My Travelling Experiences - Kalpitiya Kitesurfing in Srilanka
Best Place to Travel

- M R ALTHAF HASAN
Sports are a form of recreation and relaxation for the ever-busy man. Games are loved by everyone from kids to adults. Some games are played indoors and some games are played outdoors. Outdoor sports take place on fields, ice, and even water. One such popular sport is Kite surfing. Kite surfing is a sport that uses the power of the wind with a large powerful kite to pull the rider across water or ice. There is special equipment for this.
The game is popular among foreigners and is played in various countries. After the end of the war in Sri Lanka, when Kalpitiya town was declared as a tourist zone, Kalpitiya sea area became very popular when it was known that it is a perfect place for Kitesurfing.
Kalpitiya region is located in the Puttalam district of the north-western province of Sri Lanka and is surrounded by 14 islands.The area is a popular spot among Kitesurfers due to its wide flat water lagoon, sandy beaches, palm trees and strong winds. Although the entire Kalpitiya town is popular among tourists, the most popular area among them is the Kalpitiya beach. In particular, this area is one of the most popular places in Sri Lanka for whale watching, dolphin watching and different types of water sports.
Moreover, it is very easy to reach the beach from Kalpitiya by boat and once you reach the beach, you can enjoy the beautiful view of the sprawling sand dunes and thousands of trees. That is, even if you do not engage in any sports activities there, the prevailing climate and its physical environment are enough for you to spend your vacation there in the best possible way.
Location of Kalpitiya city
Kalpitiya was once a fishing town popular only among fishermen. But now the situation has changed a lot. Today it has become a destination for tourists and Kitesurfing enthusiasts from all over the world. As I already mentioned there are 14 islands surrounding Kalpitiya but not all islands are favorable for Kitesurfing. Due to the fact that Kalpitiya city is 9 meters above the sea level, the region enjoys excellent temperature and climate. Also having different islands the wind coming from the sea is a strong windy area suitable for wind based sports.
Kalpitiya has become a reference point for Kitesurfing in recent years. Although there are many places suitable for Kitesurfing in Sri Lanka, Kalpitiya is one of the best. Kalpitiya is a rural area which is currently being developed. This makes it a very peaceful and reliable place. So Kalpitiya is the best place for anyone in Sri Lanka to go for Kitesurfing.
Best Seasons for Kitesurfing in Kalpitiya
The reason why Kalpitiya is a more attractive place for Kitesurfing than other places is that it has suitable weather conditions for Kitesurfing even in both the summer and winter seasons. No other place has the ideal climate for Kitesurfing all year round. Summer season in Kalpitiya is from May to September and you can go on adventures in Kalpitiya throughout the summer. Similarly, the winter Kitesurfing season in Kalpitiya starts from mid-December to mid-March.
Kitesurfing starts again during the harsh winter conditions and continues until March when the wind speed decreases. In both seasons the climate is dry, hot and windy making it ideal for Kitesurfers.
Best places for Kitesurfing in Kalpitiya
- Kalpitiya lagoon- the place to learn Kitesurfing in Kalpitiya region This is one place that completely attracts Kitesurfers in the entire Kalpitiya city. This makes the place always busy. Due to the popularity of the place you can easily reach the place by Tuk-Tuk or any other vehicles. Kalpitiya is an area about two kilometers long and 800 meters wide. In addition to that, this place has become a popular place among Kitesurfers and schools have also started operating in the area. Above all the water quality and air quality are consistently good for Kitesurfing even during the two main seasons. Moreover, water is always flat. Because of this you can learn Kitesurfing easily if you are just starting out and if you are an expert in the sport you can even do pre style moves with ease. Kitesurfing is usually difficult in rough waters. But there is no such problem with the water in Kalpitiya area. You can take up Kitesurfing very easily. You can learn kitesurfing from scratch or develop new skills in kitesurfing in a safe environment due to the flat and shallow currents of Kalpitiya.
- Vella Island- Probably one of the best flat kitesurfing spots in the worldVella Island is the most popular destination after Kalpitiya lagoon and it takes short time to reach this place from Kalpitiya (45 minutes on average). One of the highlights of Vella is that there are very few fishermen and only a few Kitesurfing schools in the area. This makes the area a little quieter compared to Kalpitiya. Summer is the best time to go Kitesurfing in Wellathivi where the waves are less flat. During this period the water and wind are very suitable for Kitesurfing. However, this does not mean that Vella Island is not a good time for Kitesurfing during the Mari season. Kitesurfing can be done even in summer and can be done freely as there are less tourists during this time.
- Donkey Point- Best place for Kitesurfing in the waves Just by reading the name, you wouldn't think this is a place full of donkeys. As the name suggests it is not a place where donkeys live. Rather it is also a great place for Kitesurfing and is only 300 meters away from the lagoon area. The specialty of this area is that here you can feel the calm water and the waves of the ocean at the same time. What's more, the entire region is wind-only and a perfect place for any kind of water-related sport. However, this environment is not suitable for Kitesurfing beginners. Rather, it is suitable for those who are already familiar with this game and have expertise in it.
Other things to do in Kalpitiya
Apart from Kitesurfing in Kalpitiya, there are other things you can do for a family vacation
- Dolphin/Whale Watching -This is the best place where you can see a dolphin or a whale live in Kandravid. The best time to see them is from December to April
- Do you know about scuba diving or snorkeling? If not, visit Kalpitiya and enjoy the sight of reef sharks, turtles, squid and many more marine life.
- Lagoon Tours- Fancy a cruise or boat trip to explore the islands in Kalpitiya? Then you can book the boats at low cost and enjoy the true beauty of the sea.
- Jeep tours- Jeep driving in Kalpitiya is also one of the things you should not miss. These trips usually start in the evening. Then you can travel along the beach admiring the sand dunes and enjoying the beautiful view of the sunset.
- Apart from this, you can also visit places like Hollander Fort, Hollander Temple, Thalavila Church, Pathalagundu Island, Gangewadi, Wilpattu Savari, Uchhamuna and enjoy your vacation with your family or friends.
Kalbiti region which was initially seen as a very backward area with only fishing as the main industry, after the declaration of Kalpiti region as a tourist zone after the war, many tourist hotels came into being and tourists from different countries started coming towards Kalpiti city.
Due to this, the physical appearance of Kalpitiya has been beautified by tourist resorts and Kalpitiya has become popular not only among locals but also among foreigners.Thus domestic and foreign tourists started coming to enjoy the beauty of Kalpatti city and spend their holidays with family friends and relatives. Due to this, the local people also got job opportunities and the economy of the local people started to rise. The main reason for this can be said that Kalpitiya area is considered as a suitable place for Kitesurfing.
Also Read :- Baththalangunduwa Island is famous for beach camping