Sri Lanka's hidden pearl
The few visitors in town can’t get over their surprise.
Having been told about the so-called “Rainy Season” in the East.
Instead, they found the best possible weather;
Mild, Sunny, Dry = Perfect !
It has not rained a single day this Year at Arugam Bay!
Eastern "Rainy" Season. 30/January 2012
It is in fact the best time of year to explore the Bay and its beautiful surroundings.
Do not forget to visit Kudumbi Gala Cave Monastery!
Hambantota - Panama - Arugam Bay. - Batticaloa?
New road and rail line to connect Sri Lanka’s Southern port city to surf city in East Dec 02, Colombo: The Sri Lankan government has decided to construct another expressway to connect the rising Southern port city of Hambantota to the popular surfing destination in the East coast, Arugam Bay. Hambantota district parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa has revealed in the parliament Friday that the government has taken a policy decision to build a direct expressway and a rail line parallel to the road. Situated to the 310 kilometers east of Colombo, Arugam Bay is a fishing village in the dry zone of Sri Lanka’s southeast coast. It is known as a popular surfing and tourist destination for its best surf. The government is developing the Southern port city of Hambantota as a metropolis away from the capital Colombo. The second international airport currently under construction near Hambantota is expected to be operational by the end of 2012.
Progress. Unstoppable
source: http://www.colombopage.com/archive_11B/Dec03_1322852510CH.php
The Automobile Association Handbook (1935 !) advises:
AAC's Travelers guide to Ceylon. 76 Years ago.
“Arugam Bay: EP (=’Eastern Province’) . 68 miles from Batticaloa on the east coast road. This is a health resort for residents in the malarious inland areas, (such as the Moneragala planting district), with its fine sea front and facilities for sea-bathing; while there is good sport to be had in the vicinity.”
. I dedicate this article to the memory of my maternal grandfather Arumugam Thiyagarajah (1910-1982)
Rest Houses and Shooting Tips (circa 1935)
…… The villagers in remote Hulannuge close to Lahugala (famous for elephants roaming around at any time of the day) on the Moneragala-Pottuvil (-Arugam Bay) Road, were gathered for a rare pinkama. They were to participate in a pinnacle-laying ceremony of the newly-constructed chaitya……
The kotha being taken to the top of the chaitya
The remote village of Hulannuge turns into a hive of activity as villagers prepare for a rare pinkama, says D.C. Ranatunga who was present
As dusk fell they made their way to the village temple in their numbers. A festive mood prevailed. Little ones were attracted to the balloon sellers. The women were taking a close look at the posters on Buddhist themes. The men pulled out their wallets and parted with a few rupees for the cash collection. The names were announced over the sound system and merit offered. A ‘viridu’ singer with a ‘rabana’ in his hand recited verses fit for the occasion.
The villagers in remote Hulannuge close to Lahugala (famous for elephants roaming around at any time of the day) on the Moneragala-Pottuvil Road, were gathered for a rare pinkama. They were to participate in a pinnacle-laying ceremony of the newly-constructed chaitya.
The pinnacle atop the gleaming white chaitya
In the rocky terrain, the hilltop was an ideal site for the chaitya which could be spotted from a distance. It was years of hard labour. Transporting bricks, cement, sand and other building materials was no easy task. It was the shramadana effort of the illagers, the generosity of a few businessmen and well-wishers and above all the determination of Kurundugolle Saarananda Thera that saw the project through. Continue reading ‘To the cries of sadhu, sadhu a pinnacle is placed’
The first pilgrims of the traditional, annual “Walk on Foot” (‘Pada Yatra’) from Jaffna in the very North all the way to Kataragama in the deep South of our island have reached Arugam Bay today. As always, this colorful, happy, cheerful and peaceful event is mentioned on arugam.info.
2011 walk / photo by padayata.org
Here are a few impressions from Arugam Bay:
Information taken from the web site of the organizers:
The traditional two month long Pada Yatra or foot pilgrimage from Jaffna to Kataragama annually in May-June-July is neither a peace march nor a political rally, but a traditional procession of village devotees who represent the rural voice of Sri Lanka.
The Pada Yatra tradition is an essential part of Lanka’s multi-cultural ethos. The Yatra begins with pilgrims moving from one sacred site to another, with their numbers growing as the Yatra progresses.
more details:
- Land of the Lotus Eaters
Arugam Bay is the amalgamation of the Tamil word for six – Aru and the Sinhala word for village – gam. Juliet Coombe discovered the area has a lot more on offer than surf, sand and sea, when travelling with 2nd Partner – a tour company with a difference.
Arugam Bay is a long way from everything, and in the early years when there was no bridge to the area, this was part of the attraction to the ‘real’ adventure traveller, who discovered this spot of the island in the 1970s. Known for its love gurus, nude bathing and nirvana lifestyle it fast became the spot to surf the waves by day, and the area by night looking for fun times. However, today, this ‘Shangri la,’ tipped to be the next best thing is a rather sad strip of hotels and restaurants that makes Hikkaduwa in comparison look like the South of France. The food is at best terrible, and the only place worth hanging out in is Siam, according to the first film crew, SBS from Australia who have just been filming My Sri Lanka with world famous chef Peter Kurivitas. They are the first crew to go through the area in 30 years and only Siam was worth eating at, where a dude called DJ Nihal calls the shots and the food is the best on the strip. Not really on the surface worth an eight to 10 hour trip from Colombo depending on the weather and traffic conditions.
