Eastern Province (Sri Lanka)

Eastern Sri Lanka is a province in Sri Lanka.

• 🌍 Trincomalee — The Eastern Province's capital. It is also a deep-water naval base
• 🌍 Batticaloa — the second largest city of the Eastern Province amid sea and lagoons
• Ampara — the administrative capital of the Ampara District
• 🌍 Sammanthurai — the administrative capital of the Sammanthurai Area

• 🌍 Arugam Bay — a popular surfing and tourist destination
• Passikudah — a crescent-moon bay with shallow water and fringing reefs
• 🌍 Nilaveli — town with a long sandy beach near Trincomalee
• 🌍 Kumana National Park — in the extreme south of the province next to Yala National Park, famed for birdwatching

Weather on the east coast remains good while the more populated southeast is lashed by the main monsoon from April to September. However, the east coast has its own monsoon season, from November to March.

Trains run from Colombo to Trincomalee (7½ hours during the day, 8 hours for sleeper trains, three trains total per day) and Batticaloa (8½ hours day, 9 hours sleeper, two per day) but note there is no train directly linking these two cities.

Many buses link Colombo with the tourist hotspot of Arugam Bay.

Getting between towns on the east coast, you will be taking buses or taxis.

• See the extremely rare black-necked stork at Kumana National Park
• Tour the swamps south of Arugam Bay and watch exotic birds and huge crocodiles
• The ancient Kudumbigala Monastery near Arugam Bay, and its scenic landscapes
• The stunning Koneswaram Temple in Trincomalee, with breathtaking ocean views
• Trincomalee's Naval History Museum and British War Cemetery

• Swim in the blue water of Passikudah bay
• Learn to ride a wave at Arugam Bay
• Take a boat ride to experience snorkelling around Pigeon Island Island National Park (Nilaveli)
• Explore the historic Portuguese Fort Frederick in Trincomalee
• Tour Batticaloa Dutch Fort