I have written about Trincomalee in the past but feel that I should cover this intriguing coastal town a bit more in detail, touching on the new attractions and sites to do and see while there.

Trincomalee (popularly refered to as Trinco) is the largest city in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka and is undergoing something of a renaissance. Trinco’s fame – and perhaps one day its fortune – lies in its picturesque natural habour, described by many as the finest in the world. Fiercely contested for centuries, it was a crucial naval base for the British during the Second World War. Today, after a recent past the city would rather forget, this beautiful forgotten port is for most tourists the gateway to the magnificent deserted north eastern beaches of Sri Lanka. The city itself, an uniquely balanced ethnic blend, is also worth exploring.

Leaving Trincomalee city behind, its best to head north to the famous white-sandy beaches at Uppuveli and Nilaveli. As the area slowly begins to draw back tourists, resort hotels and guesthouses have been renovated and more are being built. Nilaveli is 16km north of Trico and is Sri Lanka’s logest beach. Pigeon Island is a ‘must-see’ attraction while there. A few hundred metres offshore, it is covered with rocks but has some sandy stretches and offers one of the best snokeling sites in Sri Lanka.

The Eagles Golf link’s is another new attraction around Trinco that is drawing many a tourists to this city. Initially build as a 9-hole course, it is today a well maintained 18-hole golf course built and maintained by the Sri Lanka Airforce in Trinco. The Airforce is doing a great deal to develop this city and add value to many of the former forgot guest houses and attractions.  The former Sea-Anglers club has been newly renovated and offers excellent accommodation options adjoining the golf course overlooking a scenic bay area.

The Marble beach area was once inaccessible to the public, but today the Airforce commercially manages the Marble Beach Resort and offers decent accommodation with arguably the best beach stretch in Sri Lanka. Hands-down my favourite beach destination in Sri Lanka.

Whale watching execusions are offered during the season by the Navy and this has drawn many a tourists to the region.

The best time to visit Trincomalee and its surrounding beaches are between April and October, when the area is at its driest. Between Novemeber and March, the east is sometimes battered by strong winds and rains, and the sea is unsuitable for swimming during these months.

OTHER PLACES TO VISIT ARE:

Fort Frederick – Situated on a rocky headland, this is still an active army base but visitors may enter. It is especially worthwhile to go up to the Swami Rock and the Konesvaram Temple built on the cliffs high above the sea. Most travel agent’s will include a visit to Fort Fredrick in their proposed itineraries if Trinco is included as a destination. This makes it a fairly commercialised site but yet worth visiting.

The Market – To the north of the city along the Main street and Central Street is the main market place. This might be an interesting place to visit if you are driving through. The fish market which is just by the clock tower is a lively place to visit especially during the morning hours.

Kinniya Bridge – Not really an attraction but worth driving through. Kinniya Bridge is today the longest bridge in Sri Lanka. It was open to the public in 2009 just after the war and replaced the ferry services that operated previously. The bridge measures 396 meters in legnth.

Commenwealth War Cemetery – is about 5km north of Trinco. During the Second World War, Trinco was an important naval and airforce base and the harbour was the focus of Japanese air raids in April 1942. Five Blenheim bombers were shot down, and the aircraft carrier HMS Hermes (the first ever aircraft carrier in the world, built by the British), along with the destroyer Vampire and corvette HMS Hollyhock, were sunk off Kalkudah and Passekudah bays to the South of Trinco. Many graves date from this time as over 300 men lost their lives onboard and as the island was a recuperation centre, many more died as a result of their injuries.

These wrecks can still be found off the coast of Passikuda and offer some of the best dive sites in Sri Lanka.

Kanniyai Hot Springs – About 8km before Trinco visitors can stop off at the hot wells at Kanniyai. This is a popular spot amongst locals who perform certain rites following the death of friends and family. There are several springs here, each formed into small bathing pools enclosed in tiled tubs. You can only splash the water over yourself with a bucket as the tubes are not big enough to bathe in. The water is a refeshing temerature of 37 to 41 degrees celcius.

Traveling to and from Trincomalee

Scheduled flights to Trinco from Colombo are only offered by Helitours (operated by the Sri Lanka Airforce). There are a handful of operators that offer chartered flights to and from Trinco on special requests.

Expo Rail offers an overnight train from Colombo to Trinco arriving in Trinco in the early hours of the morning. Its not a sleeper carriage but offers comfortable reclining seats with meals and refreshments throughout the journey. With both of these options you would still have the limitation of transportation to move around Trinco once you are there. You can use tuk-tuks and public buses where possible. Your hotel may be able to help hire a vehicle for a day of sight-seeing through Trincomalee.

I still feel the best option is to drive there. The roads are excellent and you can make this journey in under 6 hours (driving at safe speeds). You can also opt to stop in Dambulla, Polonnaruwa and even visit Anuradhapura en route.