Mirissa Beaches, Turtles and Coconut Trees

We left Galle Fort and arranged a taxi through the PickMe app, although it took a few attempts before we actually got moving. After cancelling three different drivers, including one who called asking for more money before the ride had even started, we finally found a driver who was happy to take the trip as booked. Our eventual driver turned out to be pretty good and stopped along the way near Koggala to show us the famous Sri Lankan Stilt Fishing.

Stilt fishing is a traditional fishing method unique to parts of southern Sri Lanka where fishermen balance on a wooden pole planted into the shallow ocean. Sitting several feet above the water, they cast their fishing lines and wait patiently for fish to pass beneath them. It makes for some incredible photos and is one of those iconic images you often see when looking up Sri Lanka.

We were initially planning to take some photos and videos, however the fishermen were asking 5000 rupees for the privilege. For us that felt a bit excessive for a quick photo stop, so we decided to skip it and jumped back into the car.

Not long after leaving there we had to make a quick roadside stop so Eloise could get some fresh air as she was feeling a bit travel sick. Standing next to a busy road with traffic flying past probably wasn’t the most relaxing place to recover, but it did the trick.

About an hour after leaving Galle we arrived in Mirissa and reached our accommodation, Resort Deepika, around midday and although check-in wasn’t officially until 2pm, we were lucky and one of the two rooms we had booked was already available.

We dropped our bags into the room and headed straight down to Mirissa Beach for some lunch. One thing we quickly noticed was that prices around Mirissa were definitely closer to Australian prices (not quite there, but not cheap either), I guess that’s something that comes with being a tourist area.

After lunch I grabbed a motorbike taxi into Mirissa town as I needed to find myself a rashie as with the short time to pack everything before the trip, as I was working right up until the end, I had somehow managed to leave mine behind. Thankfully I found one pretty quickly at a store called “Sun Ray Clothing Shop”. Getting a tuk-tuk back using PickMe however wasn’t happening though, it would seem that what many travellers refer to as the “tuk-tuk mafia” control transport options in town, basically freezing anyone out from using the app and force people to pay 3 or 4 times as much by paying them directly. I ended up walking the kilometre back to the hotel instead and grabbed myself a fresh coconut along the way.

With my rashie finally sorted, we headed down to Turtle Beach for a swim, the water was warm however it was so choppy that it was no point in snorkelling, so no turtles for us this time and we didn’t stay too long. We instead walked up to Coconut Tree Hill, one of the most photographed viewpoints in Mirissa. After climbing up the hill we kind of looked around and thought… “is that it?” It’s one of those places that seems to get Instagrammed to death and, in reality, it didn’t quite live up to the expectations built from all the photos online.

After that we cooled off with a swim in the pool before relaxing in the room for a while.

Dinner that night was very easy as we simply walked next door to a restaurant called “Simple Mirissa” where Suz had chicken fried rice and I went with seafood fried rice, both portions were huge and we barely finished them. The kids both had chicken burgers, served very simply with lettuce, still not quite there with the local food options.

The next morning started with our included breakfast at the hotel with bread, eggs, fruit and coconut pancakes served with yoghurt and honey. After brekkie, Suz and I dropped off some laundry down the road which would be ready the next morning just in time for our departure. While Suz and the kids stayed behind at the hotel, I caught a tuk-tuk back to Coconut Tree Hill to try flying the drone. The wind was incredibly strong though and I kept getting warning messages, so the flight didn’t last long. I still managed to capture some nice footage of the coastline before heading back.

After returning we relaxed for a bit longer before heading back down to the beach, this time near Parrot Rock. This part of the beach was much quieter which made swimming far more enjoyable. Eloise and I also rented some snorkelling gear and headed out into the water. The visibility wasn’t great but we still managed to see a large sea turtle swimming beneath us, actually Eloise was the one that spotted it!

Xander and I also climbed Parrot Rock which involves crossing a very rickety wooden bridge that didn’t feel particularly safe. The views from the top were definitely worth it though.

We then walked along Mirissa Beach until we found a place that looked nice for lunch where we ordered some cool drinks and food. While we were waiting to be served, Eloise spent the entire time in the water running into the big waves. She absolutely loved it and couldn’t get enough of the ocean. After lunch both Eloise and Suz went back into the water for one last swim before we returned to the room for a few hours of relaxation.

Suz and I eventually ended up sitting at the rooftop restaurant at the hotel where we had some cold drinks and worked on our Galle travel blog.

For dinner that night we caught a tuk-tuk into town to eat at a restaurant called “No. 1 Dewmini Roti Shop”. Suz ordered a Sri Lankan kottu while the kids and I ordered roti. Mine was a savoury one, while Eloise and Xander both went straight for dessert versions. Yes… dessert for dinner.

After dinner we wandered along the main road in Mirissa town, picked up some snacks for the journey the next morning and even found a nice sarong for Eloise before heading back to the hotel for the night.

Our time in Mirissa was very relaxed, with lots of beach time and a nice cool break after the heat of Colombo and Galle. Tomorrow we’re leaving the coast behind and heading inland with our organised car and driver through “Sri Lanka Driver Guide“, for the next stage of our Sri Lanka adventure.