• A haven nestled on the beaches of Kalpitiya

When Sri Lankans think of the sun and sea, our southern coast is most often what comes to mind. But Sri Lanka’s beautiful beaches aren’t confined to our south. We are an island, after all, and yes, we also have Trinco and Arugam Bay, but a few weeks ago, The Sunday Morning Brunch had the chance to explore an unsung hero – the beaches of Kalpitiya. 

Kalpitiya isn’t an altogether new Lankan destination, but it certainly is underrated. An hour past Puttalam (with a turn-off that can be missed if you’re not paying attention), Kalpitiya is, in a word, unspoiled. A small fishing village on the northwestern coast of Sri Lanka with huge expanses of beach and a group of small hotels – settling into Kalpitiya is an escape in every word. 

In the quiet calm of Kalpitiya, you find a bustling hive of energy with Kitesurfing Lanka. Kitesurfing – or kiteboarding as it is sometimes called – is an action sport that combines aspects of waterboarding, windsurfing, paragliding, and sailing into one extreme sport. Kitesurfing harnesses the power of the wind with a large controllable power kite that can be propelled across water, land, or snow. In Sri Lanka, kitesurfing takes place on water and is very popular in the locale of Kalpitiya as well as down south.

Kitesurfing as a sport

Kitesurfing Lanka is one of Sri Lanka’s first kitesurfing camps and schools and the first one to be set up in Kalpitiya. The warm water and tropical climate as well as flatwater lagoons, small islets, reefs, and sandbanks along the north of the peninsula (which is very rare), makes Kalpitiya one of the best places for kitesurfing. 

Kitesurfing Lanka was created by fellow kiters Dilsiri Welikala – Sri Lanka’s first local kite instructor – and Frenchman Léo Moret. 

Welikala is Sri Lanka’s first International Kiteboarding Organisation (IKO)-qualified instructor and is one of Sri Lanka’s most enthusiastic kiters. He is well known in Sri Lanka for his passion for all watersports. 

Welikala explained that he had first discovered kitesurfing in 2009 when he worked with the apparel industry (Sri Lanka happens to be one of the biggest manufacturers of kites for the export market) and saw foreign clients coming down to test these kites and setting up small kitesurfing camps. The very first of these camps was on the southern coast before they moved up to Kalpitya.

Having developed a passion for kitesurfing, Welikala, with his business partner and fellow kitesurfer Léo Moret, eventually decided to start an “epic” kiting company in Sri Lanka.

“Kitesurfing is an expensive sport, both to learn and practise,” Welikala shared with Brunch in a previous interview. “In many ways, it is the new golf. You get lots of CEOs and executives of a similar profile and spenders who are kitesurfing enthusiasts. They are people who are educated, affluent, and passionate and often end up being high-value tourism customers who spend a lot of time and money in Sri Lanka, thereby impacting local areas and communities as well. Kalpitiya has moved away from being a sleepy fishing village over the last eight to 10 years because of the interest and patronage of travellers like this.”

Kalpitiya sees two distinct kite seasons – the summer season which runs from May to October and the winter season from mid-December to mid-March. Both summer and winter are warm, dry, and windy, but the wind direction changes, which makes kitesurfing in Kalpitiya a unique experience year-round. Most of Kitesurfing Lanka’s kite trips in fact run year-round, with only a select few that are season dependent. 

The beauty of Kitesurfing Lanka

Kitesurfing Lanka is a rustic kitesurfing camp spread out by the Puttalam Lagoon and the beach.

The property spans 10 acres with a lagoon and beachfront access. It is lovingly maintained and there is something for everyone here. 

Kitesurfing Lanka offers several accommodation options – from premium bungalows (with AC) overlooking the beach and the lagoon, to garden view bungalows to double room villas, four-bedroom villas, and glamping tents.

Kitesurfing Lanka is also a kitesurfing school offering kitesurfing lessons of all persuasions – from beginner courses to advanced coaching, kite trips, a fitness centre through a partnership with The BNKR, and there is a kite shop and kite repair at the camp and also kite rentals. Outside of kitesurfing, the camp offers lots of free activities and services, as well as excursion opportunities for no-wind days and non-kiters, including activities like whale watching and dolphin watching. 

Brunch tried one of Kitesurfing Lanka’s premium bungalows, which overlooked the camp’s yoga centre. Comfortably appointed, the bungalows are spaciously distributed across the camp, giving each bungalow privacy and the chance to really soak in the calm environs. 

Kitesurfing Lanka also features a large dining room in the heart of the camp which offers a mix of Sri Lankan cuisine such as rice and curry, hoppers, and kottu as well as a range of Western dishes. There is free tea, coffee, and drinking water available around the clock.

Local fruits and vegetables from the village and fresh seafood brought in by the fishermen each morning form the heart of the menus the dining room offers each night, with the food offered being expertly made but still staying simple, healthy, and delicious. 

Kitesurfing Lanka also shows a great commitment to building positive impact – the camp almost exclusively employs people from the surrounding area, serving as a hub of employment and also engages heavily with local businesses in the area, from marine tour companies to diving schools and beyond to form a collaborative ecosystem around Kalpitiya. 

The camp also pays great attention to environmental impact, striving to minimise any adverse impact on the environment and encouraging its guests to recycle and use sustainable materials. The camp is constructed to be eco-friendly and incorporates little details into everyday life like refillable glass bottles in its rooms to foster more sustainable living. 

An escape for all seasons

One of the beautiful things about Kalpitiya is that it is a year-round destination, while there are seasons for some things – dolphin watching for instance is most fruitful from November to May, and whale watching season is most often December to April. 

Tourism in the area is growing, despite the many troubles Sri Lanka is currently dealing with. Welikala shared that this past season (December and thereabout) had seen consistent occupancy of 75%, with mainly European tourists looking to enjoy Kalpitiya’s untouched beaches and take advantage of the area’s unparalleled conditions for wind sports. There is something on offer for every kind of traveller, albeit in an understated and unspoiled way. 

Unspoiled is in fact one of the best ways to describe Kalpitiya. “Kalpitiya is rarely visited,” Welikala shared. “People think it is too far, but it is a place, unlike down south, where the people and the area have a different vibe, one that is more genuine and authentic and not spoiled by mass tourism. If the local market really wants to experience an area that has not seen the negative side of mass tourism, Kalpitiya is the place to visit – it is nicer and wilder, the buildings are rustic and low-impact and the sustainability aspect is much more prevalent.”