Arugam Bay to Colombo by Bus
For the latest direct bus times from Arugam Bay or Pottuvil to Colombo see Latest News.
Akkaraipattu to Colombo by Bus
There is a luxury ac bus leaving from Akkaraipattu 50km north of Arugam Bay which can be reserved. For more information see this page.
Arugam Bay to the South Coast by Bus
For destinations on the south coast there are direct buses to Matara which leave from Pottuvil at 6am and 7am. If you want to go later then it will be necessary to take a bus to Monaragala and then change for south coast destinations such as Tissamaharama, Yala, Tangalle, Matara, Weligama, Mirissa, Galle and Hikkaduwa. There are regular departures on this route from Monaragala, both private and government services.
Arugam Bay to Batticaloa or Trincomalee by Bus
For destination Batticaloa there are direct buses from Pottuvil at 6am, 8am, 9:30am, 12pm, 4pm and 6.30pm. However, outside of these times there are regular departures, every 30 minutes or so, to the north routing via Akkaraipattu or Kalmunai. From Batticaloa there are regular express buses to Trincomalee. There is a direct night bus from Pottuvil to Trincomalee at 12:30am leaving from the roundabout.
Arugam Bay to Kandy
There is a night bus to Kandy that leaves Pottuvil at 8:30pm and arrives around 4:30am. If you want to travel by day you need to take one of the buses to Monaragala as detailed below and then change for Kandy.
Leaving Arugam Bay by Bus
There are mutiple buses going from Panama to Monaragala which pass through Arugam Bay (no need to go to Pottuvil); these are 5:45am, 7.30am, 8:45am and 11:15am. There is also a bus leaving from Pottuvil to Monaragala at 5:30am, 12:30pm, 1:30pm, 2:30pm and 5pm. From Monaragala there are regular direct services to Colombo and most other parts of the island including Ella. See the bus stop map for leaving Arugam Bay to find your nearest stop.
Taxi Options
There are two options to find a taxi: request a quote on this site and support the local Arugam Bay taxi operators or go to our other site srilankacaranddriverhire.com and request a quote from all national taxi operators.
If you want to share a taxi try srilankataxishare.com.
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Hello! Would you have the bus timetable from Monaragala to Pottuvil or Panama (stop at Arugam Bay)?
Hi,
I am wanting to travel to kandy from arugum bay on the 8th.
Does anyone know the details for the night bus and how to book it?
Hi!
Do you know if you need to buy a ticket in advance for the bus from pottuvil to Batticaloa or is it possible to pay on the bus? I’ve tried to find information about the bus but it’s not that easy to find.
Hey Malin, you can try some of the bus booking sites. However, I do not think that tickets for this bus can be bought in advance.
Hi, where exactly is the bus stand in Arugam Bay? I need to catch the bus to Monaragala and then to Colombo.
Hey Agata, use one of the bus stops shown in the map on this page. There is no bus stand in Arugam Bay.
ok, thanks! Is there any sign near the first stop indicating that it’s the right place to wait for the bus? 😀
I very much doubt there will be any information at the stop. There is only one bus route that runs from Panama through Arugam Bay so if you are at any of the stops along the road you can catch it.
ok, thanks for your help!
Hey
When it comes to the night bus from Pottuvil > Kandy, do you have much other info?
Is it a Pre booked bus / price / area in Pottuvil it departs from?
Hey Mark, the info on this bus came from the Facebook group Arugam Bay Surf Community. If you join the group and search “Kandy Bus” you will find the original post.
I want to get to Batticaloa/Passikudah from Arugam Bay.
Do I have to get on the Bus in Pottuvil or are there stops in Arugam Bay aswell?
How much will ist cost?
Thanks for your help!
Hey VePe, the buses to Batticaloa will start at Pottuvil. It will not cost much, maybe 350LKR?
Thank you for the quick response!
Will the bus Pottuvil – Batticaloa stop in Pasikudah before arriving in Batticaloa?
How frequent to the busses leave? Is there a timetable? And how long will the journey take?
You will need to take a bus north from Batticaloa towards Pasikudah. You can jump off the bus on the main A15 road and take a tuk tuk the rest of the way. Or it may be easier to just take a tuk tuk from Batticaloa. The buses travel around 40km per hour on average on that road.
Hey,
We want to go from Arugam Bay to Trincomalee by the direct Night Bus. Is it running at the moment? Because we asked some locals and everybody‘s telling other things about running or not and what time it should leave Pottuvil.
Yes there is night bus. From ambanthota to trincomalle.
