Hikkaduwa is one of Sri Lanka's original beach towns, stretched along the southwest coast between Colombo and Galle. It is busier and brasher than Unawatuna, with surf schools, dive shops, beach bars, guesthouses, and traffic all pressed close to the sand.
The reason it still works is the sea. Hikkaduwa Beach has surf and sunsets, while Hikkaduwa National Park protects the shallow coral reef just offshore. Turtles are often seen near the beach, glass-bottom boats run over the reef, and dive operators head out to wrecks when conditions are right.
Hikkaduwa also carries the memory of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. North of town, the Tsunami Honganji Vihara and small local museums mark the disaster and the train wreck at Peraliya. It is sobering, and it gives the resort strip a harder edge than the beach bars suggest.
Come from November to March for the best sea conditions. Outside that season the town still functions, but surf, snorkelling, and boat trips are more dependent on weather and water clarity.