Hiriketiya Beach is our favorite beach town in South Sri Lanka.
We only stayed in Hiriketiya for 4 days (after a last-minute change in our 2-month Sri Lanka itinerary), but looking back, we wish we could have extended our stay.
It’s perfect for people looking to spend time in a low-key beach town that doesn’t feel touristy but has many of the same activities as Weligama, Mirissa, or Unawatuna.
It’s also a haven for expats, so we found some great food, yoga studios, and coworking spots!
If you’re thinking about adding Hiriketiya Beach to your itinerary, here’s everything you need to know before visiting, including the top things to do, a few of our favorite places to eat, where you should stay, and how we found transportation to/from the beach town!
What to Do at Hiriketiya Beach
Hiriketiya Beach is a perfect place where you can waste days away sunbathing, sipping coffee, and eating delicious food.
The ocean is perfect for surfing, swimming, and snorkeling. The shore is dotted with sun beds, beach cafes, and yoga studios. There are even several sports nearby that make great day trips!
Here’s what we put on our itinerary for Hiriketiya Beach.
1. Go Surfing
Surfers travel from all over the world to follow the waves around Sri Lanka’s coast, and Hiriketiya Beach is one of the most anticipated stops on their list.
The cove has two main areas to surf.
The first break covers most of the bay and has a slow, soft wave for beginners. It starts on the Western side of the cove, and you’ll notice lots of longboards and beginners taking lessons.
But as you move to the far east side of the cove, there’s a fast left-wave break. This is where the intermediate/advanced surfers come to surf bigger swells!
Surfers usually respect one another, but because Hiriketiya is such a small cove, it suddenly feels crowded.
If you’re a newbie, we’d encourage you to book a lesson with Hiri Surf School. They’re by far the most reputable surf school in the area.
2. Work & Play at Verse Collective
Verse Collective is a chilled-out lifestyle cafe in Dikwella, just a few kilometers from Hiriketiya Beach.
Verse Collective offers coworking spaces, hostel rooms, a music studio, a boutique shop, a skatepark, and a full cafe with delicious coffee and meals daily!
It’s also open late, which was perfect for us since we were working throughout our time in Hiriketiya. We could visit the cafe during the day, enjoy a meal and then get some work done after the sun went down.
3. Relax At Hiriketiya Beach
Whether you’re surfing or not, Hiriketiya Beach is a fantastic place to relax for the afternoon,
The sandy cove may be smaller than other beaches in South Sri Lanka, but its small shore makes it more intimate and relaxing than the others we’ve visited.
The area has no large hotels or busy roads, and the vegetation extends all the way to the shoreline, making it feel like you’re on a remote island.
It’s actually similar to Arugam Bay in that regard.
All of the sunbeds you see on the beach are owned by the restaurants and free for customers. Just order something to drink, and you can spend all day relaxing with the sound of the waves and reading a good book.
If you want to swim, head to the west side of the bay for the calmest water.
4. Listen to Live Music at dOTS
DOTS Bay House is a two-story cafe and restaurant literally 20 steps from the beach.
The cafe serves awesome coffee and delicious breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals. Our favorite was the ‘Bad To The Bone’ slow-roasted beef curry. We ordered this meal several times, and it never disappointed!
DOTS Bay House is similar to Verse Collective in that it tries to provide its guests with a full lifestyle experience. It offers guest rooms, yoga classes, live music on the weekends, and a coworking space with excellent Wi-Fi!
If you stay in Hiriketiya for a few days, DOTS Bay House is a fantastic place to call home.
5. Check Out a Yoga Class
Yoga is a great way to improve your health and inner peace while traveling. There are plenty of places to take classes near Hiriketiya Beach, and you can even take an extended yoga retreat!
DOTS Bay House: The lifestyle space offers drop-in yoga classes twice daily. There’s usually a Vinyasa Flow class at 8:00 AM, a slower flow class at 4:00 PM to wind down in the evening, and other classes (Pilates/HIIT+Sculp) throughout the day. Classes are 3000 LKR ($10) and last 90 minutes.
