We love adventures and we love trying out different outdoor activities – from hiking to skiing and snowboarding to surfing… You name it. So on our recent trip to Sri Lanka, we decided to join a surf camp!
While we could’ve just signed up for some surf lessons to improve our surfing skills, we really wanted to join a surf camp. Surf camps are centered around surfing but they are so much more than that!
Surf camps have community, they have fun activities, they have delicious food, and you can improve your surfing so much more when you’re at a camp than if you’re just taking one-off lessons. Especially if you’re a beginner like us!
We’ve previously stayed at one of Lapoint’s surf camps in Ericeira (Portugal) and we had the best time! So knowing that Lapoint also has a camp in Sri Lanka, it was basically a no-brainer for us to sign up for another stay with them.
We ended up staying at the surf camp for 2.5 weeks because we loved it so much so we definitely made the right decision!
In this post, we’ll be sharing our experience at Lapoint Surf Camp, what a day at the surf camp can look like, some of our favourite memories from our trip, how much it costs, and who this surf camp is for (hint: it’s not only for 20-year-olds who want to party).
Disclosure: This post has been created in collaboration with Lapoint. Everything in this post is based on our personal opinions and experiences.
Why we chose Lapoint Surf Camp
When we look for surf camps to stay at, we obviously look at ones that have good surfing. After staying at a few different ones, we are slowly getting better and it’s really fun to see how much we’ve improved after the two weeks at Lapoint in Sri Lanka (next camp we’ll join level 2!)
Anyhow, good surfing isn’t the only thing we look for because surf camps are about so much more than just surfing! It is also about community and meeting cool people that you can have a good time with.
To us, this is something that Lapoint has nailed down to a T. They do such a good job attracting good people – both guests and staff – and that’s exactly why we keep coming back to Lapoint.
Of course, every week is going to bring different people and you might think we just got lucky with our group, but over the years we’ve spent almost 4 weeks at Lapoint’s surf camps – and every time we’ve met some incredible people.
So we’ve good good surfing, we’ve got good people. Now, let’s take a look at what else you can expect at Lapoint and what a day could look like while staying at their surf camp in Sri Lanka…
A typical day at Lapoint Sri Lanka
Below you can see an example of what a typical day at Lapoint Surf Camp Sri Lanka looks like.
Most days are similar in terms of surf and food (with the exceptions of lay days) but the organized activities vary from day to day.
The schedule is quite packed with activities and events but it is all optional. You can easily skip out on some of the different activities if you feel like you need some rest. In that case, you can just hang out by the pool or take a nap in your room. Whatever you like!
If you’re nomadic like us, you can also find a comfy spot to work from! Lapoint has a really good generator so if there is a power cut (this happens quite frequently in Sri Lanka), you’ve still got good wifi and electricity which is really nice!
Below is an example day and more details about each item on the list…
A day at the surf camp could look like this:
- 8 am: Breakfast buffet at camp
- 9 am: Morning surf session & theory
- 12 pm: Lunch back at camp
- Time to relax, nap, hang out by the pool
- Free time to explore or organized afternoon activity
- 7 pm: Dinner buffet at camp
- 8 pm: Evening activity organized by Lapoint
Breakfast buffet at camp
Every day you can expect a delicious breakfast buffet ready for you. You’ll line up at 8 am to get coffee, juice, pancakes, eggs, oatmeal, delicious fruit, and a whole lot more!
The breakfast is usually quite similar but every morning they switch it up a little bit and add a few different things.
Honestly, we would always look forward to breakfast. The food is so good and it’s nice catching up with everyone in the morning and getting ready for surfing.
We also want to mention here that the staff here is incredible! They truly go above and beyond and if you make the slightest effort to chat or get to know them they will do the same.
We had so much fun trying to learn Sinhalese words with the local staff and after a few days we could say “thank you”, “how are you?”, and “good waves”!
Morning surf session
The mornings are usually quite busy since, right after breakfast, it’s straight to surf.
If you’re level 1, you usually meet up with your coach before going for your surf session to learn something new (such as turning), talk about the surf conditions that day, and which beach you’re going to.
From there you’ll take a Tuk Tuk (if you’ve never ridden one before this will be fun) to the beach. I had no idea what to expect so it was quite fun jumping in a Tuk Tuk with all the surf gear and surfboards on the roof and then heading off to the beach.
If you’re level 2, you don’t have theory, you just head straight to the beach! Once you’re at the beach you’ll have about 2 hours of surfing with your group and instructor.
