Before I went to Sri Lanka, I was looking for information in the internet and came across this report. After reading it, I spent some time checking out all the offers in the internet. Finally, I made a few notes and left to Sri Lanka with little bit of excitement. Being back, I thought I should do an update on this report to respect what Sri Lanka has to offer.
Since my budget was limited, I took the train from Negamob to Puthlam and got off in Palavi. From there, I took a Tuk Tuk to Kalpitiya. Having arrived in Kalpitiya, I spoke to a few locals and asked them if they could recommend a place to stay right next to the water. One of the Tuk Tuk drivers then informed me about a resort called Ruuk Village which opened a few weeks ago. He offered to take me there.
At the resort, I was offered a brand new wooden cabana for 17€ with breakfast. And since the village was right by the main lagoon, I wanted to stay there for at least two nights until I would eventually find something cheaper.
After meeting the guy who manages the place, he made me an offer that I could not resist
. So I ended up staying with Ruuk Village for two weeks in total.
The team took great care in arranging my early morning trips to the kite school next door where I took my lessons (Ruuk Village arranges this for you). And whenever I wanted to come back for a break, I only had to call one of the team members to come and pick me from the other side of the lagoon. (I had to pay small fee for this service).
The team even arranges Island trips at very fair prices where you can kite around a lonely island (this is a bit expensive but if you have at least 4 kiters who want to do the island trip, then its affordable).
When there was no wind, the team made arrangements for me to go to the city or even to Wilpatthu national park which is about 90 mins drive by road. The best part was my visit to Pinnawala Elephant orphanage which is about 2,5 hours by road followed by Kandy Temple.
Every now and then I went for a drink to the next door kite school (about 2 km) and did have a bit of evening entertainment but Kalpitiya does not offer any night life as you know it from Egypt or from Morrocco.
Kalpitiya is still a developing village, and this makes it more attractive for travelers like me, who want to enjoy authenticity. Maybe in few years to come, Kalpitiya might develop into a another party hub, but personally I hope this is not going happen.
All in all it was a positive experience and I would recommend anyone with a small budget to try "Ruuk Village".
) , you can start from here and ride upwind and you will be able to reach the hotsport of the beach where most riders do their free style tricks 