The East and East Coast
Overview
The East Coast of the mainland is nearly 400 miles long and because of the 30-year civil war, the beaches are still mostly untouched and yet to be fully discovered.
The best time to visit the east coast is from May to September, and the cities and beach resorts can be reached via the Cultural Triangle (see below section) in the North Central Province of the island, or by short flights operated by tour companies. The capital city of the Eastern Province Thirukona Malai (Trincomalee) is about a two-hour drive from the Cultural Triangle.
The Eastern Province was under the control of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and was a war zone. It was neglected for a long time, but the hotel and resort tourism developments have taken shape recently on some of the best beaches on the island, their views often described as ‘picture-postcard’ perfection.
The highlights of this region include white-sand beaches, whale watching, the ancient Eeswaram Temple, an abundance of marine life, diving, and snorkelling in the Pigeon Island National Park on two small islands, about a mile from the shores. Then there are two charming beaches; Nilavelli and Upuvelli, ideal to relax on.
Pasi-kuda (means seaweed-bay, in Tamil) is probably the best beach on the East coast. There are excellent resorts and hotels by the beach.
A further 40-minute drive down south is Mattakilappu (Batticaloa), a major city where the Portuguese built a fort in 1628 and called it by the name ‘Batticaloa’. Mattakilappu (Batticaloa) has the nickname "land of the singing fish", due to musical sounds that are related to fish or an aquatic creature in the Batticaloa Lagoon, near the Kallady Bridge. BBC Radio 4 was able to record the mysterious sound in Batticaloa Lagoon, and it is available on the internet if you are curious to listen to it here.
Arugambai (Arugambay) is very popular with the international surfing fraternity who come here to ride what are generally acknowledged to be the best waves in Sri Lanka. There is plenty of wildlife and lagoons.
A further hour’s drive south from Arugambay, you will arrive at Kumana National Park, leading to Yala East National Park. These areas were closed for a long period when it was under the control of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during the civil war, as part of the “Thamil Eelam” Homeland.
