Mirissa

Mirissa, a small coastal town is just an hour and a half away from Colombo. Its quirky nature has made it popular with travellers in the last decade. A welcoming beachfront, seaside cafes together with the opportunity to see whales in the nearby ocean, is what sets Mirissa on Sri Lanka’s map.

The south coastline of Sri Lanka is dotted with many small, quaint places and Mirissa is one of them. Mirissa is a small fishing town 150km from Colombo on the south coast. This town has the largest fishing harbour in the country, and is well-known for its fresh catch of tuna, mullet and snapper. Mirissa was a quiet, unknown town up until the mid 1990’s when backpackers discovered it. The town’s popularity grew with backpackers as a haven away from more populated towns on the southern coast like Hikkaduwa. Added to this, Mirissa has a small, nevertheless picturesque bay, that’s great for wind surfing and swimming. Mirissa is no longer a hideout. It is very much in the limelight with easy access of just over an hour from Colombo on the southern expressway. To match the newfound reputation as a hip beach destination, the surrounding area has seen a good range of accommodation developed from small to medium to modest and upmarket hotels and resorts.

Such change in the landscapes has attracted more travellers with diverse interests. Alongside this, a number of restaurants have come up placing Mirissa on the map as an upcoming food scene. Being close to the UNESCO World Heritage city of Galle make this small town quite versatile for a stay on the south coast. Mirissa to Koggala Airport is just under an hour, making travel even closer. Nevertheless, Mirissa remains quaint, clean and blissful. The short stretch of beach is still unspoilt and great to spend time relaxing or surfing. A number of bars and restaurants surrounding the beach means that you are never short of food and drinks, yet away from big crowds. For wildlife enthusiasts Mirissa is the one of the best places in Sri Lanka to see blue whales and sperm Whales not too far off shallow waters.

ITINERARIES

Here are sample itineraries featuring Mirissa on the south coast of Sri Lanka. Click below to read more about accommodation in Mirissa and things to do on Sri Lanka’s south coast or get in touch to receive a detailed, tailor made itinerary for your Sri Lanka holiday.

Testimonials

Amazing trip! We absolutely loved it. Sri Lanka is now a country we would definitely like to go back to and explore further.Thank you so much for all the work you did in putting the trip together for us. It was a great mix of places for us to get a good feel of the country. We will be encouraging all our friends to go to Sri Lanka.

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