Tour of Sri Lanka 2025 | Day 6 | Mirissa – Yala | 249 kms

I get up early and have my morning coffee. There will be no news on my GoPro till the shop opens around 9:30am and so I utilize the morning time to explore around. I go to the parrot rock, close to the Mirissa beach. The rock sits a little inside the sea and you need to walk through water to reach and then it’s a 2 min climb to the top. I watch the amazing morning sun rising slowly and also the Mirissa beach behind. After spending some time, I get down and then towards Polhena beach. This was suggested to me by one of the locals 2 days back while having dinner at a restaurant. The beach is not far and I arrive quickly. The shops are just opening up but few locals can be seen playing in the water. It’s a very small beach with good views. I click come pics before moving ahead.

Next, I head towards Hiriketiya beach, which is quite popular and also recommended by my landlady. On the way, at Matara, I stop to have breakfast of local snacks. I try at least 5-6 variety and all of them are tasty. Some are sweet items while some are spicy. Outside the shop, I buy a lottery ticket for myself from a vendor. I then push further towards Hiriketiya. On the way, I stop for photos at some good locations before making my way towards the beach.

Hiriketiya beach is in a perfect ‘C’ shape and mostly all of the people are surfing. The waves are good. I see people sun bathing on the beach while the remainder are surfing. It’s a great sight and having being learnt surfing yesterday, It’s tempting to go inside the water. I walk along the length of the beach before returning back to my motorcycle.

I then move further towards ‘Hummanaya Blow Hole’, quite a popular attraction. It’s a mere 7 km ahead and is one of the biggest in the world. I reach the place after getting lost initially. There are large no. of people going in the same direction. I park the bike, pay the entry fee and climb a few steps to reach towards the blow hole. When the waves crash on the rocks, some of the water channels through a narrow passage inside and oozes out of a hole, giving a fountain like action. It’s height must be around 7-8 mtrs and a great treat for the eyes. You need to wait for the right moment to see it happen.

I click some pictures and take videos before returning back to the base. I get a call from the service centre saying that they have started the GoPro by putting a new motherboard as the earlier one got damaged due to sea water. I immediately turn back in the direction of the service centre. I reach around 1pm there. They tell me that the back screen is not working even thought the camera is ON. Without the back screen, it is difficult to operate the GoPro as different video modes need to be changed and also pairing with Phone.

It’s no use if the back screen is not working. So, I decide to leave it like that and not service my GoPro. I decide to continue my trip without further filming. Meanwhile, I get a call from guesthouse to vacate the room ASAP as new member is going to join. I quickly head to my room, pack all of my things and get ready toward Yala. Around 2:15pm, I leave the place, thanking the lady owner for a great and comfortable stay. Before proceeding ahead, I collect my GoPro and pay the repairing charges bill. I put on ‘Google Maps’ to Yala and it shows me new route. I happily take that as it passes through interior parts skipping the coastal road. The roads are great and the views are scenic with lush green paddy farms on both sides. After some time, the Google asks me to join the E01 highway which actually I cannot take as bikes are not allowed on Expressway.

Since, I am close to Matara, I follow the normal highway towards the city and then continue via the coastal highway towards Yala. The total distance showing is 120 kms with close to 2:30 hrs of drive. The roads are good overall with some respite from the heat due to clouds. At Tangalle, I stop for some refreshment where I book my hotel for tonight via Booking.com. Thereafter, I ride non-stop to my destination, only stopping to click some pictures. The road turn inwards after Hambantota and I get super wide roads to ride on.

It’s a great feeling as traffic is almost nill. The clouds behind me have turned orange due to setting sun. I reach Yala just around dusk. Finding the hotel in the poorly lit roads is a challenge and many time I have to back track due to road being closed. Finally, after traversing a narrow road in the dark, I reach the place. At first, I enter the wrong gate as the hotel gate is adjacent to the wrong one. The people there ask me to book their own room but I already tell them I have a booking adjacent to yours.

Hearing the engine sound, the right person is already outside the gate with his torch. I check in, park the bike and the persons shows me my room. I get an private room for myself, a free upgrade as no one is there in the hotel as of now. The hostel is really uniquely designed mostly done in a jungle theme setting. I totally love the vibe of it. Earlier, my friend had booked the safari for me but while talking to the owner of the hostel, I get a good price for the Safari and so I book it with the hostel team. I thank my friend for supporting me till this time. I book an evening Safari for tomorrow. Have an early dinner and write my diary before going off to sleep as there was nothing pretty much more to do.