Salt House: This bed and breakfast offers daily vinyasa classes at 7:00 AM. Classes are free for guests of the villa or 3000 LKR ($10) for drop-ins. One perk of coming here is that they offer free access to the hotel pool after class!
Salty Pelican Yoga & Surf Retreat: This resort is known for its Surf + Yoga Retreats. Although they’re a bit pricey, most of them are all-inclusive and last anywhere from 3-10 days, so you can choose one that fits your itinerary.
6. Visit Dikwella Beach
Head just a few minutes west to enjoy a change of scenery at Dikwella Beach.
The beach has a similar atmosphere to Hiriketiya, but it’s significantly larger and less crowded. We had a lot more space to ourselves, and I would say it’s definitely a better beach specifically for sunbathing.
However, one thing to be aware of is that the bay has very little protection from the open water.
So, even if it’s calm at Hiriketiya Beach, the current could still be strong at Dikwella Beach. Only enter the ocean if you’re a confident swimmer, and it’s rarely suitable for kids.
Dikwella also has far more luxury resorts if you want to spoil yourself for a few days!
7. Take a Urugamuwa Village tour
Urugamuwa Village is a village just a few kilometers from Hiriketiya Beach, and one of the newer experiences to book from either rHiriketiya or Dikwella is a tour of the local village.
The tour is relatively affordable compared to other day trips and includes a stop at Dandeniya Lake, which supplies water to the villages in the region.
The excursion lasts only 2.5 hours, but it is an interesting way to see how local farming has been done for centuries in Sri Lanka and get a glimpse into the local way of life.
8. Go on a Wildlife Safari
Hiriketiya Beach is only a few hours away from two of the most popular National Parks in Sri Lanka:
Yala National Park and Uduwalawe National Park.
You can easily spend a day visiting one of these two parks, where you can see Sri Lanka’s famous wild elephants and more!
Unfortunately, Hiriketiya is not a common pick-up spot for safari tours.
If you’d like to go on a safari from here, you’ll need to drive yourself or find a taxi to the national park entrance. However, most guesthouses are happy to arrange this for you.
9. Take a Day trip to Tangalle Beach
Tangalle Beach is a slightly larger beach town just 30 minutes northwest of Hiriketiya.
It’s a 4-mile stretch (6.4 kilometers) of beautiful sandy shores. While there are some waves for surfing, the beach is mostly enjoyed for afternoon sunbathing, swimming, and coastal views.
Unfortunately, we visited during the off-season, and many local shops and restaurants were closed. Regardless, the beach was stunning, and we really enjoyed spending the day here.
10. Visit Silent Beach
If you have extra time, you should also try to visit Silent Beach.
It’s a small cove tucked away between Hiriketiya Beach and Tangalle Beach, and when we visited, there was NO ONE here.
The beach is gorgeous and the only one we found in the area with zero tourism. There isn’t a single business or any guesthouse on the beach–just a line of palm trees and an unspoiled shoreline.
So, if you want a place to feel removed from the rest of the world, Silent Beach is the move!
11. Take a Day trip to Mirissa, Sri Lanka
Another beach town nearby that’s slightly more developed than Hiriketiya is Mirissa Beach.
This town havibe similarvibe to Hiriketiya, with lots of expund aa nd heavy surf culture. It also has a few of our favorite places to eat.
If you take a day trip to Mirissa Beach, make time for Secret Beach and Coconut Tree Hill.
These are some of the best things to do around town that are well worth the effort.
Where to eat in Hiriketiya Beach
Despite its small size, Hiriketiya Beach has no shortage of great places to eat. We found beachfront cafes, cheap international eateries, beach clubs, and even fine dining. Here are our favorite places to eat in Hiriketiya!
MOND
MOND has a minimal design and is an incredible cafe to visit for open-air brunch OR dinner.
For brunch, they have a small selection of smoothie bowls, omelets, and sandwiches. Then, between 3:00-6:00 PM, they close the kitchen and serve matcha, tea, and sweets.
Dinner is a lot classier, with craft cocktails, seafood dishes, sushi, and sharables.
Make sure to make a reservation for dinner. It can get busy, and you will want a table with a view!
