Kalpitiya Kite & Dolphins

Kitesurf a wind-blown lagoon and head offshore to huge pods of spinner dolphins.

What the Kalpitiya Kite & Dolphins is really like.

Kalpitiya, on the north-west coast, has become Sri Lanka's kitesurfing capital, with a vast shallow lagoon and reliable cross-shore wind across two seasons. Beginners learn in the flat, waist-deep lagoon while experienced riders take to the open sea. Offshore, the waters are famous for enormous pods of spinner dolphins and seasonal whales. The main wind season runs May to October, with a second window from December to March.

At a glance

Best season: May – October & December – March
Typical duration: Full day to multi-day
Region: 1

Moment by moment

How the day unfolds.

Step 01
Dawn dolphin trip
Head out at first light to find the spinner-dolphin pods that gather off Kalpitiya in their hundreds.
Step 02
Kite lesson on the lagoon
Learn the basics in the flat, waist-deep lagoon, the ideal forgiving classroom for kitesurfing.
Step 03
Riding the wind
With the steady cross-shore breeze, build to longer runs across the shallow, glassy water.
Step 04
Open-sea riders
Experienced kiters head out past the sandbar to the open sea and its bigger, rolling swell.
Step 05
Lagoon sunset
Wind down with the kites packed away as the sun sets over the quiet, wide Kalpitiya lagoon.