However step out of this artificial boomtown and discover amazing places like Kudumbigala Monastery (11 miles from Panama), which is the only cylindrical stupa in Sri Lanka. Surrounded by 200 caves in the area that used to be used by monks, they have paintings older than the ones of the girls painted on the Sigriya rock Fortress palace. Appu Hami, a 64-year-old village elder, held in high esteem and the best jungle guide in the area comes from Panama, which dates back as a settlement to 1818. His face is a gnarled as the trees from the jungle, eyes as sharp as a hawk’s, and has a lifetime of stories to tell.
Appu Hami – a legend
in Arugam Bay Appu Hami advocates that before any trek you should eat well from the local indigenous vegetables which include seven different types of yams and two types of Lotus plants which are pulled by the roots from the lakes, famed for their beautiful water lilies. Lotus eating is good for the heart, blood sugar (diabetes) and other things that he says, brings a sparkle to one’s eyes. It seems women also mix the lotus seeds together and make facial scrubs and the pulled up flowers are used as offerings at the Buddhist temples.
The lakes have always been fished in and this is how the people of the Bay discovered the benefits of the Lotus. Until the 1960s no money exchanged hands, and the community-bartered goods instead, and everyone was much better off. The average wages were only Continue reading ‘Arugam Bay and beyond’
Another great photo travel report by Lakdasun.
With the reopening of the Kumana national park early this year it had been on our priority list for quite some time and finally we managed to make that dream come true. The camp sites were booked more than three months in advance as there is no other accommodation south of Arugam Bay. Wildlife department is trying to rebuild the destroyed circuit bungalows and hopefully we will get to use them before long.
Having never been to the east coast before, we wanted to have a glimpse of the rising sun from the east coast and planned the trip so that we will be at Pottuvil by sunrise. So we left Colombo late night at 10.30PM and drove through the night Continue reading ‘Exporing Arugam, Kumana and beyond’
If so, you may instantly recognize the name Arugam Bay. Even if you are not, you may be interested to learn more about this popular tourist attraction.
Arugam Bay is a sleepy little hamlet 320 km due east of Colombo, Sri Lanka’s capital city and is ranked among the top ten surf destinations in the world. In this article I am going to tell you 5 good reasons you should make a visit to Arugam Bay.
Arugam Bay is not your typical surf destination with modern facilities. It is more a community based destination, where little guest houses and the odd star rated hotel lie side by side. This does not make it any less attractive to regular visitors who make repeat visits every year. Although this destination was devastated by the 2004 tsunami and the conflict, the enterprising community of Arugam Bay have brought the destination back to its old glory.
Much improved roads, which have reduced travel times by almost an hour and a half and the return of peace has made Arugam Bay a destination you should not miss visiting.+
Here are the top 5 reasons to visit Arugam Bay:
10 Surf Spots. Ideal for beginners. And professionals
Romantic Bungalows. To suit all budgets. Here is one of "Hideaways" best
Truly Free & Wild Elephants. Right next to the road. No fence!
A shephard cowboy in the Panama dunes or the Wild East
Ancient Temples and shrines. Adore the area all around Arugam Bay
The attractions of Arugam Bay are so, numerous and cater to visitors with different interests. It is just amazing that so many attractions should lie so close together. Coupled with the extremely friendly service by the villagers who run the facilities, I would strongly recommend that you visit here especially if you are on a tight budget.
A typical winter in Arugam Bay
http://ezinearticles.com/?Arugambay—5-Reasons-To-Visit-Arugambay-Surfers-Paradise&id=5523244
(3)And Arugam Bay? Sri Lanka’s number One (Surf & Wild Life) destination !
MagicSeaweed.com (file photo)
Germany also has relaxed travel advisories to German nationals visiting Sri Lanka.
The German Embassy said that a long standing travel advisory had been eased enabling German tourists to visit Yala National Park and Arugam Bay.
“The Island of Sri Lanka is a small universe; it contains as many variations of culture, scenery, and climate as some countries a dozen times its size . . . I find it hard to believe that there is any country which scores so highly in all departments – which has so many advantages and so few disadvantages. Lovely beaches, beautiful landscapes, impressive ruins, a vibrant culture and charming people.”
Sir Arthur C Clarke
A brilliant trip report by Danushka of Lakdasun to Arugam Bay and nearby Kumana. Scoll down for some amazing photos!
It was a long weekend ahead of us, just 3 days left before it. We still haven’t had any clue on what to expect. One of my friends was repeatedly calling for Wilpattu, but I was disappointed after my last visit there. Wilpattu is yet to rehabilitate, that was my opinion. But since everyone was calling for it I joined them. At this point we received a bad news from Wilpattu, Bad but it was good for me 
it was raining there.
