8-Day Wellness, Meditation and Yoga Retreat in Hiriketiya, Sri Lanka

Practice Yoga in a breathtaking location...Surf in Sri Lanka's perfect waves... Relax and sleep in our laid back yoga retreat... and eat well to restore, revive and feel amazing... Those wishing to combine the traditional delights of Hiriketiya with a week of surfing and yoga can take advantage of some of the best beginners to intermediate waves on the Southern Coast of Sri Lanka, right at your fingertips. The Yoga & Surf Package program aims to make sure you get the most from your experience in Sri Lanka whether you are an experienced surfer or have never tried it before. Surfing gets you fit, and tanned and you’ll make some great new friends in the process. After an active day of laughs and spills, you can relax with our morning or late afternoon yoga & meditation sessions before sitting around the infinity pool at The Salty Pelican with some ice-cold drinks from our poolside restaurant and your new friends. Our friendly, highly experienced team will help you develop your own yoga practice, teach you how to surf a wave and create the perfect experience. Just a great week of fun, sun, sand, surf, yoga, meditation, good people, good times and good vibes....

Please note that there are no yoga classes on all day Monday or on Friday afternoons, as we have safari tours scheduled instead (not. incl. in the package price).

This 8-day Balance & Restore Package offers an excellent detailed introduction to Hatha Flow & Yin yoga for beginners and the chance to dive deeper into more advanced practice. Yoga is for everyone, you don't need to have any prior experience and we welcome complete beginners. We have 2 yoga classes scheduled each day (no yoga all day Monday or on Friday afternoon) and during the peak season, we sometimes have an extra morning class for you to pick the best morning class. This gives our guests plenty of flexibility when planning their days with their alternative activities like surfing and exploring the local areas. Practicing Hatha & Yin yoga will help to harmonise the nervous system, increase your sense of balance with the body & mind and strengthen your lymphatic system. There is no yoga scheduled all day Mondays or on Friday afternoons, to give you the time to enjoy some other activities and tours we offer, like exploring the beautiful Udawalawe National Park elephant safari tour we schedule those afternoons. Located a short half-day trip away, we also visit the baby elephant orphanage transit home which is not to be missed. We have our own beautiful covered yoga shala deck surrounded by lush tropical jungle on our property and we provide all yoga mats and equipment.

Daily we combine meditation with our yoga classes. Our teachers will guide you ​through relaxing meditation to find balance with your body, emotions, and thoughts.​ ​Learn to relax with different breathing exercises. These classes are daily except all day Mondays or on Friday afternoons. 

Experience revitalizing Hatha Yoga sequences early morning to give you all the energy and focus you need for the day. Our in-house yoga instructors will help develop muscular strength, stamina, flexibility, balance, and breathing. They will help bring balance to your body and mind during the morning practice so that we build our bodies to be light and strong for the day. The mental benefits of yoga include an increased sense of focus and awareness to the human form and body. This practice is for all level yogis.... You don’t need any earlier experience. During peak season, we sometimes have two separate start times each morning for this class, except all day on Mondays and Friday afternoon.

We start our practice with a Yin Yoga class right before sunset on our rooftop yoga platform or in our shala... We hold long deep postures with a quiet and relaxed atmosphere. Almost every posture is done at beach level and the stretches will maintain for 2-5 minutes at a time. This will take us deeply into our connective tissue expanding flexibility and aiding healing energy to our bodies. This practice is for everyone and it's a beautiful way to start your yoga journey. Traditionally the Yin evening classes are more soft, slow, restorative to integrate with the days surfing activities and prepare the body for a great rest overnight. Let yourself emerge into a nice flow of your yoga practice. Enjoy breathing, relax your body, muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints and also your mind.

Surf Lessons & Unlimited Surfboard Use

There are no surf lessons included in your package, giving you plenty of time to chill out, explore, swim, free surf, relax with a massage, enjoy a body scrub, explore the Udawalawe National Park, discover the hidden restaurants of the local area and much more. Surf lessons can be booked as optional extras once you are here and you can pick and choose which days that best suit your itinerary. Our certified surf instructors follow a very unique approach in teaching and will make sure that you learn the proper surf techniques. The unique geography of our location means we have rideable waves almost every day of the year. We also have a large diverse range of premium FLOWT surfboards for unlimited guest use all day and every day included in your package. Feel free to grab a surfboard anytime you like and try different types from soft to hard or long to shortboards during your stay with us. 

