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Some Tips When Travelling to Kalpitiya, Sri Lanka

After spending 3 years living in Kalpitiya, I have no doubt that it is a destination of Kite that is growing very fast and this place does not leave anyone indifferent. Although more and more people come to kite, mass tourism has not yet arrived and the area is still to be developed at a tourist level, which makes it a unique place of special beauty.

Kalpitiya is a peninsula about 40 km long, which goes from Puttalam to the same town that also bears the name Kalpitiya and which is at the end of the peninsula, where the main kite schools are located.

The main attraction of Kalpitiya at the level of kitesurfing is the flat and shallow water of the surrounding lagoons. Traditionally, fishing families have lived for many generations in this place and daily take their small boats to catch fish, prawns and crabs. They always have a smile for us, those lunatics who glide through the water with a board and a sail very similar to the one they use for their fishing boat. However, despite the hospitality of the local people, coexistence between traditional fishing and this emerging sport is not always easy, especially in the smaller lagoons.

In the Kappaladi lagoon, for example, the kitesurfing schedule is allowed until 5 o’clock in the afternoon. As of this hour it is the local fishermen who have the right to use and launch their nets in search of some good catch. This does not happen in the Kalpitiya lagoon, where fishermen are rewarded their fishing hours lost by other income obtained through services to kite schools. Lately, some of us practice kitesurfing in the immense Puttalam lagoon, where there are no kite schools, but the constant wind, the subliminal landscape and the uniqueness of the place makes it worthwhile.

In Kalpitiya there are many places to practice Kitesurfing. Apart from the Kalpitiya, Puttalam or Kappaladi lagoons, which are flat water, the best kite spots are found on the islands located north of Kalpitiya, where Vella Island would take away all the prizes. Vella Island is a very small island that on one side has sea and on the other side is the flat water of the lagoon. When it’s windy the conditions for freestyle in this place are perfect. However, Vella is not a good place for those who are learning, especially in the season from May to October, when the wind is offshore in the lagoon. The island is about 50 minutes by boat from Kalpitiya and you can go and return in the same day. The main schools of kitesurfing charge up to 45-50 dollars per person but can be reached by other means at a much more reasonable price. Another place to stand out is Donkey Point, a cape located about 10 km south of the town of Kalpitiya and a place that many choose to surf between waves.

The Kite Season
The main seasons for kitesurfing go from May to October, with wind throughout the day, about 18-20 knots on average and from December to March, where good wind blows in the afternoon. Between one season and another, the direction of the wind changes completely. In the season that goes from December to March the sea is calm and it is the best time to do diving, snorkeling, or go see dolphins or whales, so if it is not windy you can do many other activities. There is also the option throughout the year to schedule a safari in the Wilpattu National Park or visit the sacred city of Anuradhapura, as they are quite close to Kalpitiya.

* The full moon usually affects quite a lot of the wind conditions in Kalpitiya and about 3-4 days before and after the full moon it is not usually windy.

Accommodation
If you do not mind the price you are going to pay and you are looking for an all-inclusive resort, food, breakfast and dinner and also take you directly to the kite area, the best option is to stay at one of the main kitesurf schools located in front of the lagoon, since they all offer Full Board accommodation.

If instead you are looking for something cheaper and also want to have more freedom of time; to enter and leave the hotel, eat, dine, etc, or kite at different spots and at your own pace, you can find other options on booking.com, as the Margarita Village Kite School is also very near to the kite spots.

www.kitesurfsrilanka.com

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