Pack your backpacks and don’t forget your surf wax! Episode #15 is heading to the southern coast of Sri Lanka.
Hacker Beach has always scooted west, year after year. After last year’s episode in Thailand, we’d usually make the long haul all the way to Africa or back to the Americas. This time we’re making a shorter trip: to South Asia. This will be a first for Hacker Beach!
Known to be a surfer’s paradise, this still-under-the-radar spot is also home to quite some in-the-know digital nomads. Expect clean breaks, sandy bottoms, and cool breezes. On land, expect to see fewer backpackers. The coast has been very accommodating and now hosts a decent number of coworking spaces and laptop-friendly cafes alongside surf shacks on the sand.
Getting there, etc.
Getting there couldn’t be easier. As always we have a no-direct-international flights rule. You’ll likely be flying into Colombo, which has direct connections to:
- London, Paris, Frankfurt, Zurich
- Istanbul, Doha, Dubai
- Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur
From there you can either take a short 35 minute flight on a sea plane (~200 USD) with Cinnamon Air to the southern coast, or a scenic train along the coast (around 4 hours).
The Visa situation looks good, with Sri Lanka recently waiving the ETA fee for tourists coming from 40+ countries. However, please note that filing for an ETA is still required before arrival!
Accommodations
Looking at the prices of accommodation and food/drink, it should still be possible to stay within the $30/day minimum budget target (which we still haven’t even updated for inflation since 2013). Larger, shareable accommodations can drive that down further. On the other hand, if you want to splurge a bit, you’ll also find some nice villas along the coast.
Location
We haven’t quite decided which town is the pick yet, as there are several excellent options to choose from, all a short hop on the coast.
Weligama is the biggest in the region, more spread out and the working center for the area. For coworking there’s Outpost, a 24-hour coworking space with 600Mbit wifi, AC, and backup power. Surfing on the beach here is great for beginners, with clean breaks, forgiving underwater terrain, and no side current.
To the east is Mirissa, a smaller surf-and-party town; more expats and fewer dedicated coworking spaces, but plenty of laptop-friendly cafes to work from. The waves here are less beginner-friendly, so expect swimming, lounging, and beach parties. Most touristed out of the three.
Hiriketiya/Dickwella is a smaller town east of Mirissa, and home to a horse-shoe shaped bay perfect for sunsets, with a reef break providing calm waters, and no large coworking hub, keeping crowds down.
Dates
As always, Hacker Beach runs the entire month of January. Come whenever suits you and stay as long as you’d like. This year we’re adding a gentle pointer for anybody who can’t swing the full month, and is looking to make sure there’s a good crowd there. Aim for roughly the middle two weeks (Jan 10-23), and you’ll be there when we’re all there.
Questions?
Great! Ask us on the Fediverse, on Nostr, or in #hackerbeach on libera.chat. And if you’re planning to actually come to Hacker Beach (or you’re already there), please request an invite to our private XMPP channel.
Let’s gather
I’m personally looking forward to this one more than usual. The location seems perfect for both hacking, beach life, and communing with friends. I’m ready to chat about what we’ve all been working on, cowork, and share beginner surfing tips. See you at the beach!
Ben