Trincomalee

Trincomalee has one of the finest deep-water natural harbours in the world, which is why the Portuguese, Dutch, French, and British each took it in turn, and why Nelson called it the finest harbour in the East. For travellers, though, the draw is simpler: this is the east coast's best combination of a real town, a serious Hindu temple, and two long beaches — and its season runs opposite to the south.

Koneswaram and Swami Rock

Koneswaram Temple stands on Swami Rock, a cliff dropping straight into the Indian Ocean at the end of the harbour headland. It is one of the Pancha Ishwarams, the five historic coastal Shiva temples of Sri Lanka, and its written history stretches back well over a thousand years. The Portuguese destroyed the medieval temple in 1622 and threw much of it off the cliff; the present temple was rebuilt in the twentieth century, and some of the recovered bronzes are displayed inside.

You reach it through Fort Frederick, built by the Portuguese in 1624 and rebuilt by the Dutch, still an army cantonment — the road in runs past barracks and spotted deer that wander the grounds freely. Remove shoes at the temple, and note the Lovers' Leap cliff edge behind it.

Uppuveli and Nilaveli

The beaches are north of the town. Uppuveli, about six kilometres out, is the closer and more compact — a strip of guesthouses and beach restaurants on a wide, gently shelving bay. Nilaveli, some sixteen kilometres out, is longer, emptier, and more spread out, with the bigger resorts.

Off Nilaveli lies Pigeon Island National Park, a small pair of coral islands about a kilometre offshore. It has the best easily reached snorkelling on the east coast — live coral, reef fish, and reliably present blacktip reef sharks in the shallows, which are harmless and startling in equal measure. Entry is ticketed, boats go from Nilaveli beach, and the reef is genuinely fragile: do not stand on it, and skip the operators who let people do so.

Whales

Trincomalee's whale-watching season is March to September, opposite to Mirissa in the south. Blue whales and sperm whales both pass along the continental shelf here, and sperm whale pods in particular are seen more often off Trinco than anywhere else on the island. Boats leave early from the harbour or Nilaveli. Choose an operator that keeps distance and cuts engines — the fleet is small enough here that a badly run boat is very visible.

Around the town

The Kanniya Hot Wells, seven walled wells of differing temperature about eight kilometres inland, are a long-standing local pilgrimage and bathing spot rather than a spa. The harbour itself is largely naval and not open, but the road along Dutch Bay and the town's Tamil and Muslim quarters make for a good afternoon on foot.

When to come

March to September is the dry, calm window on this coast — the inverse of the south and west. The northeast monsoon brings rough seas and rain from roughly November to February, when boats stop running and much of the beach accommodation closes. Trincomalee combines naturally with Arugam Bay further down the east coast, and it is about four hours by road from Sigiriya and the Cultural Triangle.