Weligama (meaning ‘Sandy Village’) is an interesting blend of lively fishing town and beach resort. The sprawling main settlement and coastal road is somewhat scruffy and not that easy on the eye, but you’ll find the sandy beach is attractive once you’re away from the main section; there’s a couple of cove beaches west of the centre. At the east end of the beach, there’s an enormous new concrete Marriott hotel, which towers over the surrounding buildings and looks completely out of place.
Weligama’s benign beach break is ideal for novice surfers and many independent travellers learn to ride their first waves here. After fun in the ocean you can marvel at (and feast on) the denizens of the deep, who end their days being hacked up and sold from roadside fish stalls.