On your arrival day, a schedule is open to book your full-body massages, body scrubs, and other Ayurvedic treatments. Our wellness and spa area is located in our beautiful peaceful garden and has two poolside rooms where we pamper your bodies with treatments. Really take the time to appreciate and absorb the special locally made oils that your body and mind need. Our relaxing Ayurvedic massages and head massages will make your stay even more zen after a good day of surf or exploring… Help your body to find the perfect balance. Included in your package, is a 1 x 50-minute full-body oil massage, 1 x 50-minute deep tissue massage, 1 x body salt scrub, 1 x 20-minute head massage 

If beautiful beaches, delicious food, rich culture, and stunning landscape aren’t enough to convince you to hop on a plane to Sri Lanka, then take a look at the amazing wildlife that this little island in the Indian ocean offers. Despite its size, the country possesses an extremely high degree of biodiversity and is considered one of the top biodiversity hotspots in the world. Going on a safari in Sri Lanka is one of the best things to add to your itinerary. Udawalawe National Park is our favourite, where there are more than 500 elephants that roam freely and wild buffaloes that play in the waterholes. Its a quick 2hr private air-conditioned transfer away. You will depart after lunch from The Salty Pelican for a unique elephant safari tour including a visit to the baby elephant orphanage transit home. You will also have the chance to see incredible birdlife and lizards too. Highly recommended and shouldn’t be missed on your travels to Sri Lanka.

The Salty Pelican retreat sits between two sun-dappled bays, with the magical tropical surfing paradise of Hiriketiya beach on the east side and the sprawling beach of Pehebiya & Dickwella on the west side. To relax, you can always grab a drink from the poolside bar, try some tasty food at our restaurant area, or lay back and chill-out in one of our beanbags in the beautiful garden with a great book.

Exploring Hiriketiya is a voyage of discovery. On the one hand, there is the tropical beach area that has a distinct chilled surfer vibe about it - with its perfect beginner surf and cosy beach bars in the sand selling watermelon daiquiris, to where the days fresh catch is still bought ashore by the local fishermen. You will find a few beachside restaurants and backstreet cafes serving up delicious coffee.

The Salty Pelican yoga & surf retreat sits perched on a slight headland above two sun-dappled bays, with the magical tropical surfing paradise of Hiriketiya beach on the east side and the sprawling beach of Dickwella on the west side. Dickwella beach is renowned for its glorious stretch of white sand which is simply stunning when it comes alive at sunset with all its colours. While you will find the perfect wave from a beginner beach break on one side of the bay, to an intermediate point break on the other end of the bay. Both these waves are only separated by a 2min paddle… it truly is a surfer’s paradise fringed with coconut palms. Both beaches are reached by foot from The Salty Pelican in just a few minutes’ walk. The whole coastline offers a seemingly endless amount of dramatic and ever-changing tropical beach scenery which can be explored very easily by a cheap tuk-tuk.

Marvel at Wewurukannala Vihara temple just a short 5min tuk-tuk trip from The Salty Pelican and gaze upon the visage of Sri Lanka's biggest Buddha standing at over 160ft high, the largest statue in all of Sri Lanka which is 250yrs old dating back to the time of King Rajadhi (1782 – 1798). Inside you will find carvings of cartoon strips depicting Buddha’s life. Before reaching the Buddha, you pass through a hall of horrors full of life-sized models of demons and sinners. If you don’t follow the path to enlightenment this is what happens to you. Climbing the Buddha will give you an opportunity of a great view of the surrounding areas.

Every Saturday, take a short stroll along Dickwella beach to the beachside market which holds a huge selection of fresh fruits and vegetables, local foods, freshly caught seafood and delicious baked breads, pastries, and clothing being sold by the local farmers and fishermen.

This is an incredible "secret" beach which you can take a beautiful walk along, feels like a lost paradise with nothing but coconut palms fringing the perfectly white sand and turquoise waters. You will hardly find a soul at this beach and is the perfect day escape. 15min tuk tuk ride away.

Picture yourself slipping into a hammock with a coconut in your hand, gently rocking in the breeze, just lying there watching the surf and the hours go peacefully by. That`s Mirissa beach in a nutshell. It is a beautiful beach, with a relaxed and laidback atmosphere. Along the beach are plenty of small restaurants and cafes, serving delicious and freshly caught seafood. After an amazing sunset, the restaurants put out tables on the beach, light lanterns and candles, and serve seafood barbecues. Super romantic and relaxing.

Tangalle Beach

A white sandy beach that stretches out as long as your eyes can see, with soft turquoise water…Tangalle Beach… It is Sri Lanka’s answer to paradise! 

Half-Day Tours Udawalawe National Park (2 hours away)

Love elephants and wondering where to see elephants in Sri Lanka, then join our wildlife safari in Udawalawe National Park every Monday & Friday afternoons (*depending on minimum signup) where there are more than 500 elephants that roam freely and wild buffaloes that play in the waterholes. Our guide is extremely knowledgeable and you will also have the chance to see incredible bird life and lizards also on your afternoon jeep safari tour. Afterwards you will visit an ethical elephant orphanage transit home that supports elephant calves survival, nurtured and cared for back to health. The elephants are free to roam around and are never chained. The Elephant Transit Home ensures that human contact is kept to a minimum in order to maximize their chance of survival when they are returned to the wild. Udawalawe in our opinion, is the best safari in Sri Lanka because it provides a truly gratifying experience. You can get very close to animals, particularly the elephants, and you're never really bothered by other jeeps and tourists. Including in your tour is return transfers, an English speaking driver and water.