Trincomalee

Trincomalee is a port city of Eastern Province, Sri Lanka, an island country in the northern Indian Ocean off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent in South Asia. The city is built on a peninsula which divides the inner and outer harbours.

Fort Fredrick is an old Dutch fort which still has a strong military presence. There is a nice Hindu temple on top the cliff at the end of the peninsula with spectacular views.

Koneswaram Temple in Trincomalee is a classical-medieval Hindu temple complex. The monument contains its main shrine to Shiva in the form Kona-Eiswara, and is a major place for Hindu pilgrimage.

Hoods Tower Museum is a naval museum of the Sri Lanka Navy and is located at Ostenburg, in the Trincomalee peninsular on a high ridge over looking the entrance to the inner harbour within the SLN Dockyard.

Nearby places of interest include Girihadu Seya Temple in Thiriyaya, the hot water springs of Kannya, the ancient Buddhist Monastery Vilgam Vehera, which are a few kilometres past the hot springs and Lovers Leap at the Swami Rock.

Trincomalee is famous for it's picturesque, clean beaches. The area is good for bathing and swimming, owing to the relative shallowness of the sea. Uppuveli beach is about 6km north of the town and is a wonderful nearly pristine beach.

Pigeon Island, 1km offshore has powdery white sands and colourful coral gardens and fish. It is also a breeding ground for rock pigeons. The reef here is shallow, making snorkelling and diving very popular with visitors, going with a guide is the best way to experience this, to ensure the reef is not damaged.

Whale and dolphin watching is a popular pastime and sightings are on the rise in the surrounding seas.

Batik, lacework and pottery are all good buys.

Asian, Indonesian and Italian as well as fish, seafood and Western style dishes can all be found in local restaurants. Rice and curries are the staple dish of Sri Lanka, and usually contain lots of spices.

The Bay of Trincomalee’s harbour is renowned for its large size and is accessible to most sizes of ship in all weathers.

Trincomalee is very walkable, however rickshaws are widely available.