Most groups range from 3-5 people plus the instructor who’ll spend time with you 1 on 1 to help you catch waves and give you a push. This does depend on your surf level of course but level 1 (and sometimes level 2) can get a push to catch the waves.
Lapoint has three different surf levels (1-3) and since it’s been a few years since we surfed we decided to join back in level 1 for the first week and it was a smart choice. Next time, we’ll be ready to join level 2!
Tips to help you choose your surf level:
Level 1: A great place to start if you’ve never surfed before. Also a great level if you haven’t surfed in a few years and need a refresher (like us).
Level 2: You have tried surfing before, understand the ocean a bit, can paddle out to the line-up, and feel comfortable trying to catch green waves on your own, level 2 is great.
Level 3: Perfect if you’ve surfed plenty of times before, feel very comfortable in the ocean, can ‘easily’ surf on your own but appreciate the assistance and feedback of a coach, you’re probably level 3! In level 3 participants also get video analyses as a part of their package.
If you aren’t sure what level you should sign up for, just talk to the team and ask. The coaches and the team at Lapoint will figure it out and make sure you’re at the right level!
👩🏼⚕️ Is your trip insured?
SafetyWing’s Nomad Insurance covers amateur surfing 🏄♀️
Lunch back at camp
This was one of our favourite parts of the day! That feeling of hunger after 2 hours of surfing is quite intense so coming back to the camp for a yummy meal after a good surf sesh was always so good!
We had lunch at the camp about 80% of the time since it’s just so convenient and easy. The food is also really good and tasty with a huge variety of different options. It’s a good mix of local dishes and Western dishes with local ingredients as well!
Some of the best meals we had were the Avocado Toast, the Sri Lankan Curry (this meal was big enough to share!), and the smoothie bowls.
When we didn’t eat at the camp, we tried out some cute cafés in Ahangama (a 5-minute Tuk Tuk ride away) and some local little restaurants within walking distance from the camp.
There are lots of good options nearby so you can do whatever you feel like on the day.
Relaxing by the pool
After lunch is usually time for naps, reading books, playing table tennis, suntanning, or whatever else you feel like doing!
Make sure to pack a book (or a few), download some podcasts, or whatever because you will have some downtime to just hang out, relax, and enjoy the awesome atmosphere of Sri Lanka.
We often would spend this time working a bit since we had some stuff we needed to take care of while we were at the surf camp.
Not going to lie, we were slightly envious of all the people who were just on a holiday though!
At least the wifi at the camp was solid (especially downstairs) and the generator ensured we had electricity and wifi even if there were power cuts.
Once we finished work, we’d be ready to hang out and participate in the many social activities at Lapoint!
Afternoon free time
After lunch, there’s also room for afternoon activities if you want to go check out some of the neighbouring towns.
One of the coolest things we did was taking the train from Ahangama to Galle Fort. It was such a local experience and it was really cool seeing some of the beautiful countryside of Sri Lanka.
Once we made it to Galle we went to a fabric shop where we (mostly Jo) bought a bunch of fabric to get some custom-made dresses, skirts, and other clothes made.
This is one of many fun afternoon activities you can do on your own (or with your new friends) from the surf camp.
If you want to be a social butterfly there are plenty of opportunities for that. But it’s also important for us to mention that there’s also room to say no! If you just want to rest in your room or catch up on your phone while chilling on the sofa, you can do that as well.
It’s up to you what you want to do and which activities to join – but it’s super fun that there’s always something organized so you can just tag along when you feel like it!
Dinner buffet at camp
Just like breakfast, the camp serves an awesome dinner buffet with different meals every day. Every meal is full of local goodies – a great variety of curries and salads – but each day is slightly different.
There is one fully veggie buffet every week and on the other days, there will be meat options as well (there are always veggie options though!).
Dinner was always such a good time because this is when you’d catch up with people and hear how their surf was and what they did during the afternoon if you hadn’t seen them.
One thing we also thought was nice was that at most meals people would sit with different people so you’d have a chance to get to know everyone. This might’ve been lucky for the few weeks we stayed there but it was something we thought was cool.
Of course, you become closer with certain people but you at least have the chance to meet everyone (which was 30+ people during the peak season months)!
Organized activities by Lapoint
Movie night, theme party, going out to an outdoor club! These are just a few of the organized evening activities Lapoint has put in place almost every evening.
This is all put together by the four different social hosts that live at the camp. Their main job is to make sure everyone is having a good time and that things are running smoothly.
Lapoint also organizes some afternoon activities such as beach clean-ups, surf theory, and tea parties, just to name a few.
