Camping in Kalpitiya

We decided to finally make use of a tent instead of lugging it around the country and headed to Kalpitiya for a two day stay at one of its great beaches. Kalpitiya is the little finger of land you see on the west side of Sri Lanka, with its base roughly where Puttalam is located.

Important to note is that the very tip of this finger is inaccessible to most people because the Navy has colonized it in the name of defense measures. If you plan to take a boat to any of the surrounding islands, you will also need permission from the ministry of defense. But do not let this deter you, for you can still have an immensely good time without fear of being shot at.

For a camping trip out here, you will need a tent, a suitable amount of food (noodles are easy to prepare and light), a pot to cook in, paper plates or bowls, a little kerosene, a lighter or matches, plenty of water and good company.

Transport

We decided to take the 7:30 train from Fort, which turned out to be a regular train which stopped at every station. It took around five hours to get to Palavi, the closest town from where you can get a bus to Kalpitiya. The train ride itself is quite unremarkable except for the couple of dozen decaying train carriages you will see on the way there. Since the land is mostly just flat and full of trees, there won’t be much hanging off the footboard letting your arm dangle in the air above a thousand foot drop; Unless you find prawn farms terribly exciting to flap at.

Once at Palavi, you will have to make your way to the main road. At this point we decided to stop for lunch, as it was a shame to waste all that salt that had collected on our person on the last couple hours of the train ride. Prices were average, and most shops had the regular chicken, fish and beef but also prawn.

Once on the main road, make your way south for about two hundred meters and you will come across the junction that leads off to Kalpitiya. There is a bus, the 901, that arrives every ten minutes or so to take you where you want to go. Most of the time, it will be quite crowded. A local said that there were A/C buses which usually had seats but we didn’t see any arrive while we were there.

The bus from the junction will take about an hour and forty five minutes to get to Kalpitiya town. It will pass through Thalawila, where there is a famous church visited by many thousands. Most of the way there you will see sparse vegetation on mostly sandy soil. It looks kind of like the east but less dry and less likely to get you killed.

The drivers didn’t seem to mind some of us hogging the footboards even when the bus was emptying out. Although it did look like we’d never been on a bus before.

Once in Kalpitiya, there are a few places of interest such as the Jetty, where unfortunately we weren’t allowed to take pictures. Most armed forces personnel around were friendly and informative. Sadly, most of the information they could provide was that we would need all kinds of permissions to get on boats and things.

Camping

We didn’t exactly have a concrete idea of where we were going to camp out when we set off. So we asked around town on suitable places. We finally decided on a stretch of beach near the Nara Institute, close to the Kudava fishing village, which is near Kandakkudi town, on the advice of a three wheeler driver. But as it turned out, we had happened upon private property and were asked to vacate the premises the next morning. You might want to seek out other spots to settle down on.

Setting up a tent is easy enough, as we found out. It was a first for most of us but it was straightforward and… straightforward. The wind might be a bit of a sap but if you manage to anchor it down, it’ll hold.

Once you’ve set up camp, you are free to enjoy the beach. Wallow in its cool waters, build sandcastles or collect seashells like a little girl.

For dinner, we had a few packets of instant noodles which we cooked over a fire using firewood we gathered from around the area. We recommend you try this for at least one meal for it is quite enjoyable.

Since it takes a while to get a fire going and you’re likely to run into a hitch or two if it’s your first time, take a few flash lights along.

Getting Back

Wherever you are, you can ask the locals for directions to get back to the main road which is never too far away on this thin stretch of land. Make your way there and catch the 901 bus back to the Palavi junction. You might want to continue all the way to Puttalam instead of getting off at Palavi since Puttalam town will offer more places to eat and easier access to buses and trains. There is a train from Puttalam all the way to Mount Lavinia, which I think is an express train but you should check times for it first. The Sri Lankan Railways web site will be of use here.

We decided to take an A/C bus back to Colombo from Puttalam, and as it turned out it got back an hour faster than the regular train. Unfortunately the Rosa buses on the route weren’t exactly the lap of luxury, especially since we didn’t get the coveted rear seat. Four hours of sitting in a small seat isn’t for everyone.

Finally, the usual words of advice for anyone going camping: Don’t litter, and try not to kill anything.

Source:http://sinhalayatravels.wordpress.com/2010/01/06/camping-in-kalpitiya/