Luxury holidays in Hikkaduwa

In the 1960s, a wave of long-haired, scarf-slinging hippies descended upon Hikkaduwa in search of sun, sand and well - peace, dude. Their flower-power antics transformed what was once a sleepy fishing village into an internationally famous wave-curling hotspot that still draws board-happy beach dwellers today. Pick up on those good vibrations at one of Hikkaduwa’s many surf schools, snorkel the kaleidoscopic coral reef or take a dip in the shallows with the local turtle population. Scratch the surface just a little and you’ll discover there’s much more to Hikkaduwa than its billowing sails and barefoot bohemia. Inland is a patchwork of natural wonders; explore the tea plantations, rice paddies, rocky waterfalls and jungle-fringed lakes, filled with lizards big and small. And if reptiles don’t quite cut it, the nearby Udawalawe National Park just might, where mountain-framed bushlands are inhabited by all kinds of magical creatures from elephants to buffaloes. If you’re lucky, you might even spot a leopard sprint by or see a smiling sloth lounging on a branch – sure, the hippies may have flocked back to their day jobs, but the real tree-huggers of Hikkaduwa remain firmly in place.