Hiriketiya, Sri Lanka: Why We Only Gave It 2 Nights and Regret It

We spent 28 nights on Sri Lanka's south coast and put two of them in Hiriketiya.

That is the single thing I would change about the whole trip. I went in assuming Weligama would be my favourite, because that is where everyone told us to base ourselves, and Hiriketiya beat it before we had unpacked. I rated it 10000 out of 10, which is not a real score, and I still think it was about right!

What Is Hiriketiya Like? My Quick Answer

A horseshoe bay with jungle behind it, on the far south coast near Dickwella, about ten minutes from Tangalle.

It is small enough to walk end to end in fifteen minutes, and it has better food, better surf for more levels and better nightlife than towns five times its size. If Weligama is the sensible first-trip base, Hiriketiya is the one you will not want to leave.

Where Is Hiriketiya?

On the south coast, just outside Dickwella, roughly two hours east of Weligama and ten minutes from Tangalle. It is far enough along that a lot of people doing a two week trip never get there, which is exactly why it still feels the way it does.

We came from Yala, which is a straight run down to the coast. If you are working west to east along the beaches, it is the last proper stop before Tangalle.

The Beach

One bay, shaped like a horseshoe, with a headland at each end and jungle running right down to the sand.

The shape is what makes it work. The inside of the bay is sheltered and mellow, so beginners can flounder about safely, and there is a left-hand point off the far side for people who actually know what they are doing. Both in the same small stretch of water, which I have not seen anywhere else on this coast.

There are beach bars directly on the sand, the kind where you order a drink and stay four hours.

Surfing in Hiriketiya

I had a few people message me asking whether the south coast works for beginners, and Hiriketiya is the clearest yes of anywhere we saw.

The inside of the bay is soft and forgiving with lessons available on the sand. The point break on the left is a different proposition and it is where the people who can actually surf go. Daniel surfed most days of our trip, and this was the bay he talked about afterwards.

I mostly watched with a coffee, which I also recommend.

Where to Eat in Hiriketiya

Small bay, genuinely excellent food. These are the places we ate, not places we walked past.

Scroll to see the full table →

If you only eat one traditional breakfast on this whole coast, make it hoppers at Duni's. A hopper is a bowl-shaped pancake made from fermented rice flour and coconut milk, crisp at the edge and soft in the middle, and they are the thing I most wish I had eaten more of.

There is also a Mexican place with the strangest toilet I have ever been in. It talks to you. I made an entire video about it, which tells you something about how much I enjoyed this town.

Everything we ate on the whole coast is in our Sri Lanka guide.

Nightlife and the Jungle Party

We went to two jungle parties in Sri Lanka, one in Weligama and one here.

Hiriketiya was the better night and it came down to the music. You could sing along, and there is nothing better than being at an event where you actually know the words! For a bay this size to have the best night out of anywhere we went on the coast is faintly ridiculous.

Where to Stay in Hiriketiya

The bay is small enough that location barely separates anywhere. It comes down to what is free on your dates and what you want to pay.

The two we would book. We stayed just outside the bay for A$92 per person per night, and these are the places we would compare next time.

Where we would stay

Salt House

We ate breakfast here and it was one of the best meals of the trip, so I can vouch for at least half of it. Right in the middle of everything the bay does well, which in a place this small means you can walk to all of it.

Check current Salt House prices

The other one we would book

Blue Heaven Hiriketiya

The second option in the bay. Hiriketiya is walkable end to end, so this really is about price and availability rather than being better or worse placed.

Check current Blue Heaven prices

Travelling as a group? M Beach House at Mawella is ten minutes away, sleeps eight and has a private chef. We finished our trip there and it made leaving considerably harder.

Ten minutes away, for a group

M Beach House, Mawella Bay

Four bedrooms, sleeps eight, on one of the calmest swimmable bays on the coast. A private chef cooks breakfast, lunch and dinner out of the garden. He made us brownies one night and fried pineapple with ice cream another.

Check current M Beach House prices

How Long Should You Stay in Hiriketiya?

Four nights minimum, and I would happily give it a week.

We gave it two and left with a list. Ellen-from-two-months-ago would tell you to split your time evenly along the coast, and Ellen-now would tell you to cut a couple of nights off wherever you land first and put them here. The full split is in our 14 night south coast itinerary.

Getting to Hiriketiya

We came from Yala by car, which is the obvious run if you are doing the safari. From Weligama it is roughly two hours east.

Once you are here you barely need transport, because everything is walkable. We had a moped for the whole trip at about A$6.17 a day, which is worth having for the beaches either side and for getting to Tangalle.

Bring a physical international driving licence if you want one, and take cash out before you arrive. The ATMs on this coast are unreliable, which caught us out more than once. We use the Wise card so the withdrawals do not sting.

What I Loved

The size. Everything is within a fifteen minute walk and you keep seeing the same faces.

That one bay does everything. Beginner surf, a real point break, swimming, and beach bars on the sand.

The food, for a place this small. Four places we would go back to, in a bay you can walk across.

The night out. Better than anywhere else on the coast, and I did not expect that at all.

What I Didn't Love

It is expensive by Sri Lankan standards. Bacuzzi is properly good Italian and priced like it, and The Ruin was our biggest single bill of the month. This is not the town where you eat for five dollars.

It is a long way along. If you have ten days and you are landing at Colombo, getting here eats most of a day each way. That is the honest reason a lot of people skip it.

Two nights is not enough, which is my fault rather than the town's, but it is the thing I would tell you loudest.

Still planning? Here is every base we slept in and how we would split 14 nights.

FAQs About Hiriketiya

Is Hiriketiya worth visiting?

It is the best place we stayed in Sri Lanka and we gave it the fewest nights. Yes.

Is Hiriketiya good for beginner surfers?

It is the clearest yes on the coast. The inside of the bay is sheltered and gentle, with a proper point break on the left for people who can already surf.

How many days do you need in Hiriketiya?

Four minimum. We did two and regret it.

Is Hiriketiya better than Weligama?

For me, comfortably. Weligama is the better first-trip base because it is central and close to Mirissa and Ahangama. Hiriketiya is the better town.

How do you get to Hiriketiya?

Roughly two hours east of Weligama, ten minutes from Tangalle, and a straight run down from Yala if you are coming from the safari.

Is Hiriketiya expensive?

By Sri Lankan standards, a bit. We paid A$92 per person per night to stay and had our most expensive meal of the whole trip here. Our full cost breakdown has the numbers.

Final Thoughts: Is Hiriketiya Worth It?

Go, and give it longer than you think.

Hiriketiya is the one place from a month in Sri Lanka that I talk about without being asked. One small bay that somehow has the best surf, the best food and the best night out on the whole coast. We put two nights into it and I have been annoyed about that ever since!