Secret Beach Mirissa, Sri Lanka: How to Get There & What You’ll Find!

Tucked away beneath prodigious Sri Lanka palm tree groves, hidden from the main shore of Mirissa, you’ll find what was once the area’s hush little locale. It’s known as the Secret Beach Mirissa, Sri Lanka, and it was one of the best places we visited during our time in the country. This guide includes everything you need to know about visiting Mirissa’s Secret Beach, including how to get to the Secret Beach, Mirissa, what will you find when you get there, where to stay near the Secret Beach in Mirissa, and what’s the deal with the Mirissa Secret Beach Bar & Restaurant.

 

While the Secret Beach Mirissa is not as secret as it once was, it’s still less busy than the nearby main Mirissa Beach in Sri Lanka, and poses as a prime example of Sri Lanka’s tropical beach beauty.

 

The Secret Beach in Mirissa

Pristine, somewhat private, and beautiful, the Secret Beach in Mirissa embraces two coves of clear blue water and toffee-shaded sand, low-hanging trees for bountiful shade, and a fine sprawl of isolated shore to lie upon.

With mellow waves and balmy water, this beach makes a perfect spot for a peaceful wade. It was exactly what we were looking for after doing a safari at Yala National Park, spending a day in Kandy, climbing the Lion Rock in Sigiriya, and exploring the Elephant Trash Dump in Dambulla.

With some exploring, you might find some incredible wildlife: black monkeys, monitor lizards…even peacocks!

 

 

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Our Visit to the Secret Beach, Mirissa, Sri Lanka

For our first visit to the Secret Beach Mirissa, we found the beach empty, stunning,  and just what we were looking for. We set up shop beneath some trees, baptized our sweaty bodies in the crystal water (to find the shore was a tad rocky—alas!), and indulged in a lazy tropical siesta through the sauntering heat of the noon hours.

For several blissful hours, we enjoyed the scene entirely to ourselves. It was only after a woman entered the cove carrying a fruity cocktail in a glass that we noticed the faint sound of music coming from nearby and decided to investigate. That’s when we discovered the Secret Beach Bar in Mirissa.

If you’re lucky, you’ll have the beach to yourself—like we did! This will likely involve getting there early AF, though.

There are two main ways to reach the Mirissa Secret Beach, which we will go over in the following section.

 

 

Finding the Mirissa Secret Beach

When we visited the Secret Beach Mirissa several years ago, the beach was still more secluded with two main coves, one of which was only occupied by one group of locals. Alas, TIMES HAVE CHANGED, and these days, the Secret Beach is much easier to find (for better or worse!).

You have two choices to reach the Secret Beach Mirissa: the easy way, or the hard way

The easy way is to ask a tuk-tuk driver to take you to the Mirissa Secret Beach for up to 800 Rupees one way. The hard way is to hike there.

We did it the hard way.

 

How to Get to Secret Beach Mirissa, Sri Lanka

Looking for how to get to Secret Beach Mirissa? There’s the easy way, which is to get a taxi ride from a tuk-tuk driver for about 800 Rupees one way (alternatively, you can rent a motorbike), and then there’s the hard way.

If you’re a little more adventurous (or just want to save money on a tuktuk or a motorbike rental), you can take the hard way to Secret Beach, Mirissa, Sri Lanka. This involves a bit of a hike.

The hard way to reach the Secret Beach entails finding the right starting place.

Starting Place to Hike to the Secret Beach Mirissa

The starting place to hike to the Secret Beach is on Harbour Road, between Mirissa’s main stretch of beach and Malima Weligambay Villas (known locally as the Navy Hotel). 

While this used to be a lot harder to navigate, these days the way to the Secret Beach Mirissa has plenty of signs posted around to make sure you’ll find your way. For some extra help, refer to this Secret Beach map to guarantee you find your way.

Once you find the sign, you will take a 20-minute hilly hike, then climb down a somewhat rocky cliff where you will find the more secluded palm cove of the Secret Beach Mirissa.

When you see a cove peeking out beneath the grove of palm trees, you’re just about there. Good luck!

A Little Sweat Goes A Long Way

It will likely be a hot and sweaty hike (it was for us!). However, as with most things in life, the beach is well worth the extra effort. And on a plus note, a quick dip in the clean water will wipe away any memory of the sweat you shed to get there! This hidden beach in Mirissa seriously rivals the Hidden Beach of Jeju Island that we discovered.

Located just on the other side of the cliffs from the main Mirissa beach in Sri Lanka, the Mirissa Secret Beach is the perfect place to spend a lazy day, relaxing and taking in the peaceful scenery. At least that’s how it was for us when we visited on New Year’s Day after the New Year’s Eve Sri Lanka Party in Mirissa!

 

You’ll find more information about each of the coves at the Secret Beach in the next section.

 

Two Main Coves at the Secret Beach Mirissa, Sri Lanka

Once you arrive to the Secret Beach Mirissa, this is what you’ll find. As we mentioned before, there are two main coves at the Mirissa Secret Beach: the palm cove and the lagoon.

