Beach Hopping in Southern Sri Lanka
Southern Sri Lanka has been a mainstay for holiday makers for years. Despite its popularity there are still a few hidden gems along this stunning coast line. We stayed in Marakolliya, Hiriketiya, Mirissa and Delawella moving in that same direction, west to east. Any other beaches we visited we did so by either renting a scooter or taking a tuk tuk.
We spent 10 days beach hopping along Sri Lankas southern coastline and below are all of the beaches we visited with a rundown of the things we liked and didn’t like.
Marakolliya
Located 2.5 hours south of Udawalawe Marakoliya is a stunning expanse of sand close to Tangalle. Many travelers end up in Tangalle for couple of days before heading on to some of the more popular beaches along the coast.
Due to the fact that it is bypassed by the majority this beach is practically empty unlike other beaches in Sri Lanka. This coupled with the fact that it is absolutely stunning made it one of our favorite places in Sri Lanka.
It is important to note that the currents here are extremely strong, so as a result there is very little swimming to be had, however the scenery in front of you as you lie in a hammock meant this wasn’t an issue for us.
Staying on the beach itself can be quite expensive, therefore staying at one of the guesthouses a few minutes walk from the beach and will save yourself a fair bit.
Where we stayed
A small guesthouse 5 minutes from the beach. Staying on the beach is an option but it’s much more expensive.
What we loved
Absolutely stunning, very few people – this is paradise defined.
What we struggled to love
Can’t swim here.
Goyambokka
A short tuk tuk ride away from Marakolliya is Goyambokka. Expect to pay around 600 rupees for a tuk tuk, less than that if you haggling skills are better than ours. Goyambokka is one of the smaller beaches on the south coast, so naturally it can feel quite busy at times. From Goyambokka itself you can walk around to a number of other smaller, quieter beaches. This will require scrambling up and over rocks so its best not to do this in flip flops.
The beach has plenty of restaurants to choose from. Purchasing food or drink gets you a sun lounger at the majority of restaurants. They don’t seem to allow you to just rent a sun lounger outright like at other beaches, although that may have changed now.
This beach is more popular than Marakolliya and the fact that it’s quite small can sometimes cause it to feel more crowded than it really is.
Unlike Marakolliya though you can swim here. However do be aware that the currents here are quite strong so people do not venture too far out. The waves are huge, and whilst the beach may be busy it is unlikely the ocean will be.
Where we stayed
Visited on a day trip from Marakolliya.
What we loved
Very beautiful, decent if slightly overpriced restaurants, excellent swimming available.
What we struggled to love
Can get quite busy.
Hiriketiya
Just down the coast from Marakolliya is the relatively new discovery of Hiriketiya. During our 3 weeks in Sri Lanka a number of travelers had told us how amazing this place was, so we thought we’d go and check it out for ourselves. From Marakolliya it cost 1500 rupees in tuk tuk.
First thing to note is that beach space itself is not at a premium. It’s much smaller than Goyambokka, especially when the tide is in. It is very, very popular with with other travelers, therefore it can get pretty crowded. Like Goyambokka there are huge waves which are great fun to swim in, however unlike Goyambokka you will be sharing that space with lots and lots of surfers. Far from being an “off-the-beaten-track” kind of place as many people had described it to us, Hiriketiya is very much on the track. It’s a magnet for people who already surf and those who want to learn.
Since the beach is a large cove, the waves get channeled down the narrow opening and can be huge!
Also, be aware that there a lot of sea urchins here, especially around the rocks, even at shallow depths. We met two people who had stepped on sea urchins. Safe to say that it put a spanner in their holiday plans. Swimming shoes are extremely useful here.
Where we stayed
A small guesthouse a 5 minute walk from the beach. There are a lot of new guesthouses springing up. There are no guesthouses on the beach itself, they are all set back in the woodland behind the beach.
What we loved
Very beautiful, great waves, good community of people.
What we struggled to love
Expect to share the water with a lot of surfers and those pesky sea urchins.
Polhena
A short scooter ride from Hiriketiya is the long wind swept beach of Polhena. This beach is very different to the rest of the beaches mentioned. Firstly, you will not find beach restaurants and sun loungers here and secondly the beach itself is sheltered by a huge reef wall so expect tiny, tiny waves and no current. It makes a pleasant change.
Most travelers end up at the far west end of the beach as there are trees providing some shade. There is a small car park close by where you can park up your scooter. Since the beach itself has no restaurants, bars and sun loungers spilling out onto it the battle for shade is at a premium. The far eastern end of the beach seems to be the only part that has a patch of shade.
