Hikkaduwa, a beach resort in Sri Lanka

Hikkaduwa is perhaps the most package-tour beach resort in Sri Lanka. Hikkaduwa's biggest attraction is a bay where sea turtles swim in to eat seaweed. And also a small, overcrowded beach—a lagoon.

What is Hikkaduwa? Sights.

• Lots of white tourists. 90% of them are Russians. Whether that's good or bad is for you to decide.
• Lots of trash. Including in the water.
• Prices here are higher than, say, in Negombo.

There are several beaches around Hikkaduwa. One of them is fairly large, but because of the big waves and strong current, swimming there is very dangerous (we really love waves, but here any wish to ride them goes away). In the couple of days we spent in Hikkaduwa, we heard of 2 people drowning. Maybe we just came at a rough time.

The escape from the waves is a small cove where all the tourists gather—the main beach, with lots of people and very little space.

In Hikkaduwa, someone made off with the rear tire of our scooter and all its papers.

Hikkaduwa on the map of Sri Lanka

To show exactly where Hikkaduwa is in Sri Lanka, here is a map with the coordinates and location:

Hikkaduwa on the map of Sri Lanka

To sum up, Hikkaduwa is an uninteresting, crowded, and expensive place. Yes, seeing the turtles is great, but Sri Lanka has plenty of places better suited for a beach vacation (see Trincomalee).