You have to be in pottuvil bus stand at night 11.30 to 12 midnight bus is going through the pottuvil – batticalo- trincomalle reaching morning 4.30am
Hello, we want to go to Trincomale by direct bus tomorrow (first Arugam to pottuvil by tuctuc). Which number does the bus have and what is written on the bus (start and ending destination).
Hey Tommy, you need to first take the bus from Pottuvil to Batticaloa, not sure about the number. From there take a bus to Trincomalee.
Hello, we are actually currently in Panama and need to go to Matara, would we just need to go to Monaragala then to Matara? Or is there an early enough bus to get us to Pottuvil for the direct bus?
I think if you take the first bus from Panama you might get to Pottuvil in time for the 6am, if not you can take the 7am bus to Matara.
Hi, is the direct bus at 6am from Pottuvil to Matara still run? How much will it cost?
Hey Kate, it should be running as normal. I imagine it will cost around 500 or 600LKR. Let us know how it goes..
Hello,
Thanks for all the info ! Just wanted to make sure the timetable is the same all year round ? We want to take the bus from Arugam bay to Monaragala tomorrow and everyone (at our hotel, at the nearby shop, restaurant…) tells us it’s not possible and that we have to go to Pottuvil :/
Thanks !
Yes, the buses run all year round. They are telling you this because they do not think that foreigners are able to take a bus from the side of the road like all of the locals do everyday! Or they are trying to sell you an overpriced tuk tuk ride, let us know how it goes…
Hello,
Do you know are there any buses from Batticaloa to Polonnaruwa and what times?
Because as I understand early bus from Arugam to Bati will arrive later that train, which leaves to Polonarruwa?
Hi Lili, yes any Batticaloa to Colombo bus will stop at Polonnaruwa. They should be very frequent, I would say every 30 mins or so.
Hey guys, thanks for the info about this bus, was really helpful in getting us to dickwella! Just an update though, The direct bus to matara now leaves pottuvil at 630am.
Hey Tom, thanks for the info. Did someone say this to you or did the bus just happen to leave at 6.30am?
Hi
We are travelling from Arugam Bay to Belihuloya, could you please tell me any information on how to get there by bus. I have found a bus leaving to Wellawaya once a day and I can take a taxi from there but I am not sure on the time it leaves.
Any help would be muchly appreciated
Hey Jemima, we don’t know about any buses that go to Wellawaya, only the ones that go to Monaragala as detailed on this page. If you find out more info please let us know!
Hello people,
I was wondering how much a bus ride from arugam bay to ella would normally cost!
Thank you very much and have a great day!
Hey fellas,
update for your question about the bus to monaragala. Drove today from A-Bay at 8.00am (last stop) for 114Rs. So this bus is for sure. There should be one at 6.30am. I cant say anything about the last one.
Enjoy 😉
Hey! We are planning to go to Tissa from Arugam Bay next week. Does the 12pm bus, which goes to Monaragala, stop in Arugam Bay aswell?
Can you buy the tickets on the bus and how much are they?
Hey Viviana, yes the bus goes from Panama to Monaragala and stops in Arugam Bay at the bus stops on the map. You buy the ticket on the bus, it will probably be about 200-300LKR.
Hello,
Are there any luxury buses from Arugam Bay to the south coast? We want to go from Arugam Bay to Weligama but we have surfboards that we can’t take on regular buses.
Hey Miranda, I am afraid not. You will need a taxi. If cost is an issue then you could go to Colombo and then take the train south.
Hi, we would like to take one of the direct luxury ac buses from Arugam Bay to Colombo (maybe 8.30pm). Where in Arugam Bay would we get picked up from (are the stops the same as the Monaragala stops above)? Also where in Colombo will we be dropped off. Do we reserve or just show up? Thanks
Hi Geoff, the direct ac luxury buses leave from Pottuvil. See the bus times page and the comments for more information. It will take you to the central bus stand in Colombo.
What’s the best way to get to Mirissa from arugam bay. What bus number do we catch and where from? Also how many stops is there??
Hey Harriet, the best way is always by an ac taxi! But if you want to go by bus then take the 6am bus from Pottuvil to Matara. Then take a Galle bus along the coast to Mirissa. There will be lots of stops over the 7 hour journey!
Hi,
May I know if there are buses around 3 a.m. or 5 p.m. to go to Batticaloa from Pottuvil/Arugambay? (To catch the train to Colombo, at Batticaloa Railway station )
And how long does it take to reach Batticaloa from there by bus?
Hey, the first bus is 6am from Pottuvil to Batticaloa, we are not sure when the last one is but it is usually around 5:30 or 6pm. We will try and find that out and let you know. Batticaloa is about 3 to 3.5 hours on the bus.