1. The Palm Cove

The palm cove is more secluded, and less populated, but the swimming area is much rockier. This area has plenty of natural shade from the trees as well. If you choose to hike, you will first walk out onto this palm cove area. The lagoon, as well as the Mirissa Secret Beach Bar, are right around the corner.

2. The Lagoon

The lagoon is much better for swimming, especially for families. However, the lagoon area is busier as it has the Secret Beach Bar. If you choose to take a tuktuk, you’ll be taken to the main lagoon cove, with the Secret Beach Bar in Mirissa.

Both coves are beautiful, and each has their pros and cons. The palm cove is a bit rockier, while the lagoon has powdery sand, hammocks, and—blast it!—other people. Still, the amount of people in either cove was SIGNIFICANTLY less than on the main beach during our visit.

 

The Secret Beach Bar Mirissa

Tucked away in a shady corner behind the main cove stands a teeny little bar with a humble food menu. This is the Secret Beach Bar Mirissa.

While there is no entrance fee to visit the Mirissa Secret Beach, the Mirissa Secret Beach Bar and Restaurant helps support the locals, and has some pretty tasty food and drink!

 

Eating & Drinking at the Secret Beach Bar Mirissa

We sat down in a set of raw wood chairs by the water and ordered two piña coladas (hair of the dog!) and a plate of devilled fish (a Sri Lankan culinary must-have).

The drinks were fairly strong and the fish was delicious—tender, sweet, spicy, and bursting with flavor—but, at about $15 USD total, this was definitely a splurge for us compared to our other spending in Sri Lanka.

The Secret Beach bar is definitely priced for tourists, but it’s a small price to pay for a TEENSY FRACTION of the amount of people that you’d find at the nearby Mirissa Beach.

 

 

The Secret Beach Bar Mirissa: Snorkel and Daybed Rentals

In addition to find and drink, you can also rent some beach-trotting essentials from the Secret Beach Bar in Mirissa. You’ll find snorkel sets for rent, as well as day beds that you can rent for about 500 Rupees.

 

 

 

 

Where to Stay in Mirissa Sri Lanka: Secret Beach Mirissa Hotels

There are several Secret Beach Mirissa hotels nearby.

Budget Secret Beach Mirissa Hotels

If you want to be super close to the Secret Beach Mirissa, this budget Rooms Secret V Mirissa Secret Beach homestay is literally as close as you can get. It’s a budget option for those backpackers looking to save some dough.

There are two more budget homestay options that are close to Secret Beach Mirissa, but not as close as the Rooms Secret V homestay. These are the Mirissa Pemuyana Villa 70 and the Perfect View Guest. If you don’t mind a humble room, these budget homestays are fine Secret Beach Mirissa hotels for you.

Mid-Range Secret Beach Mirissa Hotels

The Seaside House is a little less close to the Secret Beach, but it’s nicer than the closer options and still affordable.

Higher End Secret Beach Mirissa Hotels

For some more luxe Secret Beach Mirissa hotels that are still close enough to the Secret Beach, we recommend:

• Handagedara Colonial Villa
• Siri Wedamadura Villa
• Palace Mirissa
• Casa Maria
• The Nine, Mirissa

Budget Mirissa Hotels in Sri Lanka

For our Sri Lanka travel to Mirissa, we stayed at the budget Nature Inn, a private room at a homestay.

It’s not super duper close to the Secret Beach, but it’s more centrally located to this town. Plus, at the time of our stay, it was the cheapest of the budget Mirissa hotels in Sri Lanka that we could find. Our host, Pradeep, was extremely friendly, and even cooked us a complimentary traditional Sri Lankan New Year’s Day breakfast! We did have problems with the Wi-Fi being turned off, but it was reconnected again upon our request. This is an extremely budget option that’s still walking distance to the Mirissa Beach and run by an extremely friendly host. If you’re looking for something a little less bare-bones, we suggest you browse this list of hotels in Mirissa, Sri Lanka to get the best prices!

Booking.com

A Beautiful Part of Our Sri Lanka Itinerary

We curated our ultimate Sri Lanka backpacking itinerary for those who have a short amount of time, but want to see as much of the country as possible! It’s jam-packed with stunning sights throughout Sri Lanka, including the Secret Beach in Mirissa, and we highly suggest you use it as a resource when planning your own Sri Lanka Trip.

Check it out here: Ultimate Sri Lanka Travel Itinerary!

 

Overall, the Mirissa Secret Beach is a wonderful place to spend the day (especially for us coming in December from Korea, land of the butt-freezing winters!).  Once you figure out how to get to Secret Beach Mirissa, just lay back, and enjoy the stunning beach. It’s certainly one of the best things to do in Mirissa. We did have a chance adventure with an insane and wild (spawn of a vampire) dog which wasn’t ideal, and the shore on the more secluded cove is definitely a bit rocky to swim in comfortably. Still, that hardly puts a damper on an otherwise incredible and picturesque spot to relax and enjoy the view! If you find yourself in Mirissa on a time crunch (as we were), we would highly advise ditching the crowded tourist-filled beach and opt for this prized Secret Beach.

 

 

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What’s your favorite secret spot to kick-back and relax in? 

Let us know in a comment below!