Sri Lanka, something that became part of my bucket list in 2023 to run retreats when I had heard it was a "must visit" if you love Surf. So, in early 2024 I made the decision to visit and see if I should host an SOS retreat in this location.
Here is my experience putting this 2025 retreat together.
For those who know me, you know how much I love Lombok, so I wasn't expecting to fall even more in love with this magical place that I have even said I could live in Sri Lanka as it just has so much to offer.
My Journey Begins.
What to see, how to see it, Sri Lanka way of living. Months of research that started with watching YouTube videos, instagram hashtag reels, reading blogs and finding the right tour guide. I curated my own Surf & Site Adventure.
I started my adventure with a private tour guide called Tim where we would do one week of site seeing. We started in the city of Colombo, something that some had said to miss, whilst others said they loved it. Not normally being a city person, I was almost inclined to avoid it, but decided to check it out and I am glad I did. On my first day in Sri Lanka, I did a food and city tour by TukTuk and it was hands down one of the best experiences I have ever done. It was the ultimate way to see a Sri Lankan city from all angles, taste the most delicious food I have ever eaten, learn about the culture and it was just soo much fun in the Tuk Tuk!
I left Colombo and made my way to Sigiriya & Dambulla. This is where I hiked national treasures like Lions Rock and Pidurangala. On both days, I just remember how lucky I felt to witness this site.
Tim took me to a traditional village and I got to cook with locals where they laughed at my abilities to grate a coconut lol. I love Elephants so I booked myself into the Minnariya National Park. I got to be up and close with the Elephants for 2 hours in our very own personal Jeep. Why I chose this particular place is because the elephants weren't captive, so you got to see them in their natural habitat.
I saw mummas, I saw babies and at one stage I saw 10 elephants crossing the road right in front of me. An experience I will never forget. I would say this area would have been one of my favourites of this Country. It's natural beauty was just like nothing I had seen before and had everything that ticked the boxes for me.
After leaving here I went on to visit Ella, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Galle Fort. And again these places had so much to offer. Nine Arch Bridge, Hanging out of Trains, Temple of the tooth, Monk Ministry, British Heritage colonies, more treks, waterfalls, tea plantations, more culture and soo much more food (thank god for those all of the walks haha)
The second part of my trip was the surf element I wanted to bring to a retreat.
So I visited the famous Arugam Bay and Ahangama beaches. Both places are on either side of Sri Lanka to each other, both only work 6 months of the year and what I would soon discover was both were completely different to eachother.
At that time of the year Arugam Bay was working so I started there. The waves were awesome and it had something to offer for beginners and intermediates. And as much as I loved the waves, I knew I wouldn't like to run a retreat here. My reason being each wave break was 20 minutes apart from eachother which could be annoying if you arrived and it wasn't working that day. The other reason, I really struggled to get a good nights sleep and I LOVE my sleep lol.
I really struggled to find nice accommodation to host a retreat and Arugam Bay for 6 months of the year is party central. So most nights I felt like I was at the party which wasn't fun in the morning entering the surf. Yes, I would go back, but it just didn't scream YES to me for a SOS experience. Feeling a little disheartened, I hopped in the car and drove 5 hours to Ahangama.
As soon as I entered the coastline from Mirissa to Ahangama, I instantly felt I had found my next surf retreat. It gave me the impression of Lombok surf mixed with even Noosa vibes but in a Sri Lanka way lol. White sandy beaches, long dreamy waves at every beach I saw, coconut trees, cute cafes, local surf shops, yoga class signs, spirituality, local cuisines, markets, day spas and surfy srilankans everywhere.
I visited Ahangama when it was just out of season in June, however I was still able to have a fun surf each day. I connected with my friends who I had met on Socials from the Sri Lanka Surf Club where they took me for a surf skate lesson under coconut trees. This session was so much fun and Amila a Sri Lanka local had so much to teach me not just about Surf Skate but this area.
Talking with them and watching their videos, they said from November - May was the best for this coastline. It has something to offer for Beginners - Advanced Surfers. Beach Breaks, Reef Breaks and point breaks. SO, it was a hell YES to running a retreat here. I am now EXCITED.
My next thing.... Finding the right accommodation to host a sos retreat. I truly believe accommodation even though it's just a bed, I believe it's so much more. I want to feel like I am on holidays away from home. I had 6 places on my hit list and visited each of them. They were nice but it was DreamSea that gave me that WOW factor. Positioned directly on the beachfront with what felt like was it's own private beach. I very much enjoyed the swing from the palm tree haha.
The property had everything I was looking for. Pool, roof top fitness area, restaurant, grass chillout areas, beautiful ocean view rooms, 3 minute walk into town, surf boards & beach for those extra surfs, super cool staff and a place that instantly made you feel like you were on holidays from the moment you walked in.
SO tick tick and tick, this SOS retreat was coming to life.
So why has there been so much work gone into making this retreat? I mean a lot of work goes into all of our retreats but I wanted to create something that would capture parts I knew others would and had to see if going all this way, adding in the surf element, whilst making it SOS style, keeping it at max 9 days and doing my best to keep prices down without compromising quality. Going back and forth with tour guides, tour sites, accommodations and all the external parties, this travel experience has finally come to life.
Sri Lanka has so much to offer. From its clean natural beauties, rich cultural heritage, pristine surf beaches, delicious food, wildlife, relaxation, exploration and the most welcoming locals who are so proud of their country.
Honestly every moment felt like a memorable discovery.
Come dive into a culturally enlighted Sri Lankan experience with the sisterhood of surf family in April 2025. A 9 day Sites & Surf retreat. We are taking 10 women on this adventure with us. Come as a solo traveler or with friends.
SOS encourages women to step out of their comfort zone whilst feeling safe to do so.
10th April - 18th April
9 Days / 8 nights
3 Nights of Sites - includes activities and Tours in Colombo, Sigiriya, Dambulla and Polonnaruwa Ancient City. Food Tours, Gentle hikes, Monks & Temples, Villages, Cycling, Elephant Safaris and more.
5 Nights of Surf at DreamSea - includes Surf lessons and Surf package for beginners -lower entry intermediates. Surf Skate lesson, Daily movement, Level up workshop, surf apnea, beachside holiday, pampering packages, food tastings and more.
Retreat packages will start from $3400 and packages are inclusive of everything mentioned above including tours, entrance fees, private tour guide / driver, beautiful accommodation, food, surf package, SOS coaching, SOS Host looking after everything from the moment you book. And so much more. Retreat packages can be paid off up until 40 days of travel after deposits have been made.
As you know we have a waitlist for all of our retreats, but as we have had a lot of interest and we can only take 10 women I have decided to make a specific
Sri Lanka waitlist. This means those who want to come here with us to this destination, will have the first chance to book in before we make it LIVE on our site.
We will be releasing this in the next couple of days, so please reach out to me personally if you have any questions. sisterhoodofsurf@outlook.com
I can't wait for you to tick this off your bucket list.
Love Angie x
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