One of the best things about Polhena is that it’s possible to swim with sea turtles. After a minute or two in the water I came face to face with a giant sea turtle and then spent the next 30 minutes or so just snorkeling with him. Simply amazing. We were lucky enough to actually spot two turtles that day, but other than that there isn’t a lot of other stuff to see under the waves.
Another thing to note about Polhena is the fact that this beach is very, very popular with the locals. We were there on a Friday afternoon and at around 4pm crowds descended on the beach and Sri Lankan dance music began playing out of huge speakers. From then on it was party time.
Where we stayed
Day trip from Hiriketiya.
What we loved
Swimming with turtles, a place popular with locals.
What we struggled to love
Can get very busy, especially at weekends.
Mirissa
One of the party beaches of southern Sri Lanka. This beach has been popular since the dawn of time and it shows. Restaurants and bars spill out onto the beach, hostels and 5 star hotels jostle for tourist dollars and many, many people come to relax and enjoy the scenery. From Hiriketiya it costs us 1500 rupees in a tuk tuk. We only spent one night here and our main reason for visiting was to go whale watching and hopefully catch a glimpse of our planets biggest creature, the blue whale. You can read more about that here.
Mirissia is justifiably popular. It has a decent beach and all the amenities for a relaxing a holiday. There is ample space on the beach and plenty of restaurants offering good food and sun loungers. Just the things you need for a relaxing “do nothing” day. Aside from relaxing there are plenty of swimming opportunities, but it seems there is not a lot of surfing, certainly not in comparison to Hiriketiya.
This was probably the most popular beach we visited. Bars and restaurants line the beach and there are sun loungers a plenty. However even with the large number of people it didn’t feel particularly crowded which was quite surprising. However it was definitely not as picturesque as some of the other beaches we had already visited. Part of that is because this is very much a party beach, akin to the beaches on the islands of Koh Samui and Koh Phangan. If this is your thing then you will probably enjoy Mirissa more than we did. Large numbers of tourists bring another thing; litter. It’s not a bad as other parts of Sri Lanka however it is still sadly noticeable.
That being said there is a short walk onto the top of a rocky outcrop on the edge of the beach that does deliver some wonderful coastal views.
Where we stayed
Eastern end about 5 minutes walk back from the beach. This is one of the busiest beaches in Sri Lanka, so naturally there is a lot of accommodation with varying prices and standards.
What we loved
Views from the rocky outcrop.
What we struggled to love
The number of bars pumping out dance music, crowds, littler.
Delawella
Our final beach on our 10 day beach bumming trip was the tiny beach of Delawella, a 40 minute, 1500 rupee tuk tuk ride from from Mirissa. We ended up staying a 10 minute walk from the beach amongst trees and farmland.
The beach here is small, probably the smallest we encountered, however it’s whats under the waves thats the star attraction here; turtles. Like Polhena Delawella is surrounded almost entirely by a reef wall meaning that waves and currents are almost no existent. The exception being the eastern end of the beach. Their is a small gap that connects the calm pool and surf battered beach. At this point the current is unbelievably strong and the area has a number of rocks home to sea urchins so try and avoid this part if you can.
Turtles are regular visitors to these waters. Most afternoons one or 2 sea turtles will be swimming in the reef pool to gorge themselves on sea grass. Naturally the animals should be given plenty of space and should not be blocked, chased or cornered, sadly this is not always followed by other travelers. Generally the turtles do not seem bothered by people and will will pay people no attention the vast majority of the time. They will usually swim up and down the pool before disappearing back into the open ocean. Getting to swim with a turtle was of the highlights of our 3 week trip to Sri Lanka.
However it’s not just turtles, there is a decent amount of marine life beneath the waves including, unicorn fish, parrot fish and the occasional trigger fish. Definitely the best snorkeling we’d had on the south coast.
Shade is limited on the beach itself and due to the fact that the beach is quite narrow, restaurants are not spilling out onto the beach. Sun loungers and umbrellas can be hired on the beach, either from a restaurant or one of the beach workers. The beach itself is beautiful and is surround by palm trees and rocky outcrops.
Alongside having a rather beautiful beach, Delawella is also a stones throw from Galle which makes an excellent day trip. From here expect to pay around 700 rupees for a tuk tuk.
Where we stayed
A great hotel about 10 minutes walk back from the beach. There are a few hotels and guesthouses right on the beach but the majority are back beyond the main road down the narrow country roads.
What we loved
Turtles and the life under the waves, quiet, very beautiful.
What we struggled to love
The beach is quite small.
There are plenty of other beaches beside the ones we’ve listed here, but hopefully this gives you a good idea of what’s on offer.
