10 Best Beaches in Sri Lanka

Best Sri Lanka Beaches

Enjoy finding the best beaches in Sri Lanka! Use this complete travel guide to tướng find the beach that’s right for you, including ratings for crowdedness, surfing, and season.

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1. Wijaya Beach – Stunning Beach in Sri Lanka

Our absolute favorite beach of all the Sri Lanka beaches we’ve seen is Wijaya Beach in Unawatuna. This stunning white-sand beach is hugged by hanging palm trees and lapped by crystal-clear water. It truly feels lượt thích a little slice of paradise!

Large rocks and a coral reef khuông a natural swimming pool, making it the perfect place for a swim. Plus, it’s an excellent place to tướng see giant turtles; look out for their little heads poking up above the water for some air.

After your wonderfully relaxing beach day, head to tướng one of the beach bars and restaurants nearby. Enjoy a bite to tướng eat while you watch the sun go down.

Season: December to tướng April and July to tướng September
Crowded: A little bit, but there’s always room on the beach to tướng find a spot to tướng sit
Surfing: Not great, better for a relaxing dip

2. Mirissa Beach in Sri Lanka

Mirissa attracts all kinds of people, from advanced surfers to tướng avid sunbathers. Of all the Sri Lanka beaches, Mirissa Beach is the most well-known; it’s famous for excellent surfing, restaurants, bars, and snorkeling.

The beach itself stretches for 2km, and in the middle, you’ll find the great Parrot Rock. To the left side of the rock, you’ll find the best spot for snorkeling. To the right side, you’ll find surfers of all ages and abilities enjoying the incredible waves.

sri lanka beaches mirissa

sri lanka beaches mirissa viewpoint

Parrot Rock (although you won’t find parrots!) is a great thing to tướng vì thế while you’re visiting Mirissa Beach. The rock sits in front of the beach and offers great views of the palm tree forest below. Because the rock is out at sea, you’ll need to tướng research tidal times to tướng walk across safely.

Season: November to tướng April and August to tướng October
Crowded: Quite popular. Parrot Rock is particularly busy at sunset. We recommend visiting at sunrise (if the tide permits) for a quieter viewing experience.
Surfing: Good surfing to tướng the right of Parrot Rock.

3. Secret Beach in Mirissa

Secret Beach is one of the most hidden Sri Lanka beaches and an absolute gem! Although it’s not much of a secret anymore, it’s a little harder to tướng find. This makes it feel much quieter and more remote.

You’ll find it tucked away to tướng the side of the main beach, with a tiny bar and a local lady selling coconuts. It’s a little adventure in itself to tướng get there, as you’ll need to tướng follow a 2km steep trail over the headland (it takes about 30 minutes from Mirissa main beach).

Things To Do Mirissa Sri Lanka secret beach

Once you get there, you’ll see the headland is split into three little beaches. Each one is a little bit different, and it’s an excellent place for snorkeling and sunsets. If you get here early enough in the morning, you’ll likely get to tướng enjoy this beautiful ocean paradise completely alone!

Season: November to tướng April and August to tướng October
Crowded: A bit crowded later on in the day, but arrive early, and you’ll get to tướng enjoy it for yourself.
Surfing: Not great; better for paddling in the rock pools and enjoying the snorkeling.

4. Hiriketiya Beach in Sri Lanka

Hiriketiya Beach, also called Hiri Beach, is becoming more famous for its waves. Some say it’s fast becoming the surfer’s paradise of Sri Lanka! It’s easy to tướng see why the horseshoe cất cánh is ví popular, backed by dense palm tree forest and close to tướng trendy eateries where you can get a delicious brunch. Surfers are drawn to tướng this spot from all over the world, bringing with them a surfy, bohemian vibe that can be seen throughout Hiriketiya.

Although the water is busy, there is still room to tướng swim or watch surfers catch the best wave of the day from the comfort of the shore. The best thing to tướng vì thế is rent a board and join them by getting a lesson from one of the surf schools on the beach.

Tip: After you’ve enjoyed the waves of Hiriketiya, head to tướng nearby Dikwella, where you can find palm tree beach swings to tướng enjoy at sunset.

Season: November to tướng April (better for smaller, beginner waves) and August to tướng October (bigger waves for the more advanced surfers)
Crowded: A little bit, especially with surfers from mid-morning. Arrive at sunrise for the quietest time of the day.
Surfing: Great surfing – one of the best beaches in Sri Lanka!

5. Trincomalee Beach

Trincomalee Beach and Nilaveli Beach are entirely different from other Sri Lanka beaches. Because of their location, off the beaten track on the east coast, you’ll find these beaches almost empty. Plus, the scenery is breathtaking.

Trincomalee Beach is a little busier, filled with traditional, colorful fishing boats and locals casting their nets just off the shore. You’ll also find some great beach bars here, where you can sit on swings and choose from many refreshing cocktails.

Hire a motorbike, and just 10 minutes away, down a small sand track, you’ll find Nilaveli Beach. The beach is a long, endless stretch of white sand backed by shallow, crystal-blue water that looks almost too good to tướng be real. Here, time stands still as cows wander slowly down the beach, and there’s almost no person in sight.

For the best snorkeling, jump on a boat from Nilaveli Beach out to tướng Pigeon Island (just 10 minutes away). This paradise island has some of the best snorkeling in Sri Lanka!

Tip: From March to tướng August, you will have the chance to tướng spot dolphins and whales during their migration.

