Mirissa was my favourite place of my whole 2 weeks in Sri Lanka. I absolutely loved the waterfalls we saw inland and the epic hikes we did, but by the end of the trip I was ready for some sun, sea and chill beach vibes.
Mirissa gave me just that. Mirissa is a small town on the southern coast of Sri Lanka. It’s a lovely town with beautiful beaches, fun vibes and lots of things to do.
In this guide I’ve outlined all the best things to do in Mirissa, where to stay and everything you need to know to plan your Mirissa trip.
Table of Contents
10 best things to do in Mirissa
Chill at Mirissa Beach
First things first, one of the best things to do in Mirissa is to simply chill at the beach! Mirissa is a lovely coastal town and the main beach here is beautiful.
There are lots of spots along the beach where you can rent sunbeds and umbrellas, as well as restaurants to eat on the beach. The waves aren’t big enough to surf but you can get body boards if you want to have some fun in the waves!
Snorkel with turtles
In Mirissa we had the opportunity to snorkel with giant sea turtles. I was very sceptical, but we actually saw four giant turtles, not far from the shore.
We signed up for our excursion from a shack on Mirissa Beach and paid around 1,500 LKR each. The next day they picked us up at 9AM and took us with a tuk-tuk to the turtle beach.
We only had to swim about 15 metres away from the shore to spot the first turtle! We had two guides with us who would swim ahead and search for the turtles.
The current was a bit strong and the visibility wasn’t great, but all in all it was a very fun experience! Getting up close to these beautiful marine creatures is without a doubt one of the best things to do in Mirissa.
I’ve been snorkelling with turtles also in Bali and the Philippines but the turtles in Mirissa were by far the biggest I’ve seen.
Click here to book your snorkelling with turtles experience in Mirissa!
Watch the sunset from Coconut Hill
Coconut Hill is one of the most famous spots in Mirissa. This little hill located a 20-minute walk away from Mirissa Beach (or 3-minute tuk tuk journey) is dotted with tall coconut trees.
The sight of the round hill lined with tall coconut trees and the sea in the background has become one of the most photographed spots in Sri Lanka.
Every day groups of people gather here to watch the sun go down, framed by the coconut tree silhouettes.
Go whale watching
Mirissa in Sri Lanka is a prime whale watching spot. The best time of year to see whales is from November to April, when the sea is calm and the whales are migrating.
From May to October the sea is rough and the chances to see whales are very low. If you’re in Mirissa at the right time of year, you should definitely join a whale watching tour! You can often see blue whales, dolphins and sperm whales.
I was in Mirissa during the wrong season but would have loved to do this. Seeing these gentle sea giants in the wild is always a magical experience, like when I went whale watching in Vancouver.
Party on the beach!
Mirissa isn’t a huge party town, but there are definitely fun parties to be had! There’s a schedule and every night the party is in a different venue, allowing all the local bars to have their profitable night.
How do you know where the party is? Just follow the beam! Each night we’d just head straight down to the beach, look up in the sky and there it was, shining in the sky like a party bat-signal.
The bar that is in charge of the party that night will shine a beam, so people know where to go. We had some incredible times dancing the nights away at Mirissa’s beach bars.
Go surfing in Weligama
A short 5-minute tuk-tuk journey away from Mirissa you will find Weligama Bay, a prime surf spot. Weligama Bay has a huge beach with long and consistent waves, perfect for beginners.
Compared to Fuerteventura or Bali, it was one of the easiest places I have ever surfed at. There are stalls all along the beach from which you can rent boards for as little as 200 LKR for one hour (around 1 USD) or even do surf lessons.
There are also lots of cute cafes and restaurants either directly on the beach or beachfront on the road, where you can fuel up after a long day of surfing.
Make sure to stay in Weligama until sunset, not only is that usually the best time to surf, but Weligama also has the most incredible sunsets!
Click here to book your Weligama surf lessons!
Visit Secret Beach
Considering almost everybody knows about it and it’s one of the most recommended things to do in Mirissa, it’s not really a secret beach anymore. However it’s beautiful nonetheless and you should definitely pay it a visit.
There are huge rocks in the sea just in front of Secret Beach, which shelters it from the ocean waves.
That means that, unlike the beaches in Mirissa and Weligama, Secret Beach has nice, calm and clear water that you can swim in without having to battle the waves.
The beach is quite small so make sure to go early in the morning before the crowds. There is a café where you can get food and drinks, but not as much choice as Mirissa or Weligama.
It’s considered by many one of the best beaches in Sri Lanka.
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Enjoy Sri Lankan cuisine
Admittedly this one isn’t unique just to Mirissa, but one of the things you have to do is sample Sri Lankan cuisine!
I was dubious at first, assuming it would be similar to Indian and too spicy for me, but I actually ended up loving Sri Lankan food. My personal favourite was kottu (anyone else had that before??)
There are lots of restaurants on the beach in Mirissa that serve a combination of Sri Lankan and Western food. These obviously have a premium price given the prime beach location.
They’re also pretty touristy and to be honest, sometimes not great. The fun thing of the beach restaurants is that they have fresh fish and seafood on display, and you can pick the fish you want to eat.
One night we had dinner at Dhana’s Curry Pot, it’s not on the beach and not fancy at all, but it offered a traditional Sri Lankan experience and we loved it!
