Written by Josh Band
Posted, 24th April 2024
Ready to find some fun things to do in Ahangama, Sri Lanka?
Then you’ve come to the right place as we are experts when it comes to travelling in Sri Lanka. We run group tours so we know all of the best spots – and trust us, Ahangama is one of our all-time faves.
Ahangama often gets skipped out on people’s itineraries as towns like Mirissa and Weligama are favoured, but Ahangama is so close that you can easily hop between all of the towns and get to see everything!
There are lots of great things to do in Ahangama and around the town we know all of the top spots that you should check out while staying there.
Things To Do In Ahangama
Ahangama and its neighbouring towns are packed with things to see and do, making it very difficult to ever get bored.
While the list is pretty much endless, here are 15 of the very best things to see and do while visiting Ahangama:
1. Relax on Ahangama Beach 🏖
The beaches on Sri Lanka’s southern coast are the best on the entire island and there are plenty of great spots for relaxing. There’s a reason that Sri Lanka is the new Bali.
Ahangama’s own beach (the appropriately named Ahangama Beach) is definitely worth a visit, especially if you like crystal clear waters and white sands, even if it is quite small.
Ahangama Beach is a great place for just lounging on the sand, taking a sea dip or just having a leisurely stroll through the rolling calm waves. Beaches in Sri Lanka are generally safe to swim in – just watch out for jellyfish.
It’s also one of the best places in the town to watch the amazing sunsets on the horizon. Nothing beats a sunset by the beach if you ask us!
2. Learn to Surf in Weligama 🏄♂️
There is a huge and vibrant surf culture on the southern coast of Sri Lanka and Weligama is where most surfers flock to test out the waves.
Ahangama to Weligama is just a short 20-minute ride in a tuk-tuk (our favourite way of travelling).
Whether you’re a beginner, intermediate or complete expert, there are lots of amazing surf spots along the coast at Weligama.
Make sure to also check out some of the great surf shops and shoreline restaurants serving up some amazing dishes – the meal after surfing is usually just as fun as surfing itself.
As part of our group tours, we learn to surf in Weligama, so that shows you how much we love surfing here.
3. Visit Coconut Tree Hill in Mirissa 🥥
Coconut Tree Hill is a popular tourist spot near Ahangama and is only a short drive away. It is a private coconut estate set on a high cliff, giving amazing views of the ocean.
The coconut estate is very popular in the evenings as there are some great sunset opportunities but it’s still a beautiful place to visit at any time of day.
Coconut Tree Hill is around a 25-minute drive from Ahangama and is one of the many short activities that could be done during a day visit to Mirissa.
You won’t spend a full day at the coconuts, so you may as well tick off a few things while you’re there. Luckily, we have a full post on things to do in Mirissa for you to check out.
4. Go Turtle Spotting at Wijaya Beach 🐢
When you book a trip to Sri Lanka, you probably imagine yourself seeing turtles at least once during your trip, right? We know we do!
Wijaya Beach is a spot where turtles thrive and you’ll see plenty of them in the water if you visit at sunrise or sunset, before the waves get a bit choppier.
Turtles love to come right up to the beach during these hours so you can see them up close.
Remember they are wild animals so you should not touch them and don’t feed them either as this encourages them to rely on humans.
This spot is one of the best spots on the whole island for seeing turtles and is a great way of getting to see the animals without causing them any harm (more on that later).
5. Take a Boat Trip on Koggala Lake 🚤
Koggala Lake is a popular site for visitors in Ahangama and for good reason with lots of incredible and luscious scenery all around to view from the water.
Boat safaris on the lake are a great way of seeing the area’s beautiful scenery and wildlife and the best way to watch local workers harvest one of Sri Lanka’s biggest exports.
Most boat safaris will take you to Cinnamon Island where you will get to see the workers strip the cinnamon pods and grind them to make the spice that we all know and love.
6. Visit Kathaluwa Temple 🛕
If you’re looking to add a cultural experience to your visit to Ahangama then a trip to Kathaluwa Temple could be for you. If you’re backpacking in Sri Lanka, you probably want to experience new things, right?
The temple is located right beside Koggala Lake so the two activities could be done on the same day – it’s always nice to tick off two things at once because as much as we love everything on this list, you probably won’t be able to do everything in the time you have in Ahangama.
Kathaluwa Temple is famous for its wooden murals and intricate paintings. The temple was constructed in the 1800s when Sri Lanka was under British colonisation, so it has a lot of history you can learn about too.