On top of these activities, there will also be 3 different day trips on the lay day (Friday) that you can go on while you’re there which is really cool!
We don’t want to spill all the beans in this post so we won’t share all the details! But there is definitely a chance to see some wildlife on some of the tours they offer! (Hint: they’re big and grey and can also be found in Africa) 😉
What makes Lapoint Surf Camp so special?
After visiting the Lapoint Surf Camp in Ericeira and now Sri Lanka we can kind of talk about Lapoint Surf Camps as a whole. The standard seems to be quite similar all across the board.
We want to briefly talk about a few of the highlights and why Lapoint really sticks out to us. We’re completely honest when we say our time spent at Lapoint is usually some of the most fun weeks of the year.
Both in 2021 and 2023 staying at Lapoint was hands down one of the highlights – and we travel full time!
Some of the things we really like about Lapoint are the community, the professionalism of the staff, the surf (obviously), and the other social activities. They also have a great focus on sustainability which we appreciate as well.
Community aspect and friends for life
We mentioned it earlier in the post but Lapoint Surf Camp isn’t just about the surf – it’s about bringing people together and having fun. Something we absolutely love!
We spent two weeks at Lapoint in Sri Lanka and we met quite a few people doing the same thing. It was so much fun getting to meet new friends and share all these experiences together.
The fact that you spend almost all day together with some of these people makes you really close really fast. Especially the people in the same surf group as you. We were so sad when the camp was over because we missed talking to our new friends every day!
In general, we find that Lapoint attracts like-minded people to their camps – and no matter the age, you can easily form friendships. We became good friends with some people in their early 20s but also mid-30s!
While some young people likely want to party more than the people in their mid-30s, you’re all still there for the same things – to surf, have fun, and experience a new country together.
Professionalism of the staff
I remember the staff at Lapoint being good in Portugal but, wow, did we feel like they went above and beyond here in Sri Lanka!
Every single staff member from the all-rounders to the surf coaches was amazing!
You can tell that this is a good place to work and that is reflected in the way they treat their customers (us!). Everyone is friendly with each other and with the guests and they all made us feel so welcome.
It’s one thing that may seem to go under-appreciated sometimes but we know that most people who were there at the same time as us were very impressed. The staff is a part of the experience and they definitely made us have a great time at Lapoint!
Surf conditions
We know the surf conditions are outside of the control of the surf camp, but they obviously placed the surf camp where they did because of the surf nearby.
In Ahangama, the surf conditions vary a lot depending on which time of year you come to Sri Lanka. Most of the southwest coast of Sri Lanka has its peak surf season from November to April.
As a level 1 surfer, you can go any time of the year but if you’re level 2 or level 3, it’s best to visit between November and April because this is when you’ll get nice, clean waves and the conditions are usually great!
I can only speak for ourselves and our trip but we had great conditions 8 or 9 out of 10 days! (We went in November).
When the conditions weren’t ideal at one beach, the team always had an alternative. There are so many beach and reef breaks nearby that it’s almost always possible to find a good spot to surf.
There were obviously some days that were better than others but that’s something we can’t control.
At the end of the day, the surf conditions are going to be dependent on Mother Nature – and based on what she does, the team decides when and where to surf.
The surf spots are quite good and a lot easier to surf on than in Portugal in our opinion. It’s also nice not having to put on and wear a wet suit every time we surf. Instead, we just enjoyed the warm Indian Ocean.
Another thing that’s super convenient about the surf here is the proximity to the surf spots. The closest beach is only 2 minutes away so it’s super convenient and never takes long to get to your surf spot! I think the longest we went away was 20 minutes in a tuk-tuk (yes, you take a tuk-tuk to the surf spots!).
Packed schedule
We’ve already covered this a bit but we really liked how “packed” the schedule is at the surf camp. This doesn’t mean you have to be busy all the time but it means that there are lots of opportunities to socialize, explore new things, and see new places!
We’re social butterflies so we participated in a lot of the different activities and also organized a few ourselves. We were working a little bit during the weeks but when we had the chance to go out and do things we did.
Some of our favourites were going to the Lighthouse for sunset and playing Spikeball, going for a sunset surf session at “Sticks” (a surf spot near the camp), playing table tennis upstairs, and going to Galle to get custom-made clothes!
Communication from beginning to end
It’s always a bit more challenging going to a new country like Sri Lanka. We’re used to travelling a lot in Europe, North America, and Oceania and have only visited a few developing countries so far.
