"Arugam Bay" Pottuvil by Maxus

The current advice is not to venture out to this area and who am I to argue with the experts, however I was there recently and I really didn't want to leave, for a start it felt like we had the place to ourselves.

The beaches were empty and sea was just about perfect, with luck I'll be back again in later in the year when the sea is maybe more suited to swimming than surfing but be warned - early in the year it rains just about day.

The area is pretty much tourist free just now, infrastructure has not recovered from the tsunami and few guest houses are open, security is very tight and I would not advise you to stray far at night, while the government appear to hold the town and the A4, who holds the surrounding area (particularly at night) is still questionable.

I was travelling with locals who knew the score and it pays to take local advice. Big things are happening in the East right now, it remains a dodgy area but the lack of package tourists is an attraction for some of us and there might not be a better time to go.

Get in touch if you have any questions

a wild herd a few kilometers from the bay

If you want to see elephants on your visit to Sri Lanka don’t bother with an organised ‘safari’ trip. You’ll see plenty roaming free from the A4 between Magama and Pottuvil, early evening is maybe the best time.