How to get to Hikkaduwa, transportation

Hikkaduwa is located on the West Coast 100 kilometers from Colombo and 145 kilometers from Colombo airport (Hikkaduwa on the map of Sri Lanka). There is no airport near the city, and therefore one gets here through Colombo airport, from where one gets to Hikkaduwa by taxi, bus or train.

From other cities and regions of the country, Hikkaduwa can be reached by bus or train. But direct flights and trains and buses are only from Colombo, Galle, Matara and other cities and resorts of the south-west coast, so in most cases you need to go with a transfer through the major transport hubs of Colombo or Galle. In general, during one light day in Hikkaduwa can be reached from anywhere in Sri Lanka, you just need to plan the route correctly, and leave early.

Here is a brief overview of the routes to get to Hikkaduwa from major cities:

• Colombo airport. Directly only by taxi or tuk-tuk, or budget by bus to Colombo and transfer there to another bus or train.
• From Colombo. Direct buses and trains run during the day and at night (less often). Buses can be taken at the bus station or anywhere on the main Galle Road – A2. Buses run often, it is not necessary to focus on the schedule, you can just come to the stop and wait for the bus. Trains run on schedule at least 10 times a day.
• From Negombo. From Negombo with transfer via Colombo by train or bus. Transport goes often, you can just come to the station and go.
• From Jaffna. Go also through Colombo by bus or train. The train is preferable, but you need to leave either early in the morning or take the evening train, which arrives in Colombo at 4 am.
• From Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Ella and other cities of the mountainous part of Sri Lanka, it is best to get by train with a transfer through Colombo, there are, including, night trains. If you go by bus, it will be faster to take the bus to Colombo, and get off earlier in the city of Kaduwela. In Kaduwela, you need to change to a bus on the expressway to Galle (departs every 20-30 minutes, costs 460 rupees), and then in Galle at the bus station, change to a bus to Hikkaduwa. Also at least from Nuwara Eliya once a day in the morning there is a direct bus to Ambalangoda and it goes through Hikkaduwa.
• From Trincomalee. The direct train from Trincomalee to Colombo only runs overnight, or you can change trains via Batikaloa or Galoya Junction (see how to get to Trincomalee). Bus service is available during the day via Colombo.

By plane via Colombo

The nearest international airport Colombo Bandaranaike airport is 140 kilometers away. It is through him that tourists arrive on the island and get to Hikkaduwa. There are direct flights from many countries of the world, including from Russia, SriLankan Airlines flies directly from Moscow. You can also fly inexpensively with Qatar, Etihad, Emirates, AirArabia Turkish Airlines and others with a transfer.

You can find and book flights to the main airport of Colombo in Sri Lanka through the search form. The search is flexible, and allows you to find flights on different dates, with or without transfers, both ways or one, etc.:

ЦЕНА	ПЕРЕСАДКИ	АВИАКОМПАНИЯ	ДАТА ВЫЛЕТА	ДАТА ВОЗВРАЩЕНИЯ
Купить от 57731 ₽	2 пересадки		23.07.2026	26.07.2026
Купить от 57417 ₽	2 пересадки		31.08.2026	01.09.2026
Купить от 56408 ₽	1 пересадка		14.09.2026	05.10.2026
Купить от 54487 ₽	1 пересадка		08.10.2026	09.10.2026
Купить от 54972 ₽	1 пересадка		24.11.2026	11.12.2026
Купить от 56804 ₽	1 пересадка		15.12.2026	29.12.2026

How to get from Colombo airport to Hikkaduwa

Taxi or tuk tuk is the only way to get from Colombo airport to Hikkaduwa quickly and directly. You can find a taxi at the counter when leaving the terminal (official taxi, the cost is fixed), or on the street when leaving the terminal (you can find a private taxi and bargain for a lower price). On average, it is worth counting on 10,000 rupees (from 29.91 USD, see Sri Lankan currency and exchange rate), but can be traded.

The trip will be cheaper if you order a car through Uber or PickMe applications. you can also order a cheaper tuk-tuk. As of 2019, when ordering through the application, a tuk-tuk will cost from 5000 rupees (from 14.96 USD), a car from 6200. To order, you can use airport WiFi, or buy a local SIM card in the arrivals hall. Just keep in mind that the most budget cars through the application are miniature cars of Indian production without a trunk, and with large suitcases you can not get into it.

A much more comfortable way to get from the airport to Hikkaduwa directly is to order a tourist transfer through the search form from Kiwitaxi or on the website intui.travel. You can place an order online at home, and then the driver will meet you at the airport with a sign and take you to the hotel:

Inexpensive from the airport can be reached by buses, but you have to go with a transfer.

1. 

   To get started, you need to get to the bus or train station in Colombo in the Pettah district. Buses No. 187 run there often during the day, and at night about once an hour. They are sent directly from the exit of the terminal across the road, cost from 100 rupees, you will have to pay extra for luggage. In Colombo, large buses go past the bus station, and end up near the Colombo Fort Railway Station. Both the auto and railway station are within a five-minute walk of each other. Small commercial buses No. 187 go to their bus station, which is also nearby. See details how to get from the airport to Colombo here...