Smoke & Bitters
Smoke & Bitters is the best place for date night in Hiriketiya!
It’s a fancier dinner spot with tables on the beach. It’s open every day from 5:00 to 11:00 PM.
The plates here are a bit more expensive, but you certainly get what you pay for – exquisite chef-curated meals, cocktails, and fine dining on the beach.
DOTS Bay House
If you are looking for a place to eat right on Hiriketiya Beach, DOTS is the place to go.
They serve delicious Indonesian dishes, all-day brunch, pizza, and more. For dinner, we usually head to the second floor, where we can enjoy an incredible view of Hiriketiya Bay.
We already mentioned the unforgettable beef curry and lattes at DOTS Bay House, but because it’s what we get every time!
Clear point
We drove past Clear Point Restaurant one evening and stopped for a quick meal. But it was so good that we returned multiple times for dinner later during our stay in Hiriketiya.
Every meal was very affordable and more filling than we expected, and while they did have quite a few Sri Lankan options, we particularly loved the Mexican food here!
Every meal was super affordable and much more filling than we anticipated.
It’s best to visit for dinner, but if you come in the morning, there is a small cafe called Duni’s Hoppers right next door that serves excellent coffee and kombucha.
Where to stay in Hiriketiya Beach
Hiriketiya has fewer hotels than other touristy beach towns in Sri Lanka, like Unawatuna, Weligama, or Mirissa.
But there are still some amazing places to stay in Hirikeitya, no matter your travel budget. Here are a few of the top-rated hotel options in the area.
Best Luxury Resorts
Top Hostels/Co-Living Spaces
Best Budget Guesthouses
- Gold Ocean House (We stayed here)
- Mazarine Surf Suites
Best Time To Visit Hiriketiya Beach
The best time to visit Hiriketiya Beach is between December and April. Winter is the high season for the area, so you’ll have consistent sunny days with little rain.
Hiriketiya is affected by the southwest monsoon, which begins around mid-May and lasts until early November.
If at all possible, avoid visiting Hiriketiya Beach during these months. Many of the best restaurants, cafes, and surf schools shut down for the season, and it rains every day.
A great alternative during the summer months is Arugam Bay, just a few hours east!
Getting to Hiriketiya Beach
The best way to get to Hiriketiya Beach largely depends on where you are coming from, and of course, it will also depend on your individual travel budget.
The most common starting points for those traveling to Hiriketiya Beach are either Colombo, Galle, or Ella.
Colombo to Hiriketiya: If you’re coming from Colombo, we suggest taking the train from Colombo to Baliatta Station. The train costs just $6-10 per ticket, and from there, it’s only a 20-minute taxi or tuk-tuk ride to Hiriketiya Bay.
Galle to Hiriketiya: There are two options to get to Hiriketiya Beach from Galle. You can arrange a direct taxi ($15-20), or you can take the train. If you take the train, it’s the same process as the journey from Colombo. Buy a ticket to Beliatta Station and then taxi the rest of the way!
Ella to Hiriketiya Beach: This is the most challenging journey. Theres no direct train; you’d have to first go back to Colombo first (10+ hours total). We’d also advise against taking the bus because the schedules are highly unreliable. The best option is to hire a private driver. This is expensive, but not unreasonable. We got a taxi with Ella Taxi Cabs for about $35.
Train tickets throughout Sri Lanka must be booked within 32 days of the departure date, and if you use 12go.Asia to book train tickets, they will actually book the tickets on your behalf right when they go on sale!
Closing Thoughts
Hiriketiya Beach is a fun surf town in Sri Lanka that’s absolutely worth visiting if you have time.
The bay was much, way smaller than we expected, but this made the area feel secluded and cozy, which was perfect for us, and we think you’ll love it too!
We felt relaxed while sunbathing on the beach but could easily walk to different beach bars and hip cafes that overlooked the bay when we wanted a break from the sun.
Wondering where to go after Hiriketiya?
If it’s winter, the natural progression would be to continue west over to Mirissa/Weligama.
However, if summer is approaching, Arugam Bay will have much better weather and it’s our #1 beach town in Sri Lanka.
