Kalpitiya with a private driver

Kalpitiya is a narrow finger of land separating the Puttalam Lagoon from the Indian Ocean, roughly three hours north of Colombo by private car. From May to October the Puttalam Lagoon fills with strong cross winds that have turned Kalpitiya into one of Asia's leading kitesurfing destinations, with flat water on the lagoon side and rolling ocean swells for those who want more challenge. Outside the kite season, the peninsula's sandbanks and shallow waters host the largest spinner dolphin pods in Sri Lanka — boat trips from the lagoon side in the morning regularly encounter hundreds of dolphins at close range. The drive up the coast through Chilaw and Puttalam passes salt flats, fishing villages and the Catholic shrine at Talawila, and the relative remoteness means Kalpitiya still feels genuinely off the tourist circuit.