Taxi from Colombo Airport to Weligama, fixed price private transfer

The E03 links to the E01 Southern Expressway, which runs south past Galle to the Kokmaduwa or Godagama interchange, and the A2 covers the short distance back to the bay. One hundred and seventy kilometres, two hours fifty-five, and unusually consistent: the expressway does not queue and the final stretch is short. Tolls and parking are inside the price shown. Drivers know the bay road well; this is one of the routes we run most.

Weligama’s beach road runs the length of the bay with the railway immediately behind it, and the accommodation splits cleanly in two. The eastern end, towards the fish market and Taprobane Island, is the town proper: busier, cheaper, and closer to where the boats come in. The western end towards Mirissa is quieter and where most of the newer hotels sit. They are two kilometres apart, which is a five-minute drive and a long walk in the sun with a suitcase. The road itself is straightforward; what catches drivers out is that several properties on the sea side are entered directly off the A2 across the oncoming lane, and turning there at dusk with a loaded van needs patience rather than skill. The fish market at the eastern end operates early and the surrounding road is congested until mid-morning.

The road is flat, fast and smooth throughout, so nothing about this transfer tests a vehicle and the choice comes down to luggage. Surfboards are the exception and they are common on this route: over seven feet, you need the comfort van with a row folded, and it is worth saying so at booking rather than discovering it in the arrivals hall. If you are taking lessons rather than bringing your own board, ignore all of that, the schools supply everything and a sedan is fine. For four adults with cases, the comfort sedan; for five or six, the comfort van; for two, the economy sedan, which handles the bay road more easily anyway.

Weligama has its own station on the coastal line and the train from Galle takes about forty minutes for a fraction of the cost, hugging the sea most of the way. It is one of the best short rail journeys in the country and we would recommend it without reservation, once you are here. Getting here from the airport is another matter: it means a transfer into Colombo, a train that takes most of the afternoon and a tuk-tuk at the end. Expressway buses to Matara are quick and cheap and leave you a tuk-tuk short. For the arrival itself, with bags, the direct car wins on time and on certainty.

The surf and swimming season runs from November to April, when the bay is at its best and the town is full. The south-west monsoon between May and September brings afternoon rain and a rougher sea; the beginner wave becomes less beginner-friendly, the whale boats out of Mirissa stop running, and prices fall noticeably. The drive is unaffected either way. If whale watching is the reason for your trip, note that the boats leave Mirissa harbour around 06:30 and that a 03:00 landing followed by a 06:30 departure the same morning is a plan people regret; allow a full day between the two.