Sri Lanka is a developing country so a lot of things will likely be very different here than what you’re used to – depending on how much you’ve travelled to other developing countries of course.
So there are some things you need to prepare for such as which medications to bring, applying for a visa, researching vaccines, and just knowing how to handle certain situations in case they do arise.
Sri Lanka is very safe overall (just the traffic can be a little crazy) but there are certain diseases and bacteria that, in the Western world, we are not used to.
Lapoint does a great job of informing you of everything you need to know in their emails leading up to the trip. They also send out a PDF with everything you should do to prepare for your trip and what to pack.
This really helped us get ready for our trip and saved us a lot of time doing research on our own!
Sustainability
We truly feel like Lapoint is a company that cares. They have taken many initiatives and are doing many things to become more sustainable!
There are weekly beach clean-ups (we cleaned 44 kilos of trash when we went), they provide recycle bins at the surf camp for everyone to use, they use local products for their food as much as possible, they encourage everyone to turn off their AC when they aren’t in the room, and so much more.
Lapoint cares about the environment and the ocean, and we really appreciate that!
Other related questions about Lapoint, Sri Lanka
When is the best time to go to Lapoint, Sri Lanka?
If you’re coming to Sri Lanka for surfing, the best months are between early November and April. This is when you have those nice, clean waves and glassy conditions in the morning.
November and December are still considered a part of the wet season and we definitely did have some rain when we went in November. However, the rain always came in the afternoon and evening so we only had one day out of the three weeks we spent in Sri Lanka where it rained during the day – and that was very light, so we could still surf.
If you visit Sri Lanka between May and October the weather is slightly more unpredictable and you will likely have some more rain. But that also means that there are a lot fewer people around – both in the waves and at camp – and that makes the experience really unique.
You get a lot closer with the other people at camp and you’ll also have the opportunity to spend more time with the surf coaches which could help you progress faster. So there are definitely perks to visiting outside of peak season!
If you’re simply looking for the best weather and surf that’s between January and March!
Is Lapoint good for beginner surfers?
Absolutely! The first time we ever went to Lapoint we had barely ever touched a surfboard before. Even this time at Lapoint Sri Lanka we went into level 1 again (since we hadn’t surfed in a few years) and there were lots of other beginners with us.
The surf instructors will go over all the theory and safety you need to know, and you will get lots of help in the water as well – both in terms of getting a good push to catch the waves and feedback to help you improve.
I would say most people that come to Lapoint camps (that we’ve been to) are level 1 and level 2! The camp is a great place to learn the basics and get comfortable on the board out in the ocean.
The majority of the people are here for a good time and to get better at surfing!
👩🏼⚕️ Is your trip insured?
SafetyWing’s Nomad Insurance covers amateur surfing 🏄♀️
Is Lapoint good for solo travellers?
Lapoint is the perfect surf camp to go to if you’re a solo traveller. The community aspect is something Lapoint thrives on and it’s really easy to meet new people and make friends.
Since everyone arrives on the same day, you will have this full experience with the same group of people. That makes it really special compared to surf hostels where people come and go on any given day.
There will always be groups of friends, couples, and partners that go to the camp together but a big chunk of the people each week are solo travellers.
When we went, it was probably 70% solo travellers and 30% of people who travelled together.
So if you’re a solo traveller looking to book a surf camp then do it! You’re going to have the best time!
Is Lapoint only for people under 30 years old?
No, absolutely not. From our experience, most people are usually between 20-30 but there are also a good chunk of people that are 30+ at the camp. At the time we went, we were 29 and 28 years old and it didn’t feel like we were too old at all!
Lapoint doesn’t just cater to 20-year-olds. There is lots of room for people in their 30s and even in their 40s! So don’t feel like there’s an age limit on the camp. If you want to go, do it!
At the end of the day, you’re as young or old as you feel and everyone is there for the same thing so you’ll for sure have something in common with the other people no matter what the age gap might be.
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Final thoughts on visiting Lapoint Surf Camp in Sri Lanka
In our opinion, this is one of the best surf camps in Sri Lanka! They’ve got everything you need to have an amazing time surfing and enjoying this little paradise in the Indian Ocean.
We’ve yet to visit all the Lapoint locations (we’ve been to two so far) but we’ve heard from others that Sri Lanka is one of their best camps – and we can see why!
It’s a great place where you’ll get to surf, meet like-minded people, and enjoy the beauty of the local culture.
If you have questions about surfing in Sri Lanka, you’re more than welcome to reach out. We’re always available via DM on Instagram or you can leave a comment below.
We hope you have the best time in Sri Lanka!
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