As soon as we got to know about this we checked on other available options. Yala is my favorite place on earth, but since it is a long weekend Yala must be crowded. We decide at least we should let those animals live in peace. The only option left was Kumana, The Yala East National Park which is famous for its birds and, none of us had ever been there. Even though it was the beginning of the bird migration season we decided to go there. After struggling a bit we managed to book a campsite and start our journey toward the birds paradise.
We started from Colombo around 9PM on Thursday. Continue reading ‘Kumana – The bird paradise’
We managed to resurrect our popular Facebook page “Arugam Surf”.
Which was knocked off the net exactly 2 months ago.
Please join, participate, submit YOUR photos, videos. Let’s make this page even more popular.
Please understand that we had to add additional security features to avoid access to our hacker ‘friends’ in future.
Sripala’ s Place is one of the most original and oldest establishment of Arugam Bay.
They are situated near famous Surf Point for many years.
Sripala & Family, at Arugam Bay
Arugam.info has just been notified of a legal case to relocate them.
As soon as we receive confirmation and further information, details will be published here.
For now, please send us your old memories so that we can add them to our “Old Arugam” section. To document the Bay’s history.
Send them to: arugam.info@gmail.com
And all will be published here:
http://www.arugam.info/old-arugam/
Over the last weekend I visited the Eastern Province with a group of friends. Having left Colombo at 4.00 in the morning, after almost a seven hour journey, we reached our destination; Arugam Bay.
"Arugam Bay"
By Kanchana Ratwatte
The closest access to this much sought-after surfing beach of Sri Lanka is via Ratnapura, Uda Walawe, Wellawaya, Monaragala, Siyambalanduwa and Pottuvil. While on the way, passing Uda Walawe and Lahugala, we did see quite a few elephants. The road network as in the case of all main roads in the Eastern Province, was well laid out with a new carpet and the drive was one great experience.
As we entered the bustling township, the first observation was the number of tourists that had gathered for the internationally publicized surfing festival which had concluded the previous weekend. Continue reading ‘Kebilitta, Arugam Bay And Kumana’
Buddhist monks and people of the area staged a protest today (Aug 02) against the recent destruction of several buildings of Samabodhi Vihara in Arugam Bay.
Protest on the PottuVille side of Arugam Bay bridge
A certain group, aided by Pottuvil Police, had reportedly used bulldozers and razed the buildings 10 days ago, alleges chief incumbent Ven. Sivurumulle Dhammasiri Thera.
Meeting the protestors this morning, DIG R.M. Weerasuriya promised to apprehend the culprits within three days and to renovate the destroyed buildings. Continue reading ‘Protest against destruction at Arugam Bay temple’
Daily News. by Philip Fernando
Underpinning the tourist revival is the fact that Sri Lanka is emerging a popular destination for many seeking to fill their leisure amidst the country’s idyllic setting. The laid-back and the debonair are being increasingly lured to our shores as an assured place for respite or revelry.
Golden beaches and tropical climate, main tourist attractions. File photo
More importantly, the country’s stunning diversity embodying cultural sites, historical treasures, the sun-drenched beaches and trendy urbane hotels promises it to be a captivating destination.
It is also a fact that professionalism inherently linked to tourism, the new tier in social networking had been well-articulated by Sri Lankans practising this trade. Its vexing demands are met quite competently by thousands who are in it for good.
Sri Lankans seemed quite adept at it now. The long drought brought on by the terror war did not dim their hopes. Continue reading ‘Travel industry poised for a spirited upsurge’
Arugambay:
In July, every year, pilgrims walk tru Arugam Bay on their way to Kataragama
With the end of the war, bigger crowds have joined the annual Pada Yatra, says Patrick Harrigan
 Many pilgrims walk through the Surfer's resort of Arugam Bay Earnest devotees of Kataragama by the thousands—hailing from all communities but especially Tamil Hindus—are now undertaking the annual Pâda Yâtrâ or foot pilgrimage through Yala National Park to Kataragama for this month’s Esala festival that started on July 12.  Just passing out of Arugam Bay With decades of fear and uncertainty swept away, this year more devotees are walking than at any time in living memory, possibly even more than in 2004 when Wildlife Department officials counted over 30,000 pilgrims entering Yala East National Park on the final 70-kilometre stretch from Okanda to Kataragama.  A totally unspoiled Countryside lies ahead. Arugam Bay to Kataragama |
The first waves of pilgrims all up and down the east coast have already arrived to Okanda Murugan Kovil in Yala East where tens of thousands are pausing to rest and worship before entering Yala Strict Natural Reserve on the long jungle trek to Kataragama.
The Kataragama Pâda Yâtrâ traditionally starts from points in the Jaffna peninsula like Nallur and Selva Sannidhi Murugan kovils, from where the pilgrimage may take up to two months to reach Kataragama. This year for the first time since 2005, a few souls are walking the full distance, joined along the way by a few more from Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, and Trincomalee districts. Continue reading ‘Walking that walk’
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