Arrival by Airplane
For those of you looking to cut your travel time short, Cinnamon Air offers exclusive charter flights from Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB) to Batticaloa Airport (BTC), a town located 146 kilometers up the coast from Arugam Bay. The flight would take just under an hour and we can arrange for you to be picked up by a van from there and brought down without a hassle.
Flight’s price start at 150USD depends on availability and schedule, private plane can be arranged on request for 2500USD up to 20 passengers, arriving to Batticaloa or a sea plane straight to Arugam Bay. Please contact us if you need any help to check schedule/availability and book your flight.
Arrival by train
Ella is the closest town to Arugam Bay, that can be reached by train. There are several trains from Colombo direct to Ella, a long day on the train but one is rewarded with some of the most breathtaking scenery the island has to offer. For those arriving from the hills, there is also trains that run daily from Kandy, Hatton, Haputale to Ella. You may also take the train from Colombo to Baticaloa. But it takes way more time than any other option and this train ride is not as panoramic as the one from Kandy to Ella. You can check trains schedule and tickets prices here
Then, depends on your budget and preferences, you can continue your journey to Arugam Bay by bus/tuk tuk or minivan. We are more than happy to arrange a comfortable AC minivan with a reliable driver to pick you up from any spot in Ella or from Batticaloa, the drive to Whisky Point Resort take 3hours and cost 60USD.
Arrival by Taxi Van or Car
Traveling by minivan ensures plenty of space for large families, extra baggage such as surfboards, comfort and safety. Arugam Bay is approximatively 320 kms from Colombo, the drive may take from 5.30 up to 9 hours depending on the traffic conditions (Colombo and its suburbs may be quite jammed between 7 am and 9 pm Monday to Friday). The rate for a private minivan from Bandaranaike International Airport to Whisky Point Resort is 110USD.
We can also organize island-wide pickups by van or car with a reliable driver, just let us know where and when you will need to be picked up and we will do the rest. Transfers have to be paid in advance and are not refundable once confirmed.
Arrival by bus
There is a Comfortable private AC bus, that departs from Colombo, Maradona Station at 7.30PM and arrives in Pottuvil at 03:30 the next morning, ticket costs 1300Rs (8USD), big luggage fee is 500 slr per piece (3USD). Just let us know and we will organize a tuk-tuk to bring you from the Pottuvil bus stand to Whisky Point.
Public buses are definitely the cheapest option, not the most comfortable though, especially if you carry loads of luggages, boards or sport equipment. Daily public direct bus lines leave from/to Colombo, Matara, Baticaloa, Monaragala. For Kandy, Ella and Galle, you’ll have to take at least 2 buses.
Please double check those information as they tend to change quite often: direct bus, no 98, departs twice a day from Petha Bus Stand – Colombo to Pottuvil at 5 am and 8 pm and the journey will be around 8-9 hours the price is 3€ or 400slr. They may charge you an extra fee for big luggages, surfboards.