Sri Lanka

First off, sorry for the lengthy wait for this post, we’ve been busy travelling from Mirissa to Colombo then from Colombo to Bangkok. Here’s our update of our time in Mirissa, Sri Lanka.

The Honeymoon

As the Sri Lankan part of our trip was technically our honeymoon, we opted for somewhere with a little luxury where we could relax before the world trip really got going! We pre booked to stay in one of the villas at Lantern Boutique Hotel http://www.lanternsrilanka.com/  which cost around £450 for 6 nights including breakfast. We absolutely loved it here. The staff went out of their way to ensure we had a perfect stay, the room was huge with a comfy bed and indoor and outdoor shower, we had our own pool and sun beds right on the beach (which was always deserted so we had it to ourselves!) and the breakfasts were delicious (the Sri Lankan eggs Benedict was a personal fave, while Cam liked the egg hoppers). The hotel is slightly further down from Mirissa Beach but it was only a 5 minute tuk tuk drive (300LKR/£1.50 each way) to get to the beachfront restaurants and bars.

Mirissa is a quiet, small town on the south coast but with famous places such as Galle, and the national parks only a drive away there’s plenty to keep you occupied, though lounging on the beach with a ‘mirissacolada’ is always a winning option – here’s how we spent our time.

Udawalawe National Park

There are two national parks close enough to get to from Mirissa, Udawalawe and Yala. Yala is the place for leopard spotting as it has the highest concentration of leopards in the world, unfortunately the park closes for September so we took a trip to Udawalawe instead, and it’s fair to say we were not disappointed!  We saw a family of elephants, a family of deer, loads of water buffalo, crocodiles, an owl hawk, all sorts of other birds, lizards and even a wild cat which are pretty rare – even our guide couldn’t hide his excitement at spotting the cat! 

We arranged our visit through our hotel, who sorted a taxi (it was a 4 am start as you have more chance of seeing the animals early in the morning), park tickets, a Jeep with driver and a guide. We would definitely advise getting a guide as they really know how to spot the animals and give you lots of information. There are also plenty of stalls in Mirissa offering organised trips to the parks or you can travel to the park via taxi and arrange tickets and a guide when you get there. We paid 15000LKR (£75) for the whole thing and you could easily get it cheaper, particularly if you share a jeep with other people. 

Whale Watching

Mirissa is also known for its whale watching and there are plenty of places that will arrange this for you, most hostels, hotels and bars all offer these tours. We did this through our hotel as it was the easiest option for us. Prices range from around 5000LKR (£25) to 7000LKR (£35); the cheaper options have more people on the boats whereas the more midrange ones have less people, plus they provide drinks and snacks. We paid 6000LKR each (£30) and got quite a nice boat which was definitely not over crowded plus tea/coffee, fruit and sandwiches. They also provided a sea sickness tablet which unless you know you suffer from sea sickness I wouldn’t bother with as the sea was not that rough and the tablets made us both very drowsy! 

The tour itself lasted around 3 hours and we were lucky enough to see lots of whales including a whale with her calf and two other adult whales together at a close distance which was amazing! We also saw turtles bobbing around. We count ourselves very lucky to have had the opportunity to witness these giants of the sea up close, it was a truly incredible experience. 

Sunset at Coconut Tree Hill

One thing not to be missed is the sunset at the ‘secret’ coconut tree hill. A picturesque spot lined with palm trees overlooking the beach, with amazing views of those famous pink sky sunsets. Any tuk tuk driver will be able to take you there but it’s only a short walk from the beach, just further down from parrot rock. It gets popular at dusk so best to get there early or be prepared to compete with the instagram masses to get the best photo. 

Habaraduwa Turtle Hatchery

There are a few turtle hatchery places around Mirissa and it can be tricky to know which ones are ethical and real turtle conservation projects and which are just scams. We spoke to our hotel about this who recommended a small conservation project about a 20 minute tuk tuk drive from Mirissa in Habaraduwa.

We were nervous when we arrived as the hatchery was quite small but after talking to the volunteer there it was clear that this was the real deal and the volunteers genuinely cared about the conservation of these animals. This was a turtle rehabilitation centre really which took in turtles who had been injured by fishing nets or boats and where possible prepared them for release back into the wild. It also rescued turtle eggs which would otherwise have met a far more grisly end, either being eaten or being used for Jewellery, and once hatched released the baby turtles into the sea. We were lucky enough that the hatchery had two baby turtles that were ready to be released into the ocean, so we got to help Tony and Peter (we couldn’t help naming them!) take their first steps into the big wide ocean. There was something really special about being a part of that moment, an experience that neither of us will forget in a hurry.

Restaurants and Nightlife

There are plenty of restaurants in Mirissa, mostly located on the beach front – it’s hard to miss the table lanterns and fairy lights which line the beach. We ate at Mirissa Eye quite a lot as we found they did the best rice and curry on the beach for around 600LKR (£3). Most of these restaurants also serve western food should you ever get tired of Sri Lankan food (we certainly didn’t) and they all do happy hour from 4pm – 10pm on beers and their extensive cocktail lists. Papa Mango also serves good food and decent prices and is located just before you get to Mirissa Beach, it has a chilled surfer vibe with lots of fairy lights, hammocks and swings making it very instagramable! 

As far as night life goes, Mirissa is a pretty quiet town as most people tend to be up early and early to bed, however once the party light and fireworks have been set off at the end of the beach, the music gets louder and the bars take it in turns to throw their own mini party competing with flame throwing and deep house music. 

A Lasting Impression 

Our minimoon in Sri Lanka has left a lasting impression on us both and it is a place that will stay close to our hearts for years to come. The friendliness of the people, the beauty of the country, the tastiness of the food and all the once in a lifetime things to do have combined to give us the most wonderful time. We will definitely be back one day!