Overview
There is a direct bus from Matara to Kalmunai which stops in Pottuvil leaving daily at 11:50am. This should give you time to take an early bus from any south coast origin such as Hikkaduwa, Galle, Unawatuna, Mirissa or Weligama and arrive at Matara before it leaves. The bus travels through Tangalle so you can get on there but a seat may not be guaranteed. After arriving in Pottuvil take a tuk tuk to Arugam Bay or wait for a bus to Panama.
Duration and Cost
According to the comments below, the journey time is about seven hours from Matara to Pottuvil and it costs 350LKR.
Other Departures
If you want to leave Matara earlier or later you can take a more regular bus to Monaragala and then change on to the Panama bus which stops in Arugam Bay. See the page Colombo to Arugam Bay by Bus for more info on arriving by bus.
Quick Links
- Bandaranaike Airport to Colombo
- Colombo to Arugam Bay by Bus
- Colombo to Arugam Bay by Train and Bus via Ella or Badulla
- Colombo to Arugam Bay by Train and Bus via Batticaloa
- Colombo to Arugam Bay by Luxury Bus via Akkaraipattu
- South Coast to Arugam Bay by Bus
- Independent Taxi Share
- Request Taxi Quote
Leave a Reply
Just on the trip and caught a bus from Matara to Siyambalanduwa, which is 20km away from Arugam. Will probably catch a Tuktuk from there 🤞🏻
When do the bus leave?
Hey 🙂 are the seats fixed in this bus or is it a „regular“ bus?
Greetings Kilian
Hi John. Does the bus from Matara to Pottivil run at the same time on a Saturday, and a Sunday.
Hi Steve, not 100% sure but I do not see any reason why not.
How much time is required to go from Matara to Arugam Bay?
Hey Marco, as it says above in the text about 7 hours.
Hi sorry if this has already been asked but can you take this bus trip in reverse? I was wanting to travel from arugum bay to hikkadawa and would love to not have to transfer from bus to bus if possible
cheers
Hey aleshia, yes you can, see the Leaving Here page.
This is an old post hut giving it a try — does buses still stop at Tangalle on the way to A’Bay? And from where in Tangalle, just on the road anywhere?
Would be grateful for any advice.
Hey Amira, we are not sure, if you find out please let us know.
Hi, does the Matara to Pottuvil bus run every day including weekends? Thanks
Hey Eliza, we are pretty sure they run everyday the same. Let us know if you find out any different.
Hi, I’m in arungambay now, and in a couple of day I would like to go to unawatuna , there is a direct bus from pottuvil? Thank you
Hey Filippo, you need to take the 6am bus to Matara and change there for Galle. Otherwise take a later bus and change at Monaragala for the south coast. See Leaving Here for more details.
Hi , we want to come from Galle to Arugam bay tomorrow (26th ) but have been told the weather is just as bad as Up there , can anyone advise
Plan is to get the bus from Galle to Marta and then get the 11.50 to kalmunai , any idea on rough costs , as we always end up paying over the odds on the local buses , so don’t want to do the big notes
Hey Allanah, there is a comment from Alex 7 months ago saying the price from Matara to Pottuvil was 350LKR. It should be about the same now, maybe a little more. For a weather check try the Arugam Bay Surf Community on Facebook. I imagine it will be better than the south coast which is about to receive the first monsoon rains of the season.
Is there a direct bus from pottuvil to tangalle?
If so what time?
Hi Katie, the bus from Pottuvil to Matara at 6am will pass through Tangalle. See Leaving Here for more details.
Hi
Do they let you have surfboards on the matara to kalmunai bus ?
Hey Kerri, there is a storage area in the back of the bus accessed from the outside. If you search for pictures of Sri Lankan buses you will see it. However, not all buses have this and sometimes it is full already. So, its never guaranteed. Let us know if you try and succeed!
Even if there was room, I really wouldnt risk your board in that storage space.
Hello,
Is the 11:50am bus from Matara bus stand to Pottuvil a special bus I need to locate or is it one of the normal Sri Lankan buses at the bus stand?
Thanks,
Hey Nat, yes its a regular bus from the bus stand.
Hi there travelers, does Anybody know if you can take a surfboard on the bus?
Thanks in advance! 🙂
I was in Sri Lanka last year and there was no room on buses for surfboards. Not even room for bags! The driver sometimes let you put the bag next to him at the front.
Hi, small boards will go in the luggage compartement in the back, otherwise you might have to pay for extra seats.
Yesterday I made the trip from weligama to Matara. You take the bus from weligama bus station to Matara (1 hour 50LKR/person) and the bus from Matara to Kalmunai that stops in Pottuvil, so from Matara to Pottuvil it takes around 7 hours because it stops everywhere and the price is around 350lkr/person with the bagpack
Is this an a/c bus?
No, I’m afraid not.
How long does the bus take from Matara to pottuvil?
Hi Dave, it should take about 6 hours plus or minus 30 minutes. Let me know how it goes if you take the journey. Enjoy Abay!