Hi
Looking at catching the 5:45am bus from Arugam Bay to Monaragala. Does this bus leave Panama at 5:45am or does it arrive at Arugam Bay at 5:45am?
Do you know what time the busses leave from Monaragala to Colombo?
Thanks,
Hey guys, 5:45am is the Arugam time but expect it around that time, not at that time exactly – this is Sri Lanka… The buses from Monaragala to Colombo will be frequent – every 30 mins or so at the most. Try and get one of the private ones with ac.
Hi,
We want to go to Tangalle from Arugam Bay. So we red that there is a direct bus at 6 am. How long will the busride take?
What if we would like tontake a bus later (so change busses at Monaragala), how long will this busride take?
Thanks for your response.
Hey Luca, the bus from Tangalle to Pottuvil will take about 5 hours, maybe 30 mins less or 30 mins more. If you go later and change in Monaragala then maybe you will wait another 30 mins. These buses will be a little slower also and take more stops. It will probably take about 6 hours. But it is very hard to give a time for buses in Sri Lanka. They arrive when they arrive!
Can I take a surfboard on the bus?
Hi Anthony, you can only take a surfboard on the luxury ac buses. Any regular bus does not have a storage area big enough for a surfboard.
Hi, we want to go to Ella tomorrow. Is it faster to go to Pottuvil and catch a bus to Wellawaya there and then to Ella or should we take one of the buses to Moneragala and from there to Ella? Also, when do buses from Pottuvil to Wellawaya leave?
Thanks!
Hi Niklas, I think it is going to be about the same duration whichever way you go. Sorry but we have no bus times from Pottuvil to Wellawaya. If you find anything out please let us know.
Hi, we’re trying to find the most comfortable/cost effective way to get to trincomalee from arugam..is there a night bus?
Also, is it at all possible to get from arugam to sigiyria?
Hi Ruth, there is no night bus I’m afraid. You need to go via Batticaloa. The last bus from Batticaloa to Trincomalee is at 4pm. To get to Sigiriya the most comfortable way would be to take the luxury ac bus from Akkaraipattu at 7.30pm. This arrives at Habarana at 12:40am. Otherwise take the normal day buses changing at Batticaloa.
Hi, we want to leave arugam bay tomorrow and travel to Hirikitiya – what is the best way?
Thanks,
Andrea
Hi Andrea, the best way is always an ac taxi! But if you want to take the bus you can go direct on the 6am from Pottuvil to Matara (this follows the coast from Tangalle to Matara so jump off when you reach north of Hirikitiya and take a tuk tuk from there). If you want to go later than 6am take one of the buses to Monaragala mentioned above and from there another to Matara.
is 6am still accurate for the direct bus? 🙂
Hi Pieter, all the information on this page is still accurate as far as we know.
Hi! I’d like to go form arugam bay to ella this sunday… Do you think the time table would be the same? So bus at 5:45 or 7:30 to monaragala… No private direct bus?!
Hi Elisa, the timetable should still be current but be aware that buses do not always run on time in Sri Lanka. Let us know if there are any problems.
Hi,
We want to leave Arugam Bay tomorrow and catch a bus to Ella. I am struggling to find the best way. Thanks
HI Cecily, first you can take any of the buses from Arugam Bay to Monaragala as described above. At Monaragala, ask at the bus station for the next departure to Ella. There will be two options; a direct bus to Ella or a bus to Wellawaya. From Wellawaya take another bus to Ella.
Hello, is the timetable still up to date? We want to go from Arugam Bay to Ella. Would be great if we could catch a Bus here without going to Pottuvil.
Thanks! 🙂
Hi Andi, yes it should be but they can always run late. Let us know if you have any problems.
Hi, we’ll be leaving arugam bay tomorrow at 6.30pm with the bus 98 to udawalawe. The booking confirmation says the bus stops in arugam bay. Does he really do or should we go to pottuvil to be safe.
Thank you, Markus
Hi Markus, the bus will stop at any of the stops in Arugam Bay, but I recommend being in sight of the driver and waving as it will be dark. All tuk tuk drivers will tell you the bus does not stop, just ignore them!
We’re on the bus 🙂 thank you so much for your help !
Hello,
Your comment on bus from arugam Bay to monaragala : Is it still true?
Cause we Will leave AB tmrw and we want to ne sure about the bus stop and the Schedule.
Thank you
Hey Agathe, the schedule should be good but understand that buses do not always run on time in Sri Lanka! Let us know how it goes, good luck!