SRI LANKA

Memories that
last forever

Home to
five of the
world’s seven
sea turtle
species

Sri Lanka’s south coast brings together warm Indian Ocean water, palm-fringed beaches and a long history. Students are based in a private surf house in Ahangama, 200 metres from Kabalana Beach, with Galle Fort and Udawalawe National Park within reach. The week combines surfing with wildlife, conservation and culture, and students come home having learnt to surf in warm water, watched wild elephants from a jeep and walked the ramparts of a 17th-century fort.

WHY CHOOSE SRI LANKA

Jeep safari
in Udawalawe

Galle Fort and
the south coast

Private surf house
200m from the beach

Warm water
all year

Trips from
October to June

Wildlife, jungle and culture

The days away from the beach are the reason to choose Sri Lanka. A guided jeep safari in Udawalawe National Park brings students within sight of wild elephants, water buffalo, crocodiles and spotted deer. Galle Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a walk through Portuguese, Dutch and British history on the ramparts above the ocean. A rainforest hike in Sinharaja and a two-night Ella extension, with tea plantations, the Nine Arch Bridge and a Sri Lankan cooking class, can be added.

A PRIVATE SURF HOUSE BY THE BEACH

Students stay in a private surf house in Ahangama, set in tropical gardens 200 metres from Kabalana Beach and reserved for the school group. Rooms are twins and dorms, each with air conditioning and a private bathroom, and the house has a swimming pool, shaded seating, a film room, games and a rooftop terrace, so the evenings have somewhere to happen.

Surf, culture and adventure

Most mornings are surf lessons in warm water, with the afternoons given to yoga, beach games, a beach clean with a conservation project in Ahangama, Galle Fort or the safari. Beyond the surfing, students develop confidence, teamwork and independence through ocean education, conservation and time in a country very different from home.

SURFING IN SRI LANKA

Warm-water surfing

The south coast surfs from October to June, with the most settled conditions and dry, sunny weather between November and April. The water is warm all year, so students surf in rash vests rather than wetsuits, and Weligama Bay, a long sandy beach with gentle waves, is where beginners learn.

Waves for all abilities

Beginners learn in the whitewater at Weligama Bay, and students who already surf are taken by van to breaks around Ahangama that suit their level that day. Students also learn surf etiquette, what the beach flags mean and how to read the water, which is the part of the week that stays with them.

Surf coaching

Experienced local instructors coach in small groups, from catching a first wave to improving turns and wave selection. Surfboards, leashes and rash vests are provided and matched to each student’s height and ability, and private vans take the group to the best spot for the day. Qualified instructors are in the water for every session, with locations chosen each morning for the conditions and the group.

ACCOMMODATION:
PRIVATE SURF VILLA

The surf house in Ahangama takes up to 38 students and four staff, 200 metres from Kabalana Beach. Rooms are ensuite twins and dorms with air conditioning, and the house has a swimming pool, a film room, social spaces and a rooftop terrace, all inside its own tropical gardens. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are cooked on site, Sri Lankan dishes alongside familiar Western ones, with dinners out in Ahangama and Weligama during the week.

Schools Go Surfing went above and beyond what was expected to ensure had the best time, and we absolutely did.

CORFE HILLS SCHOOL

WHAT TO EXPECT

YOUR GROUP ONLY

The surf house is reserved for the school group, with our Trip Leader staying on site throughout. It has been audited for health and safety, and the layout, with the rooms, pool and social spaces inside one garden, makes supervision simple.

EDUCATIONAL EXCURSIONS

The programme includes a guided jeep safari in Udawalawe National Park, where elephants roam freely, and a visit to Galle Fort. Whale watching from Mirissa can be added between November and April, with the chance of seeing a blue whale, the largest animal on Earth; boat trips depend on the sea and sightings cannot be promised. A guided hike in the Sinharaja rainforest and a two-night extension to Ella, with tea country, Little Adam’s Peak and the Nine Arch Bridge, can also be arranged.

BEYOND THE SURF

Between surf sessions there are beach volleyball, rounders and team games on the sand, a surf theory and ocean awareness session, and a hands-on beach clean with a conservation project in Ahangama, where students learn about marine litter and the pressures on coastal communities. Evenings are games, quizzes, film nights and an open mic night at the surf house, with sunset dinners at restaurants in Ahangama and Weligama.

FOOD & DRINK

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are freshly cooked at the surf house, with Sri Lankan curries, rice and hoppers alongside familiar Western dishes, so there is always something for every student. Several evenings are spent at restaurants in Ahangama and Weligama. Dietary requirements are catered for once the school has sent them to us.

YOGA CLASSES

Two yoga sessions are included during the week, held at the surf house’s outdoor shala or on the beach. They are built for surfers rather than yogis: flexibility, balance and recovery, and a quiet half hour for the group between active days in the water.

WHAT’S INCLUDED

The price covers the flights, transfers and everything from the moment the group lands: the surf house, meals, surfing, yoga, the safari, Galle and the evenings. Free staff places at one to eight, a dedicated Trip Leader, full financial protection and travel insurance are included as standard.

Find out more

health and safety

We write a risk assessment for every destination and a health and safety audit for everywhere we stay. Before the trip the organiser receives a travel pack with both, so the school’s own paperwork, and the questions from parents, are covered.