My favourite beaches | India & Sri Lanka

In love with water – that’s who I am, that’s who I’ll be.

Yes, I know, I always say that, but deep inside I feel no journey complete without water to marvel at or play in.

The Indian Ocean provided some fantastic surprises; I thought it’d be calm, yet it was pretty rough all the time and everywhere we went in India and Sri Lanka, with tricky currents to fight, though the warmest water I ever experienced. While beaches in India are wide and wild [and sadly full of litter], the Sri Lankan ones [yup, I loved them more!] have a certain feel, a certain je-ne-sais-quoi I’ve never encountered anywhere before, and offer some unforgettable oceanfront mind shots. 

Crazy as I am for these encounters with the big, bold, and beautiful Ocean, here are the favourite beaches I was left with following my return home; they are a great add to my older list of foamy memories. 

1. Arambol Beach, Goa; India

Arambol is the liveliest of all coastal villages in North Goa. It also has my favourite beach in India; there's definitely something about it... some hidden charm in its whitish waves and wide sands...

You have the colourful houses to your right – with the bazaar selling the cutest stuff I found through South India –, the actual beach stretching to your left, and the Arabian Sea to your front. Happy moments, zen time, and summer songs in your heart. 

2. Yala National Park, Southern/Uva Province; Sri Lanka  

I don’t even know the name of the beach; we had our picnic there at the end of our safari through Yala and were told that the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami had killed 7 people there.

It is an amazing stretch of sand – clean, wild, and perfect – and the waves were mighty, to say the least. I couldn’t get enough.    

3. Mahabalipuram Beach, Tamil Nadu; India

To the left of the temple, not to its right! We didn’t find it the first time around and were wondering where the boats were, but close to sunset, we took the alley dotted with colourful shops and – with a relaxing soundtrack to guide us – reached the sands and found the bluish boats. We were immediately in love with the place and its vibe, rented a bodyboard and a surfboard and were off to enjoy my first surf lesson.  

4. Small stretch of Odayam Beach, Kerala; India

I don’t know how this beach is called either!

Disappointed with Varkala, we discovered it during a walk to Edava Village [this is the actual place you should be staying in while in the area, not the overcrowded and commercial North Cliff!], it just caught our eye. It sits steps away from Palm Tree Heritage; you could enjoy a cocktail or a pineapple juice, watch the local fishermen and have a dip after. It was my favourite swim of the trip and I had a lot of fun until I touched something big and rather soft beside me… and then I was out of the water in seconds. :))   

Special note: the most mesmerising oceanfront of my life – Ahangama, Southern Province; Sri Lanka

I kept looking at the waves violently crashing into the rocks. The blue-turquoisish water was hypnotising. My boyfriend – and travel partner – used to kid over this. ‘What colour are my eyes?’ ‘Ahangama blue.’

The clouds were rolling in, and I felt it as a warning not to go in that day. However, whenever I felt the urge to keep my eyes off that tumult, it would call me back. Bewitched. I promised myself to head back there one day and surf those waves!