The next stop of our Sri Lanka adventures after Yala National Park was the seaside town of Mirissa. On the way there, we had pre-arranged with the driver to stop at the well known beach area of Hirikiteya. Bron really wanted to walk on the beach but it was blazing hot, so we settled for a smoothie bowl in the shade of a cafe instead. Once a hidden sleepy village, Hiriketiya is now well known for its sheltered excellent and consistent waves perfect for beginner surfers, yoga culture, and trendy cafe vibes. It looks very busy though and the prices were definitely higher than what we had encountered in Sri Lanka up to now. We would have loved to stay at least 1 night though; we didn’t have enough time in our itinerary to add another destination so a smoothie bowl on the beach would have to suffice this time.
Further down the road at Mirissa, we enjoyed a long walk on the beach, a surprising and excellent Indian dinner of filled roti’s at No. 1 Dewmini Roti Shop, an impromptu game of street cricket with two local kids, and an unexpected release of baby turtles on the beach on the way back! All in all a pleasant day.
Sunset vibes on Mirissa Beach
Not the best picture, but street cricket in action!
One of the most popular things to do in Mirissa is take a whale watching tour. Sadly it has become over commercialised and whale numbers in the bay have significantly decreased over the years due to boats chasing the whales. Even the type of whale visiting has changed, blue whales rarely come, only Bryde’s whale. After some research, we decided to go with Raja and the Whales, a family owned and run business and the only ethical whale watching enterprise in the area. They don’t chase whales and don’t allow people to swim with the whales, and they allow university students on the trips for free to conduct their research.
The tour started really early, 06:00 check in at their office, and included breakfast on the boat, loads of tea and cookies, fruit, and a king coconut each. The staff looked after all of us really well and also gave a lot of information about the history of the area, whales, and the other animals we saw. Definitely take motion sickness medication though, even with my tablets I was feeling green around the gills on the open ocean.
The first sighting was a (green?) turtle, we were really lucky to see him, he just popped up briefly for a breath of air. The second sighting was a number of spinner dolphins. Was so very special and fun watching them riding the waves in the bough of the boat, they are really small but so agile and were clearly enjoying themselves. They would have played all day if we had stayed. And then finally we saw a Bryde’s whale. Bryde’s Whales don’t come that high out of the water, don’t breach that often, and don’t lift their tails out of the water, so it was a very chill sighting lol, but still very special. After the whale sighting, it was time to head back to shore. It was a long morning on the boat, but lovely and worthwhile. Thank you Raja and the Whales for a fab morning and for all your conservation efforts!
Not easy to see under the water, but spinner dolphins in action
Bryde's whale
King coconut on the boat
Happy to be back on land, we stretched our legs and grabbed a drink and some lunch and were thankfully feeling less green. From Mirissa, we made our way to Galle, where the rest of the afternoon was spent exploring this UNESCO World Heritage fort city.
Lunch vibes on Mirissa Beach watching the surfers
Galle was successively colonised by the Portuguese, Dutch, and British, and is most famous for its colonial era fort, the largest remaining European-built fortress in Asia. The first small defensive fortifications were originally built by the Portuguese in the late 1500s, were massively expanded by the Dutch into a full fort with protective ramparts, modern drainage, and a hospital in the late 1600s, while the British added the iconic lighthouse and clock tower in the 1800s before moving their trading operations to Colombo. Top sights include the stone wall ramparts, the old Dutch Hospital, the lighthouse, clock tower, the entrance gates, the Methodist Church and the Dutch Reformed Church. And of course the cafe-lined cobblestone streets and boutique tourist shopping opportunities laid out in the grid like fashion of European urban planning.
We enjoyed a HOT afternoon walking around the old streets exploring the sights trying to hide in the shade. We were hoping for a famous fish dinner but all our chosen spots were out of fish, hello? Rather unplanned, we found ourselves at the pub at the now converted old Dutch Hospital, mostly in order to watch the T20 cricket. We struck up a conversation with an older British wandering nomad traveller and all in all had a rather pleasant evening despite the fact that they don’t serve tea (we are in Sri Lanka, where’s the tea?).
The Clock Tower and old rampart walls
Coconut delivery
The next day we were not traveling very far, only 15 minutes down the road to Unawatuna, so a slow morning of a late brunch, window shopping, and cafe hopping ensued. We enjoyed Galle but it was definitely the most seedy of all the places we stayed in Sri Lanka and would definitely recommend not wandering out of the fort area.
In the afternoon we made our way to Unawatuna, the super chill part and final destination of the holiday. Apart from two mornings of diving for Justin, the only plans were to walk on the beach, eat tuna steaks, drink tea, and relax. Mission accomplished.
Originally built as the Governer’s residence in 1735, our accommodation in Unawatuna is a heritage hotel today. The original house is fully preserved with its high ceilings and terracotta floor tiles making it a cool oasis in the heat without needing airconditioning, and is dotted with antique furniture including what must be the wooden chest that came by ship from the Netherlands. Situated on acres of green garden where monkeys, monitor lizards, and many birds visit daily, plus two pools and the original freshwater well still visible. It really was such a treat to stay here and one of the highlight accommodations of the trip.
At the foot end of the property is the Rumassala mountain with trails through the forest leading to Jungle Beach and then eventually Unawatuna Beach. The slightly long way round to Unawatuna beach but a good work out, we only did this route once lol. Once on the beach, we walked the full length and then back to the Red Snapper. Another couple staying at Yala with us told us about the Red Snapper and it did not disappoint!
We arrived early enough for a table on the beach and in time for the tuna steaks to still be available. Oh my gosh, the best tuna steaks ever! And the biggest pot of tea. Someone was very happy. The food was amazing and the service excellent. We ate here all three nights we stayed in Unawatuna lol and highly recommend! Thank you Red Snapper.
A beeg tea and tuna steaks for dinner at the Red Snapper.
The mornings were spent diving for Justin and walking on the beach for Bron. We would meet back at the hotel for tea and a chill before heading back to the beach for another walk in the late afternoon and/or watching the cricket. Unawatuna beach has a distinct camber to it and the sand is very coarse which was starting to really hurt after a while. On the last evening, we decided to try a different beach further down the coast. Nice and flat with no camber and lovely soft sand, it had a different vibe with not that many hotels or restaurants on the beach. It was perfect. We came back on the last morning too for a final walk.
And then all too soon it was time to start heading back home.
Thank you Sri Lanka for the best time! It was the perfect combination of activities and relaxing and we came back feeling refreshed, that does not happen very often for us lol. We hope to be back to enjoy your sunny shores again.
Until then xxx
No comments:
Post a Comment