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.