Sunset spots near Hiriketiya and Dikwella

Hiriketiya's bay looks south, so the sun does not sink into the sea there: it goes down behind the western headland. For the sun over open water, go to Pehembiya, the west-facing end of Dikwella's bay about ten minutes on foot from Hiriketiya, and be there an hour before.

When and where does the sun set here?

Early, and fast. On this coast the sun sets between about 17:45 and 18:30 all year. The earliest sunsets are in November, the latest in July. The soft light starts around 17:00, and it is dark some twenty minutes after the sun has gone.

The direction moves with the months, and it decides what you see:

• From about October to February the sun sets a little south of west. On a coast that runs east to west, that brings it closer to the sea. These are the months when a west-facing beach gives you the sun on the water.
• From about April to August it sets a little north of west, over the land. The sky still burns, but behind the palms.

Most beaches here face south, into the Indian Ocean. A south-facing bay sees the sun leave over its right-hand headland. To see it go into the water you need a beach that looks west, or a point of land that sticks out. For this list each place was checked against the map of the coast, and we say what we found.

Seven places to watch the sunset

This guide is written by Ohana. We are on the list, and we say where we think we fit.

• Pehembiya Beach, Dikwella. The eastern end of Dikwella's long bay curves round until it faces west. One guide puts it plainly: because it looks west, you watch the sky go through its colours over the Indian Ocean. In the winter months the sun goes down across the water of the bay. There are simple beach places with sunbeds, Machan Place among them. For the sun itself, this is our first choice.
• Ohana, Turtle Beach, Batheegama. That is us. Our bay looks south, and from our beach the sun goes down over the sea, to the right. The very last moment, when it touches the water, is hidden, but most of the sunset is in view. We fit when you want the hour, not only the picture: a sunbed from 16:00, two swings under the palms, a table on the sand, quiet. No alcohol is served.
• Smoke & Bitters, Pehembiya. A bar and restaurant in a coconut grove at the same west-facing end of the bay. Guides name it for the sunset with a drink and dinner after. Book ahead. If a sundowner is what you are after, it suits you better than we do.
• Hiriketiya beach. The bay faces south between two green headlands, and the sun drops behind the western one. What you watch is the other side: the last light on the eastern headland. The beach places fill up at this hour, there is music, and RAA at the tip of the bay is busy at sunset. Come for the mood and the company.
• Dikwella's long beach. For walking. The sand is wide and long, and far less crowded than Hiriketiya. Walk east towards Pehembiya, then turn round and walk back into the light. In the winter months the sun sets across the water towards the Batheegama headland.
• Blue Beach Island, Nilwella. A palm-covered rock joined to the shore by a strip of white sand, about fifteen minutes by tuk-tuk from Dikwella. Its south-western side is open to the sea, and around December and January the sun sets there over water. There is very little on the island, so bring water, wear something on your feet and start back while there is still light: the sandbar is not a place to cross in the dark.
• Dondra Head. The southernmost point of Sri Lanka, with the island's tallest lighthouse, finished in 1890. Guides put it about a quarter of an hour by car from Hiriketiya. The lighthouse stands on the south-eastern side of the point. The open view to the west is from the western shore of the headland, and from there the map shows clear sea towards the sunset from about September to March. We have not stood there at dusk ourselves, so take this one as a tip to check, not a promise.

What time should you arrive?

An hour before. If the sun sets at 18:00, be in your place at 17:00. The light is at its finest in that last hour.

Clouds are not bad news: a sky with some cloud often gives more colour than a clean one. In the rainy months, from about May to September, some evenings are simply grey.

What do you take, and what do you leave?

• A light for the way back. It gets dark quickly, and the paths behind the beaches can be very dark.
• Leave the drone and the speaker. Other people came for the quiet too.

Sunset, then dinner

The sunset is over by half past six, and dinner follows naturally. At Ohana the kitchen serves until 21:00, and the evening has an order: the sunbed, something to nibble, the sun, then a candlelit table in the first row and a whole fish for two.

With some luck, on some evenings, turtle hatchlings are released to the sea at Ohana or beside it, between 17:00 and 19:00, with our lights off. It cannot be promised or booked. On request, when there are enough people, we light a bonfire on the sand any evening.

How the evening goes, hour by hour, is in sunset dinner on the beach in Dikwella. What the evening holds as one pass is on the page for our sunset dinner on the beach in Dikwella. And for two people with something to celebrate, there are romantic things to do in Dikwella.

Good to know

• Sunset is between about 17:45 and 18:30 all year. Arrive an hour before.
• Ohana is at Turtle Beach, Dikwella, less than five minutes by road from Hiriketiya, and open every day.
• Lunch and dinner are served from 11:00 to 21:00. Prices are in LKR, plus a 10% service charge.
• Sunbeds are free for the whole day, one for each person, when each person spends 10,000 LKR on food and drinks; otherwise they cost 1,000 LKR an hour each. A towel comes with every sunbed.
• No alcohol is served. There are mocktails, iced teas and king coconut water.