East coast beaches of Trincomalee and Pasikudah

Both Passikudah and Trincomalee beaches are in pristine condition and better visited from May to September when the sea is calm and little or no rains.

Trincomalee, this eastern seaside town is the home for some of the virgin beaches of Sri Lankan eastern shore namely Trinco, Nilaveli, Upuaveli and Marble beach. Boat trip to Nilveli’s Pigeon Island to snorkel at Pigeon Island’s Marine sanctuary is a key excursion one must not miss and for divers, there is no other place like Trincomalee, this is diver’s paradise. Fort Fredrick built by the Portuguese is still intact and a visit is worth while the cultural highlight of Trincomalee is Koneswaram Hindu Temple situated on a rock cliff with steep slope which is called Lover’s leap, and it has a story attached to it. At the top of the cliff, one could enjoy breathtaking views of the Indian Ocean.

There are many dive centres which offer gear rental, PADI certifications and dive boat trips for the keen diver to various dive sites in Trincomalee.

There is sailing catamaran stationed in Trincomalee where one could go sailing in Indian Ocean to see the Whales, sunset cruises and even overnight sailing trips in the Indian Ocean. Aboard the catamaran they serve you meals and cocktails, the adventurous one can swim and go stand up paddle boarding when the catamaran is anchored during the meals and drinks. Trincomalee is just 2 ½ hours from the cultural cities of Sigiriya, Dambulla and Habarana.

Passikudah, a small bay in the east coast is just under 2 hours from the cultural cities of Sigiriya, Dambulla and Habarana. In this small bay you get many star class luxury to boutique hotels overlooking the Passi Bay. There are not many places to explore in Passikudah but the beach provides many water activities such as snorkeling, diving, jet ski, banana boating, wind surfing etc etc. In Passikudah too there is a sailing catamaran if one would like to go seafaring during sunset or overnight cruises.