk. Check the tide before you go: at low tide you walk across dry. There is little shade in the middle of the day.
• 9. Mulkirigala rock temple. About 40 minutes inland. Cave temples with old paintings, built up the side of a rock about 200 metres high. There are around 500 steps, so go early or late in the day and carry water.
• 10. Turtles at night in Rekawa. Near Tangalle, a conservation project takes visitors to the beach from about 8 PM to watch turtles come ashore to nest. Red light only, and nothing is promised.

Slow things for body and mind

• 11. A yoga class by the ocean. The Ohana Shala is the open upper floor of our restaurant, facing the ocean. Regular classes cost 4,000 LKR: vinyasa, hatha, slow flow, yin. The shala is being reorganised, so the classes are on our shala page and the days on events.
• 12. A bonfire on the sand. On request, when there are enough people, we light one any evening as the sun goes down. Feet in the sand, a fire, and a moment to look back at the day and say thank you for it. Come as you are.

What can you do in Dikwella when it rains?

Rain on this coast often arrives hard and then passes, so first wait with a pot of tea. For a whole grey day, these work:

• Take a class or a workshop. Yoga does not need the sun, though our classes do not run in heavy rain. On some afternoons we hold the Ocean Treasures Workshop, where you make jewellery from shells, or the Mindful Painting Workshop. Each costs 5,000 LKR. See events for the dates.
• Learn to cook a curry. There are cooking classes around Dikwella, some with a walk through a spice garden. They take about three hours.
• Visit the temple. The painted rooms at Wewurukannala are under a roof.
• Have a long lunch. A grilled fish and a curry take the time they take. At Ohana the lounge, the upstairs terrace, which is the Ohana Shala, the bar and some tables in the garden are under a roof.

The blowhole is often stronger in rough weather, but the steps are wet then. Go carefully.

How many days do you need?

Two full days cover the beach, Hiriketiya, the temple and the blowhole without hurry. With four or five you can add Mulkirigala, Blue Beach Island and a night with the turtles in Rekawa, and still keep whole days for doing nothing. On this coast, doing nothing is on the list too.

Good to know

• Ohana is at Turtle Beach, Dikwella, less than five minutes by road from Hiriketiya.
• Breakfast is served from 08:00 to 11:00, lunch and dinner from 11:00 to 21:00. We are open every day, with no closing day.
• 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.
• Regular yoga classes cost 4,000 LKR and workshops 5,000 LKR. Their days are on our events page.
• Join any activity and you get 10% off the whole restaurant menu.