Day trip to Galle & Unawatuna
Galle and Unawatuna are popular tourist spot that you can visit on a day trip from Mirissa.
Galle Fort is a colonial town and UNESCO world heritage. You can see the Portuguese and Dutch influence in the beautiful architecture that lines the streets.
It’s a very cute spot with colourful houses, cobbled streets, lovely restaurants and fun shops. It feels completely different from the rest of Sri Lanka and is a must-see.
From Galle you can easily hop over to Unawatuna. I didn’t find Unawatuna particularly charming, but it’s home to one of the most famous sunset spots in Sri Lanka.
You’ve guessed it right, the famous beach sunset swing! The drive from Mirissa to Galle takes around 1 hour.
Go on a safari to Udawalawe National Park
This activity isn’t quite in Mirissa, but it’s an epic one-day trip away and you’ll be glad to have done it! Udawalawe National Park is famous for the high number of wild elephants that roam the park grounds.
The drive from Mirissa to Udawalawe takes around 2 hours. The best times for safari are either sunrise or sunset, when there are more animals around. I know it will be a very early morning, but I recommend the sunrise slot.
I was amazed at just how many elephants we saw. We spotted our first one before even entering the park!
The elephants roam around free, and the jeeps drive around looking for them. We also saw other animals like buffalos, crocodiles and pumbas.
We arranged our jeep through our hostel and paid 3,000 LKR for a private jeep. We then had to pay separately for entrance to the park, which was 8,000 LKR for two people.
The safari only lasts a couple hours and we were back in Mirissa for lunch on the beach and an afternoon of surfing in Weligama!
Click here to book your Udawalawe National Park safari!
Where to stay in Mirissa
Mirissa is a fairly small town and everything is within walking distance. I’ve recommended below a few accommodation options for every budget.
Budget: Hangover Hostel – We stayed at the Hangover Hostel in Mirissa and loved it. The hostel is beachfront and has a lovely rooftop with view of the sea. The dorms are clean, with big lockers for personal possessions and have great AC.
Click here to book your stay at Hangover Hostel!
Medium: Fresh Wave Mirissa – If you don’t fancy a hostel dorm, but don’t want to break the bank, Fresh Wave is a great middle ground option. This beachfront hotel has all the amenities for a great stay, with an affordable price tag.
Click here to book your stay at Fresh Wave Mirissa!
Luxury: Paradise Beach Club – If you’re looking for a fancy stay, Paradise Beach Club is the one for you. Located in the heart of Mirissa, with a huge pool right on the beach, it’s the perfect place to relax and enjoy your time in Mirissa.
Click here to book your stay at Paradise Beach Club!
How to get to Mirissa
You will probably be coming to Mirissa from either Colombo or Ella. Here are the main modes of transport and relative costs.
From Ella
By taxi: The easiest way to get from Ella to Mirissa is by taxi. We arranged our transfer directly with the taxi drivers in the streets of Ella but you can book online beforehand if you prefer.
We opted for a private taxi since we wanted to do a stop at Udawalawe National Park to break up the journey. We paid 11,000 LKR for the 4-hour car journey, plus for our driver to wait 2 hours for us while we did the safari.
By bus: The bus option is obviously considerably cheaper, around 250 LKR but not as flexible on timings. You can take the bus to Matara, which takes 4-5 hours, and then from there a 15-minute tuk tuk to Mirissa.
Click here to book your transfer from Ella to Mirissa!
From Colombo
By taxi: A nice air-conditioned taxi will always be the easiest option as you get pricked up and dropped off door to door. Prices range around 6,000 – 8,000 LKR.
By train: Train journeys in Sri Lanka can be very scenic. The train is also the perfect balance between comfort and price to get to Mirissa from Colombo. There is a train for Weligama every four hours and it takes approximately 2 hours. Fro Weligama you can take a tuk tuk and in 5 minutes you’ll be in Mirissa. The train ticket price is around 200 LKR.
By bus: The buses are more frequent than the trains but take longer. It takes around 3 hours but there is a bus every 15 minutes to Matara, from where you then take a tuk-tuk to Mirissa. The bus price is around 150 LKR.
Click here to book your transfer from Colombo to Mirissa!
What to pack for Mirissa
I’ve listed below some essentials that you will want to pack for Mirissa, and your Sri Lanka trip more generally.
Fast drying towel – Whether you need it for showering in a hostel or to sit on the beach, remember to pack one of these. I love them because they don’t take up much space and dry really quickly.
Sun cream – The heat in Sri Lanka is intense! Make sure to protect your skin from the harsh sunrays.
Hat – Like above, you will want something to shade your head.
Power bank – When we were visiting (April 2019) there were a lot of power cuts in Sri Lanka. Better to be safe than sorry and have a power bank with you to charge your electronics.
International adapter – When there aren’t power cuts, you might need this to charge your electronics.
Final thoughts on what to do in Mirissa, Sri Lanka
Mirissa was one of my absolute favourite places in Sri Lanka. I’m already planning another trip there and can’t wait to go back. There are so many awesome things to do in Mirissa that you will never get bored.
Mirissa also has such chill and fun beach vibes that if you want to do nothing at all, that’s also fine too! You can spend your days sipping mojitos on the beach and enjoying the sun.
I hope you find this guide useful in planning your time in Mirissa!
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