Trincomalee

Trincomalee

The finest natural harbour in Asia. The warmest water on the east coast.

Trincomalee's deep natural harbour has been contested by every colonial power that arrived in the Indian Ocean. The Portuguese built a fort here. The Dutch took it. The British made it the headquarters of the Eastern Fleet. What surrounds the harbour today: beaches and bays of exceptional quality, warm clear water supporting coral reef and whale shark populations.

Experiences at this stop

• Nilaveli Beach --- snorkelling and Pigeon Island

Pigeon Island National Park, 300 metres offshore, contains the best-preserved coral reef on Sri Lanka's coast. Blacktip reef sharks, sea turtles, and reef fish in clear warm water.

• Fort Frederick and Koneswaram Temple

The clifftop temple stands at the point where the Portuguese threw the original Hindu temple into the sea in 1624 and built a fort on its ruins. Three religions, one cliff, four centuries of history.

• Whale shark snorkelling --- seasonal March to October

The waters off Trinco's east coast attract whale sharks between March and October. The largest fish in the ocean. At five metres' distance in clear water, it requires no superlatives.

• Kanniya Hot Springs

Seven artesian wells of varying temperatures located 8km from Trinco. The temperature difference between adjacent wells of a few metres apart remains unexplained.