Season: February to tướng August
Crowded: Quiet. If you pick a spot far up Nilaveli beach, you might not see anyone except cows and fish for your entire beach day – bliss!
Surfing: Not for surfing, the water is shallow and clear, perfect for swimming and snorkeling.

sri-lanka-beaches-trincomalee

sri-lanka-beaches-trincomalee-palms

6. Tangalle Beach

Hidden on the southeastern coast, Tangalle is one of those Sri Lanka beaches made for paradise seekers. It’s a bit harder to tướng reach as it’s dislocated from the usual Sri Lanka route but ví worth a visit! This means that few tourists visit Tangalle, creating a more tranquil experience (you’ll notice that the area only contains a handful of visible resorts).

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Best Hidden Beach of Sri Lanka

The traditional fishing village is home page to tướng the friendliest people and gorgeous white sand beaches, surrounded by turquoise ocean, large frothy waves, and palm-tree and mangrove groves. Because of the reef and rocks, there are strong currents and big waves, which make Tangalle Beach unsuitable for swimming and surfing. However, the long beach is perfect for walks and relaxing and a fantastic place to tướng watch the sun go down.

Enjoy the peaceful sounds of nature, sleep in the shade of the trees, and get your fill of fresh coconuts from passing sellers. A trip to tướng Tangalle is an absolute must on your journey through Sri Lanka!

Tip: Silent beach is the best beach in the area, tranquil, with picture-perfect scenery – one of the most fantastic Sri Lanka beaches.

Season: November to tướng April and May through October
Crowded: Very quiet!
Surfing: Not for surfing. Swimming can also be difficult here, especially in September and October.

7. Koggala Beach

Koggala is a relatively unknown beach paradise in the deep Southwest of Sri Lanka, located between Unawatuna and Mirissa. The white sand and the few people on the beach make Koggala Beach a great location to tướng stay on your trip. Spend your days creating the first footprints in the sand and watching the fantastic variety of wildlife here, from colorful fish to tướng turtles and even small sharks!

sri lanka beaches koggala

You should also make some time to tướng watch the traditional practice of stilt fishing which is still in existence here. This is where the local fishermen sit high up on makeshift bamboo stilts, fishing in the waters close to tướng the beach. They sit out there for hours under the blistering hot sun, showing tremendous strength and dedication to tướng their work.

Koggala is also known among Sri Lanka beaches as a good surfing spot, although the strong currents mean it’s better for advanced surfers.

Tip: Koggala has a small rainforest reserve around a lake (close to tướng the beach). Here you can discover mangroves, small islands, and an abundance of wildlife. Join a boat trip and learn more about nature.

Season: December to tướng April and July to tướng September
Crowded: Quiet
Surfing: Good, better for advanced surfers. Quite windy, ví it’s also suitable for kitesurfing and windsurfing.

8. Arugam Bay

Arugam Bay, located on the east coast, is really the best of the Sri Lanka beaches for surfing, becoming more and more famous for surfers worldwide. In fact, there are even international surf competitions now held here. Because every day brings excellent waves, many surfers make Arugam Bay their home page during the peak surfing period (April to tướng September).

Despite its notoriety, the area still has that remote beachy feel, with wooden cabins lining the beach and palm tree forests. However, it also has fantastic restaurants, cafes, and bars close to tướng the center, where you can find lots of international dishes and bohemian outdoor terraces.

Tip: Arugam Bay isn’t far from some of the best national parks in Sri Lanka, lượt thích Yala and Udawalawe. Because of this, you’ll find lots of tour companies offering jeep safaris where you can spot elephants, monkeys, and even the elusive leopard! See availability for a safari tour of Yala National Park.

Best time to tướng visit: April until September (please note that some hotels will be closed outside of this primary surf season).
Crowded: Popular in high-season
Surfing: Best waves of all the Sri Lanka beaches!

sri lanka beaches arugam cất cánh elephant rock

9. Unawatuna Beach

Swaying palms, a golden sand beach, and a few dozen simple beach bars and restaurants; this is the beauty of Unawatuna. This beach is easily the most popular beach on the southern Sri Lankan coast. Although, this doesn’t necessarily mean it’s as busy as what you might see in countries lượt thích Thailand or Spain. The wide-open spaces in Sri Lanka mean you’ll always find a spot to tướng relax.

What’s more, Unawatuna village has a laidback vibe, where days pass slowly in a haze of coconuts, good food, and refreshing morning swims. The beach is located in a sheltered cất cánh, ví it’s very safe to tướng swim in.

Tip: Search for ‘Dream Cabana’ in Unawatuna on Google Maps, and you’ll find the Instagram hot spot of the town: an amazing beach swing hanging high from a long protruding palm tree on the beach.

Season: November to tướng April
Crowded: Popular in high season as this part of the south coast is very accessible from Colombo.
Surfing: Possible but not great. The sheltered cất cánh is better for swimming and relaxing.

10. Hikkaduwa Beach

The beach of Hikkaduwa is one of the Sri Lanka beaches located on the west coast and the closest to tướng Colombo. Because of its west-facing nature, the sunsets at Hikkaduwa Beach are out of this world; nothing beats seeing the sun melt into the horizon line in the warm evening air.

sri lanka beaches hikkaduwa turtle

sri lanka beaches hikkaduwa

During the day, you can see amazing coral reefs, making Hikkaduwa popular for diving and snorkeling. You’ll see a great diversity of wildlife among the reefs and shipwrecks, from small tropical fish to tướng larger sharks. Giant turtles also swim very close to tướng the beach, giving travelers the unique opportunity to tướng see these incredible water giants up close. Please always remember to tướng be respectful of the turtles, never touch them, and observe them from a distance to tướng not cause them stress.

Tip: If you’re staying at Hikkaduwa Beach overnight, stay a little bit out of town, as the tourism can be a bit crazy in the center.