Whale Watching in Mirissa
To have the chance of seeing the biggest animal on the planet is not something that we could miss. In Mirissa Sri Lanka, you can jump onto a boat and head out on a whale watching tour and see these majestic behemoths for yourself. If you have only seen whales on the TV, you can simply not imagine the size of these beautiful creatures. Here off the southern coast of Sri Lanka, you can spot the biggest of them all. The biggest creature to ever grace the earth, the mighty Blue Whale.
Migration season
The best time to see the whales in Mirissa is from November to April. If you are a little late, or early for that matter. Do not worry, just head to the north of Sri Lanka and visit Trincomalee instead. Here the whale watching season runs from May until  September. Whales can be spotted for most of the year in Sri Lanka.
The best place to see the whales however, is at the little town of Mirissa on the southern coast. It is also here where you will get your best chance of spotting a big Blue.
For a more in depth look at when you should visit Sri Lanka, have a read of our guide. The best time to visit Sri Lanka.
How much does it cost to go whale watching?
Choosing which company
Mirissa Sri Lanka is packed to the rim with whale watching companies. Whale watching is the town’s number one income. Some of the tours are very expensive and some are really cheap. The price of your whale watching, depends on both, which company you choose and also which package you decide to go with.
Some companies guarantee a sighting, and will stay out for hours if the whales can not be spotted. This normally only occurs at the end of the whale watching season.
One thing that you should pay close attention to when choosing your whale watching tour, is which companies treat the whales well. Some of the boats will get up close to the whales and cause the poor creatures stress.
Some of the more well known tour companies are Raj and the Whales, The Whale watching club and Whale watching Mirissa. These tours all treat the Whales with respect. If you read the reviews on tripadvisor you will be able to decide which tour is whale friendly and choose for yourself which one you want to go with.
The cost
Like most of the tourist attractions in Sri Lanka, if you are traveling on a budget, whale watching is not cheap. We paid Rs 6,142 ($40) each for our tour, which we also got a little cheap as it was coming towards the end of the season.
There are tours which cost less than this but they are far busier, cramming as many people as they can onto a boat. When you are out on the waves of the Indian Ocean, this is something we decided not to risk.
Whale Watching: What you will seeÂ
Here are the docks of Mirissa Sri Lanka. This is where you will meet up with your boat before heading out to sea. All of the little fishing boats in the water are a beautiful sight and it is a great place to get some photos.
As you head out to see with the rising of the sun, you will come to the beautiful rocks which shelter the harbour.
Dolphins
It is not only whales that you can see while on your tour. Keep your eyes peeled for the dolphin pods, which also live in the area. We sailed straight through a giant pod with so many dolphins, that we just could not count them all.
Whales
One thing that you should know about whale watching, to get a great shot is one of the most difficult things that you will ever do. You will find yourself running about the boat like a madman. It was during this trip that we realised the brilliance of a GoPro. While we were running to and thro trying to capture the right angle, others just filmed with their GoPros and chose later which shot they would like. Every traveler should have a GoPro.
We would have given anything for one of these beautiful beasts to leap out of the water, but we wasn’t so lucky. We did however get to see the tail fin, which we was really hoping for before we started out.
No matter what you are doing in life, there is always time for a whale selfie 😉
As you can see, some of the boats get quite close to the whales, which is stupid because it causes them to dive and swim away. However, whale watching in Mirissa Sri Lanka is something that you will never forget.
Getting to know the crew. My plan was that if we sink and I am their friend, they will save me. You will see why I had this thought in the next photo.
Raja and the Whales is one of the most highly rated on tripadvisor. When we got close to their boat, we realised that we were glad not to be on their tour. The boat leaned crazily in the water. Our guides told us this was normal and nothing to worry about ….. hhmmmm.
When you arrive back from your tour you will sail into the beautiful little fishing village of Mirissa Sri Lanka. Have your camera ready.
Where to stay in Mirissa Sri Lanka
Mirissa is packed with guesthouses, hostels and hotels. The town depends upon the whale watching tours and is welcoming to all who reach this sleepy little town. We stayed in a guesthouse called the Welcome House. It was a beautiful set of bungalows surrounded by a stone wall. Inside shaded pathways ran from bungalow to bungalow. We had our own air conditioned room for Rs 1,000, ($6.50). As you can see, you will have no trouble finding affordable accommodation. Just ask your Tuk-Tuk driver when you arrive to take you to a guesthouse. Do however, make sure that you tell him a cheap one, otherwise he will be taking you to the most expensive place in Mirissa hoping for a hefty commision.
Thank you for reading and we hope that you found all of the information that you was looking for. Let us know how your tour goes. We would love to hear your story. To read more of our Sri Lanka articles, visit our destinations page.
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