   You can also get from the airport by tuk-tuk or taxi for 1100 and 1500 rupees respectively.

2. At the Colombo bus station, you will need to find a bus to Hikkaduwa. It is worth remembering that Hikkaduwa is just a stop on the way of most routes to the south, so you should look for a bus to Galle (Galle), Matara, Tangalla. All these buses go through Hikkaduwa, depart every 15-20 minutes, cost from 130 to 300 rupees depending on comfort, the journey takes 2-3 hours.

   To understand right away at the bus station will be very difficult, so to find the right bus, it is best to ask local residents or drivers the destination, and go where they show.

   Hikkaduwa has a main bus station in the northern part of the city (Hikkaduwa bus station on the map), as well as several bus stops right in the resort area on Galle Road where the bus stops on demand.

Another budget option to get from the airport to Hikkaduwa is by bus and then by train. The bus number 187 mentioned above will also take you to Colombo Fort Railway Station (terminus), where you can take the train. The cost to Hikkaduwa in the lowest class is from 85 rupees. Railway transport does not run as often as buses, find the current schedule here - https://eservices.railway.gov.lk.

In Hikkaduwa, trains stop at a railway station in the north of the city (Hikkaduwa railway station on the map). In the south of the resort area there is another railway station Thiranagama (Thiranagama railway station on the map), where three trains a day stop. If your hotel is located in the south of the resort, it is better to go directly to Thiranagama station.

As for trains, it is worth saying that during rush hour (this is usually almost always during daylight hours), the train to Hikkaduwa is not the most comfortable mode of transport. Very often they go crowded, like buses to factories in Soviet times. Sometimes you just have to hang on the handrails and stand on one leg. So think twice before you go that way. By the evening, after about 17 hours, the cars are almost empty.

And here is the schedule of trains and other transport to Hikkaduwa available for online booking:

Transport Hikkaduwa, what to move

The main resort area stretches along the coast and the Galle road for five kilometers, and you can move along it on foot, take a taxi or tuk-tuk, bus or rented transport. For trips to the surrounding attractions, it is best to rent transport, or hire a tuk-tuk with a driver.

There are practically no car taxis in Hikkaduwa, but if you find a car, then trips are mainly carried out at a contractual price, no one is in a hurry to turn on the meters. But there is a good alternative, especially if you need to go far away, for example to Colombo or the airport-use applications PickMe or Uber.

It is much easier to catch a tuk-tuk, there are a lot of them here. Drivers themselves constantly and too obsessively offer their services on the Main Street and even on the beach. A short trip within the resort will cost from 100 rupees if you know how to bargain, usually tourists are asked for 300 or more. But for trips to attractions it is much more profitable to hire a tuk-tuk on time. Real price as of 2023: 2000 rupees (from 5.98 USD) for 3 hours, 3000 rupees (from 8.97 USD) per day. But everything again depends on your ability to bargain.

There are no city buses in Hikkaduwa itself, but the main Galle road is very often used by public and private buses between Galle and Colombo, as well as other resorts on the West Coast. They stop at places marked with a bus stop sign, but can stop at any place on request. Travel costs from 10 rupees depending on the distance, payment to the conductor in the cabin. You only need to name the Destination (City, Beach, Bus Station) and they will say the price. These buses can be used to travel around the city, to the southern and northern beaches, to neighboring cities.

The greatest freedom of movement is given by rented transport. It can be either a bicycle or a Motobike (Low-Power Motorcycle, Scooter). Rentals are found at every step along the main street, but in the mornings, hours before 10:00, It is sometimes difficult to find a working rental office, because everything opens late. Therefore, if you want to go somewhere early in the morning, it is better to arrange a rental the night before.

A motorcycle for rent can be found from 2200 rupees per day (6.58 USD), but more often ask for 3200 and above. As a pledge, you need to leave a transport or cash deposit. Some distributors conclude a contract, and somewhere they manage without a contract, everywhere in different ways. The presence of a driver's license is also checked somewhere, somewhere not.

To manage transport in Sri Lanka, it is enough for tourists to have international rights (International Driving Permit), which are presented together with a national driver's license. Some tourists in the old-fashioned way draw up a local temporary vu in Colombo, but if there are officially issued international rights, this is not necessary. But you must have a Category "A" license, otherwise you will be a violator, for which there is a huge local fine of 25,000 rupees. Learn more about what rights are needed in Sri Lanka here... But in practice, tourists do not always get an IDP with Category "A", and sometimes even rent transport without rights at their own risk, since it does not matter to tenants if you have rights. Learn more about renting a motorcycle in Sri Lanka and what rights you need here...

Bike rentals start at 80 rupees per hour and 400 per day, but these are mostly "killed" bikes. For a normal bike will have to pay almost twice as much.