Sri Lanka | Mirissa Whale Watching – An Incredible Experience You Shouldn’t Miss!

Before I visited Sri Lanka, I didn’t know that whale watching is a thing. Thanks to our trip to Sri Lanka, particularly Mirissa, I found out that it is one of the main attraction of the country. I’ve not even been on a dolphin watching tour before, let alone whales, so I was extremely excited when we reached Mirissa.

You are almost guaranteed to see the largest sea mammal in the world, the blue whale, along with a variety of other marine life, such as Byrd’s whales, dolphins and turtles. The waters around Mirissa are particularly rich in plankton which the mammals fed on, so sightings is almost guarantee whenever conditions are good, particularly during the season. If you go during the whale watching season, your chances of seeing a whale are quite high (90-95%) and if you unfortunately didn’t spot any, most companies promise to re-book your tour for the next day (for free).

Whale watching can also be done in countries like Canada and New Zealand, but it would be a lot more expensive. With that in mind, there is no way we would let this opportunity slip away. Whale watching in Mirissa? Definitely a must go!

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Best Time To Go 

The whale watching season in Sri Lanka is from November to April or May, as during the rest of the year, the waters will be too rough because of the Monsoon. We were fortunate to have been visiting Sri Lanka in April and were still in season for whale watching.  

Which Operator To Choose 

There are a plenty of tour companies in Mirissa to choose from, and we picked Whale Horizon which is located near our hotel (Celestial Inn). It is also right opposite Mirissa main beach, on the side of the main road. We didn’t went around to compare prices with other companies as we find the price reasonable. As of 2018 when we visited, we paid about LKR 3000 per person. However, on the day of our whale watching, we found that it is important to choose a reputable company that cares for the animal. Some try to get really close up to the whales, which frightens them and stresses them unnecessarily but a good ethical tour company will keep a careful distance from the whales. Companies that care about the well-being of the whales abides by the criteria set by the WDCS (Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society).

See how close the other boats are to the poor whale? FYI, i zoomed in to snap this photo so you can tell just how near they are whereas our boat were further away

Felt like these boat operators don't really care about the wellbeing of the whale

They just keep chasing after the whale once spotted

Although my boat was far away but I felt the operator I chose was being responsible and adhere to the safe distance guideline

We were lucky that our company didn’t go too near to the whales. Out of the boats that went out that day, ours are among the furthest away from the whales, and they also turned off their engine to avoid stressing the whales. Another reputable company that is raved by many bloggers is Raja & The Whales, so you can also check that out.  

Whale Horizon

Address: Harbour Road, Mirissa 81740, Sri Lanka 

Opening Hours: 5am – 6pm daily 

Price (as of 2018): LKR 3000 (LKR 1000 deposit when booking is done + LKR 2000 balance paid on whale watching day) 

How To Get There 

We booked a tuk tuk to bring us to Mirissa Harbour on the day of whale watching as we needed to be there by 6.30am. You can also walk from your hotel which is actually doable by with a tuk tuk you can reach on time without risking getting lost. The boat departs from the harbour at around 7.00am local time.  

Mirissa Harbour

Address: 81740 Harbour Road, Weligama 81740, Sri Lanka 

Tuk tuk from hotel to harbour: 5 mins, LKR 200 (sharing by 3 person) 

Tuk tuk from harbour to hotel: 5 mins, LKR 200 (sharing by 3 person) 

Highlights of Our Tour 

Our tour begin by departing from the harbour at 7am to the Indian Ocean where the whales are known to be feeding. The boat ride is about an hour in average. Once we arrived at the location, the captain turned off the engine and started to wait for the blue whales. Whenever a blue whale is spotted, other boats would sped off to be as close as possible, but our boat always stay a distance away. This is when a good telephoto lens would come in handy if you want to take photos. 

We booked our tour with Whale Horizon upon arriving in Mirissa

On the day of the tour, we engaged a tuk tuk to pick us up from hotel and dropped us at the harbour

Being led into the boat at dawn

Waiting to set off

We were given safety jacket

Time to depart

Other boat is packed with lots of passengers

Ours was pretty empty

Blue whales are the largest creatures on earth, measuring up to 30 metres in length, but in order to spot the whales, one would need to be familiar with their breathing behaviour. Whales are mammals so they have lungs instead of fish gills for breathing. They can only stay in water for about 30 minutes before needing to surface for air. They don't have a nose and can't breathe through their mouth, they squirt the air (and water with it) out of their blow-hole whenever they surface. They then stay onshore, dipping in and out of the water around 3-4 times, breathing in and out. Finally, they take one last long breath before diving back down to look for food. This is the shot to take if you are photographing as you could get its tail in the frame. 

The whale is surfacing

Lying flat now and about to dive late

Then you see the body lifting up a little (preparing for the dive)

and finally the mammal dive in

The tail shot. Woohoo! Too bad that's the furthest I can zoom my camera lens

Maybe it was the end of the whale watching season (it was early May) so we only get to spot a couple of blue whales and no dolphins. After 1-2 hours in the ocean, our boat finally turned back to the harbour and that ends our tour of the day. One our ride back, we were provided with sandwiches, muffins and watermelon. 

Sandwich provided as breakfast

and muffin too

Not forgetting watermelon

Final Words 

It has always been a bucket list of mine to be swimming with the sperm sharks in Cebu Island, Philippines. My plan to visit Cebu has yet to come to fruition, but I’m thrilled to have seen a whale up close in Sri Lanka. As it is discourage to be disturbing the blue whales in Mirissa (that’s actually a nice ethical thing to do), swimming and snorkelling with the creatures are not allowed, so watching from a boat is the only possible thing to do. I’m glad I signed up for the tour and I’m glad our tour operator adhere to keeping a safe distance away from the whales. The tour is not cheap for budget backpackers like us, but it’s an activity worth splurging!

We love the tour and we hope you enjoy it too!

Have you been on a whale watching tour? How was your experience? Tell me about it at the comment down below! 

For other places of attractions in Sri Lanka, read my travel guide with sample itinerary and cost breakdown ➢ 12 Days Sri Lanka In Less Than RM2.2K - Visa Application, Sample Itinerary & Cost Breakdown