Trincomalee
Trincomalee is a city in northeastern Sri Lanka.
Understand
The city went through a lot of fighting during the civil war, but is being developed as a tourist destination.
Get in
By plane
- Cinnamon Air, a domestic airline in Sri Lanka, operates flights from Colombo to Trincomalee. Along the way, it makes a stop at Sigiriya. The total duration of the flight is 1 hour and 15 minutes. One-way fare per person is US$227 (without tax).
By bus
- The bus station is across the street from the clock tower and the market. Buses to Kandy leave at 4AM, around 9:15AM, 10:15AM, 1:45PM and 2:45PM. The bus at 9:15AM is supposed to be a/c and needs to be prebooked, all other buses are standed non-a/c government buses.
By rail
- The train station is about 1 km north of town.
Get around
Trincomalee is a very compact town, so walking is a suitable way to see the town. For longer trips, rickshaws are available at nearly every corner.
See
- Pigeon Island
- Fort Frederick. Fort Fredrick is an old Dutch fort located on a peninsula North East of the town center. It still has a strong military presence from the war, but still a great place to explore. There is a nice Hindu temple atop the cliff at the end of the peninsula with spectacular views.
Beaches
Do
A snorkelling trip to Pigeon Island is a must. There are local boats that will take you to this island for a fee of about US$30 (return). Snorkelling is a great way to see the abundant sea life. Sadly the coral is not respected by the locals. Snorkelling should be done with great caution as some areas are very deep, up to a thousand metres in depth.
There is also dolphin and whale watching available from most of the guest houses on Uppaveli beach.
- 1 Snorkelling. A snorkelling trip to Pigeon Island is a must. There are local boats that will take you to this island for a fee of about US$30 (return). Snorkelling is a great way to see the abundant sea life. Sadly the coral is not respected by the locals. Snorkelling should be done with great caution as some areas are very deep, up to a thousand metres in depth. There is also dolphin and whale watching available from most of the guest houses on Uppaveli beach.
- Dolphin and whale watching. There is also dolphin and whale watching available from most of the guest houses on Uppaveli beach.
Buy
Eat
Most guesthouses will make meals for you if you talk to them. Restaurants are clustered near the hotels north of town near Ananthapuri.
- Green Park Beach Hotel - North Indian food
- Jeffry's Restaurant
- JKAB Park Hotel - Sri Lankan buffet
- Nina (Sarvodaya Road, Uppuveli, 300 meters from main road) family-runned restaurant serving local and western-food. Some specials every day. Smoothie bowls available.
Drink
Sleep
- Nilaveli Beach Hotel, 11th Milepost, ☏ +94 262 222 071. Great hotel nestled right in front of Nilaveli Beach.
- 1 Methodist Church Nilaveli, 9th Milepost, Nilaveli. Absolute cheapest. Abandoned orphanage on the church grounds, outside shower and toilet. Very basic but good value for money. Rotating fans. Beach nearby. Rs.250 per person.
- Pigeon Island Beach Resort, 11th Milepost, Nilaveli, ☏ +94 26 49 20 633. It offers 36 rooms (some of them have A/C), all of which have Internet, and there are satellite TV facilities as further entertainment. Some of its amenities include a yoga centre and spa and fitness centre for adults, and play room, reading corner, and a secure outdoor playground for children. Best rates on official website start at US$68.
There are tons of guesthouses along the beach at Uppaveli and Nilaveli. Shop around as the prices vary greatly.
There are also an increasingly large number of guesthouses to the South of Fort Fredrick on the beach. Once again shop around as prices vary greatly.