7. Join a Surf Camp 🏄♂️
As we have already mentioned, the southern coast of Sri Lanka is known for its surfing spots and culture.
Even as a complete beginner, you can enjoy the waves along the coast and some amazing surf camp options allow you to take on the breaks with confidence.
There are plenty of surf schools along the coastline but you’ll find one of the largest collections near Weligama seeing as it has beginner-friendly spots nearby – that’s why surfing is one of the best things to do in Weligama.
Have a look around online and in person before committing to a particular camp so you can be sure you’re getting a good deal with a reputable company. We recommend reading the Google Reviews of each surf camp so you can get first-hand insights from travellers before you.
8. Party at The Doctor’s House 🪩
The Doctor’s House is around 30 minutes from Ahangama in a small town named Madiha but a venture outside of Ahanagama to The Doctor’s House promises to be fun-filled and unforgettable.
Don’t worry, it’s nothing to do with doctors or hospitals, it’s a lot more fun than that. It’s one of the best clubs in Sri Lanka in our opinion.
Wednesday nights in particular at the Doctor’s House can be pretty wild and are usually rammed with tourists and locals who have travelled from all over Southern Province to attend the live DJ sessions.
Doctor’s House has been named as such as it makes use of the shell of a 200-year-old Dutch hospital, converted into a hotel, restaurant and club!
9. Test Your Skills at Lamana Skatebowl 🛹
If you’re looking for an alternative sport to surfing, and something a bit different to what most tourists do in Ahangama, then heading to Lamana Skatepark could be a good idea – although the same skills as surfing are required so maybe get good at one before jumping to the other.
If you don’t fancy getting in on the action yourself then simply watching the skaters showcase their best moves on the ramps can be just as fun. It’s not quite Venice Beach, but it’s still a good watch.
There are also some great parties in Lamana on Thursday evenings – so make sure to check those out if you’re visiting! The skaters go nuts during these nights and test all of their best skills in front of huge crowds.
10. Go Whale-Watching in Mirissa 🐳
Mirissa is known as the best place on the island to set sail from in search of whales and the majority of visitors get lucky enough to see them – you are as close to guaranteed as possible.
The most exciting spot that you could have on your tour would be a blue whale – the largest animal in the world. But getting to see sperm whales, dolphins and fin whales can be just as exciting.
Taking a whale-watching tour from Mirissa between November and April is the best time of year as chances of seeing whales can be as high as 98%!
The tours can be very affordable and worth their value if you shop around and typically start very early in the morning, meaning you’ll have the rest of the day to explore Mirissa and the other towns near Ahangama.
11. Go on a Day Safari at Udawalawe National Park 🐘
Udawalawe National Park is one of the best places in the entire world to see elephants in the wild, with one of the largest known herds.
Safari experiences at Udawalawe let you see native animal species in their natural habitat and are a fan-favourite among visitors to the south coast. We include a safari here as part of our Sri Lanka tours.
The park is around two hours from Ahangama so is very easy to reach in a day. There are plenty of day excursion options that allow you to tour the park on a safari and then drop you back to where you are staying.
However, there are also some great options near the park if you want to stay the night and maximise your animal-spotting time.
12. Try the Palm Tree Swing at Shanti Shanti 🌴
The palm tree swing in Ahangama is one of the most well-known places in the town and Instagram lovers swarm to the attraction to get the perfect shot. While it can be annoying waiting for others, it’s worth the queue because the end result is always stunning.
Shanti Shanti, where the swing is, is a wonderful restaurant serving the most delicious, authentic meals and some home comforts like pizza too and the views out to the ocean are incredible, especially at sunset.
It’s hard to find a better way to end a day than to have a meal as the sun goes down and then try out the palm tree swing.
13. Visit Galle Dutch Fort 🏰
Galle Dutch Fort is one of Sri Lanka’s best-preserved colonial towns and is a short trip from Ahangama. You can get there within 30 minutes by driving, public or hiring a tuk-tuk which will only cost you a couple of pounds. As we said earlier, tuk-tuk is always our go-to.
It is a very popular attraction among tourists and most people feel like the town completes their trip by giving an amazing insight into the island’s history. Even if you aren’t a huge history fan, you’ll still find the stuff you learn here fascinating.
Galle’s lighthouse is perhaps its most notable feature and its colourful streets, still full of local vendors are wonderful too.
Make sure you don’t leave Sri Lanka without seeing this spot!
14. Book a Cooking Class 👨🍳
Cooking classes are one of the best ways of exploring Sri Lankan cuisine and we’d highly recommend you try one while staying on the island.
