Sri Lanka: Trincomalee > Arugam Bay

Mar 26-30 2025 |

Sectors 3 & 4 of my Sri Lanka journey, this was 2 rides with an overnight stay in Batacallao. Arugam Bay and nearby Kumana National Park were both superb - it's easy to see why Arugam is a rising destination on the world stage, not just for surfers (or Israelis).

While it is only a 5 hour ride from Trinco to Arugam, there was no way I could do that long on the uncomfortable Aprilla scooter, so the plan was to break up the trip and check out Batticaloa. I started the day with 2 dives with Blue Water Sports in Trinco, then rode to Batticaloa starting at noon. Overall it was a fairly boring 3-hour ride, parallel to the coast, which was obscured by trees most of the way.

I was surprised by the predominance of Islam in this region, Sri Lankan "Moors" sporting beards and hijabs (the area has also been a hotbed of fundamentalist terrorism that ricked the country in recent years, but I'll leave that subject to the experts). North of Batticaloa there's a popular tourist area, but I rode by it unaware - you may want to check it out if you are riding the same route. I arrived in Batticaloa around 4 pm, checked in at the decent RaoBaa Guesthouse, had a quick look around town and called it a day. Batticaloa looked like an interesting place, but not exactly tourist central.

The next morning, after a sublime south Indian breakfast at Seven Star Restauarant, a place that has probably never had a western tourist on premise, I did the quick 2-hour ride to Arugam (I keep misspelling it - "Arugasm"...).

There was nothing eventful along the way. This road runs along a strip of land that has ocean on one side (trees again mostly) and lagoon on the other). In the final stage, after riding through the grungy town of Potuvil, you get a nice view of the Arugam shore on one side and a large lagoon on the other.

I stayed 3 nights in Arugam. I was one of the very few tourists around, as it was the tail end of low season. I didn't do much there, aside from relax at my accommodation, the sublime Arne's Place.

I did manage to walk down around the point to the surfing beach (though there was no surf). A nice stroll.

Fishing is the traditional industry here and supplies look to be in decent shape. I watched some fisherman off-load their catch, including a 43 kg Giant Trevally. One type of traditional boat they use is unique, only about a foot wide and looks so uncomfortable to sit in.

The highlight of my stay was a "self-safari" to Kumana Park. Look for a separate post about that ride.

Being a surfer hotspot, Arugam has some great food options. Pizza Hub, Old Fisherman for local breakfast, and especially the fish dinner at Serendib - all awesome

Final take: I really enjoyed my stay, Arugam is one of those places that is not yet over-developed. It will be interesting to see what it looks like in 10 years.