Trincomalee’s harbour is one of the largest natural anchorages in the world, which is why the Portuguese, Dutch, French, British and Japanese all fought over it. Today it is a quiet provincial city with a Tamil and Muslim character quite distinct from the south, and two very good beaches just up the coast.
Koneswaram
A Hindu temple on Swami Rock, a cliff falling 130 metres straight into the sea. The original was destroyed by the Portuguese in 1622 and much of it thrown into the water, where divers found the lingam three centuries later. The current temple is modern, brightly painted and genuinely atmospheric at sunrise.
The beaches
Uppuveli, six kilometres north, is the easier base — a good stretch of sand with a handful of hotels. Nilaveli, another eight kilometres on, is wider, emptier and the departure point for Pigeon Island.
Pigeon Island
A national park a kilometre offshore, with the healthiest accessible coral in Sri Lanka and blacktip reef sharks that cruise the shallows harmlessly. Boats take fifteen minutes. Go at 8am; by eleven it can be busy.
Whales
Trincomalee has its own whale-watching season from March to August, with sperm whales in pods and blue whales further out. It is less developed than Mirissa, which cuts both ways.