There are some great places to take a cooking class in Ahangama including the highly-rated ‘Deevi Cookery Experience’ that takes place right by Kabalana Beach.
You’ll get the chance to make some delicious and authentic meals with the freshest and locally sourced ingredients – and we’re sure you’ll fall in love! The best part is you get to eat what you make afterwards.
Some of the most common dishes made at cooking classes include coconut sambal and kottu rottis.
15. Try a Yoga and Meditation Session 🧘♂️
Yoga and meditation sessions are a must-do when in Sri Lanka and Ahangama is the perfect location to do it as the atmosphere is so peaceful to begin with.
There are lots of yoga schools in Ahangama offering many different class styles including 1-on-1 sessions so that you can really perfect your poses.
Even if you think yoga isn’t for you, we’d still recommend that you try the experience as it is so freeing and relaxing – just what a weary traveller needs during an adventure around the island, especially with carrying around a huge backpack.
We usually have some travellers in our tour groups who aren’t too keen, but by the end, they loved the experience.
AVOID: Turtle Hatcheries
While the advertising for turtle hatcheries may make it look like an amazing and environmentally-conscious activity, these experiences are extremely harmful to the species.
There are very few animal-friendly experiences on the island of Sri Lanka and turtle hatchery experiences are almost certainly always bad.
It’s best to stay away from all turtle experiences that you see advertised on the south coast and instead opt to see them in the wild on an excursion cruise or by going to look for them yourself at beaches like Wijaya we mentioned earlier, which giant sea turtles swarm to in the evenings.
Is Ahangama Worth Visiting?
Ahangama is definitely worth visiting as there are so many things to do and see around the town and along the coast.
Ahangama might not be as busy and lively as the neighbouring towns, which makes it a great place to stay as you can have a good mixture of adventure in nearby towns and some wind-down time with more relaxed activities.
One of the biggest attractions of Ahangama is the beautiful beaches along its coast which are great for lounging on, having a swim or taking on the waves on a surfboard. You’ll see plenty of surfers out on the water and it is a popular location for the sport as there are such reliable waves.
There are also some great cultural and nature experiences in the area including a visit to the Kathaluwa Temple, cooking classes and safari opportunities both on land and in the water.
Ahangama has a great mix of activities to do and you’ll not get bored quickly, especially with the town being so close to tourist hives like Weligama and Mirissa.
If you’re looking to get in on all of the best south-coast action but would still like some downtime then Ahangama is definitely worth looking at.
How Many Days in Ahangama?
How long you should stay in Ahangama depends on what activities you’ve chosen to prioritise.
If you’re focused on spending time at the beaches and trying out a surf camp then we’d recommend a stay of at least 2-3 days, but if you want to experience everything that Ahangama and the nearby towns have to offer 5-6 days would be much better.
Lots of tourists spend a handful of days in multiple towns along the coast such as Mirissa, Weligama and Unawatuna and this can be a really great idea to ensure you get around all of the best things to do.
However, all of these towns are so close by that you could still do all of the top activities and choose to stay in Ahangama seeing as it is such a quiet haven amongst the crammed tourist towns.
For the south-coast hot spots, we’d recommend around a week in total – whether you spend all that time in Ahangama or in multiple towns is up to your planning!
Best Time to Visit Ahangama
The best time to visit Ahangama is definitely during the dry season – no one wants to be lying on beaches in the pouring rain!
The dry season in this part of Sri Lanka spans between December and March and promises some bright, sunny weather with very few showers, allowing you to make the most of your time outdoors.
The most popular month for travel in Sri Lanka is just after the festive season in January, with some of the best weather of the entire year for surfing, hiking and sunbathing.
If you don’t mind the odd shower then it would definitely be cheaper and less crowded to visit in the shoulder months of April and October or November.
We’d just recommend that visiting Ahangama in the main summer months (June-August) should be avoided as they’re a complete wash-out with monsoons and rough seas hitting the coast.
Conclusion: Things to Do in Ahangama, Sri Lanka
Overall, there are plenty of cool things to do in and around Ahangama and the town is definitely deserving of a spot on your itinerary.
The location of the town makes it easy to explore the entire coastline and nearby, more popular towns and you’ll have an endless list of activities to fill your stay.
Whether you’re looking for cultural, natural or sporty experiences, there is a huge range of great things to see and do in Ahangama and we hope you’ll find the perfect assortment from this list.
And if you want even more insider tips and tricks, come with us and join one of our Sri Lanka multi-day tours.
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