Trincomalee
A deep-water harbour on the east coast, a Shiva temple on a sea cliff and a reef a kilometre off the beach, at its best while the rest of the island has its monsoon.
- Arrival
- Bandaranaike International, Colombo · CMB
- To Trincomalee
- About 45 minutes by air, some 7 hours by road
- Private jets
- Clear customs at Colombo, then fly on
- Best time
- May to September
The city
A harbour, a headland and the eastern reef.
Trincomalee grew around one of the great natural anchorages of the Indian Ocean, a harbour that Nelson is said to have called the finest in the world. The town sits on a narrow neck of land between the bay and the open sea, with the Fort Frederick headland running out beyond it; north along the shore lie the long beaches of Uppuveli and Nilaveli.
The calendar runs against the rest of Sri Lanka. While the south-west monsoon soaks Colombo and the hills from May to September, this coast stays largely dry, and Sri Lanka Tourism names those months for the region. The rains arrive here from October, with more than 340 mm in both November and December.
- Koneswaram A temple to Shiva on Swami Rock, a cliff falling some 120 metres into the sea, rebuilt and reopened in 1963 after its destruction by the Portuguese.
- Pigeon Island A national park a kilometre off Nilaveli, with some of the best surviving coral in Sri Lanka and blacktip reef sharks in the shallows.
- Fort Frederick The colonial fort on the headland that closes the harbour, built and rebuilt by the Portuguese and the Dutch.
Arriving
Colombo first, then across the island.
International flights arrive at Bandaranaike International, north of Colombo, on the other side of the island. Trincomalee's own field, China Bay, about 7 km south-west of the town, is a domestic airport run by the Sri Lanka Air Force.
- Colombo 40 min
- Malé 1 h 35
- Delhi 3 h 15
- Nairobi 6 h 50 long-range jet
- Paris 11 h 15 long-range jet
When to go
May to September.
Hot and dry through the middle of the year, with highs of 33 to 35 °C from April to September and as little as 25 mm of rain in June. The sea holds at 29 to 30 °C. The north-east monsoon brings heavy rain from October to January.
- 28° J 125 27°
- 29° F 106 27°
- 31° M 56 29°
- 33° A 55 30°
- 35° M 49 30°
- 35° J 25 29°
- 34° J 63 29°
- 34° A 84 29°
- 34° S 96 29°
- 32° O 223 29°
- 29° N 343 28°
- 28° D 367 27°
Where to stay
On the beach at Uppuveli.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
Elsewhere in Sri Lanka
More reasons to come.
- Colombo Colonial hotels on the Galle Face Green, by the Indian Ocean.
- Galle Ramparts, churches and small hotels inside the old fort.
- Kandy The Temple of the Tooth, in the hills.
- Nuwara Eliya Tea estates and colonial bungalows, high in the hills.
- Sigiriya A palace on a rock, at the heart of the island.
Flying to Trincomalee?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.