Trincomalee

Koneswaram Temple

Koneswaram Temple is a Hindu temple situated down Konesar Road in Trincomalee. It is also known as Thirukonamalai Konesar Temple – The Temple of the Thousand Pillars, Dakshina-Then Kailasam or Thirukkoneswarama Temple. It is one of the most important and popular attractions in Trincomalee. Deity of this temple is Konanātha Swami, Māthumai and it is built on Swami Rock also known as Kōṇāmalai. Completion of the construction of the Koneswaram Temple is believed to have been during the 6th Century and later restored in 1952. The Koneswarama Temple is well known for the celebration of the traditional Ther Chariot Festival, Navaratri and Sivarathri.

Fort Frederick

Fort Frederick in Trincomalee has opened for local and foreign tourists to visit as the latest tourist attraction in Sri Lanka. The Trincomalee Fort Frederick which is also known as Trincomalee Fort or Fort of Triquillimalee is a historically, culturally and archaeologically significant ancient tourist attraction in the Trincomalee District similar to the Galle Dutch Fort situated in Galle. This ancient Fortress was built by the Portuguese at Trincomalee in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka that was completed in the year 1624 and was built on Swami Rock Konamamalai from the debris of the world famous ancient Koneswaram Hindu Temple.

Fort Frederick has been opened for tourists to visit with special arrangements made not to interfere with the functions of the Buddhist Temple, Hindu Kovil and the military camp located within the Fort. Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs Minister Vidura Wickremanayake has given special instructions to further preserve the Fort and the monuments outside it in a safe manner as well as the areas to be excavated should be conserved and completed promptly. He has also advised to make arrangements to prepare and use different novel methods in obtaining information about the Fort in order to increase the local and foreign tourist attraction.

Nilaveli Beach

Strolling along the Nilaveli Beach`s stretch of golden sand and azure waters that goes for more than a kilometre allows you to reflect on the exotic beauty of the country, while also partaking in some exhilarating water sports. The beach is known for being a hub for scuba diving, snorkelling, fishing, and, of course, swimming. In addition to the many water sports activities, you could also partake in an excursion to the Pigeon Island National Park that is a short boat ride away. You could easily immerse yourself in the rare and endemic marine life around the island.

Uppuveli Beach

The Uppuveli Beach, on the other hand, is relatively smaller but still thrives in many water sports activities. One such unique activity you could engage in, is deep sea diving, as the far outreaches of the beach is known to have many shipwrecks that date even before European colonisation. Lined with many great eateries, both these beaches are perfect to escape the everyday mundane and just take in the exquisite sun, sand, and sea for once.

Trincomalee dolphins & whales watching

Get close to sea life on this private whale and dolphin watching tour departing from Trinco Bay Drive Centre in Trincomalee. On this tour, you will get the opportunity to look out for a variety of marine life, including blue whales, sperm whales, orcas, turtles, dolphins and more. Water and snacks are included on board.

Pigeon Island National Park

Pigeon Island National Park is situated on Nilaveli Beach Road in Trincomalee. It is one of the two marine national parks in Sri Lanka. It is spread out on a total area of 471.429 hectares and has some of the best remaining coral reefs of Sri Lanka. Pigeon Island was designated as a sanctuary in 1963 and is the 17th national park in Sri Lanka. It consists of two islands, large pigeon island and small pigeon island. It is governed by the Department of Wildlife Conservation.

Trincomalee War Cemetery

Trincomalee is a seaport on the north-eastern coast of Sri Lanka (Ceylon) and was formerly a naval station. After the fall of Singapore, it became a naval base of importance to our command of shipping in the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. The cemetery was originally the Combined Services Cemetery, but was taken over by the Admiralty from the military authorities in April 1948 for use as a permanent naval cemetery. On the withdrawal of United Kingdom Forces from Ceylon it became the property of the Ceylon Government who have granted the Commission security of tenure in perpetuity. Save for a few post-war and non-war graves it is purely a war cemetery, and service war graves were transferred to it from Trincomalee (St. Mary) Churchyard; Trincomalee (St. Stephen`s) Cemetery, Kottadi Cemetery, Jaffna; and Vavuiyna Combined Cemetery. A special memorial commemorates a naval man buried in Trincomalee (St. Stephen`s) Cemetery whose grave could not be found. The non-war graves are those of men of the Merchant Navy whose death was not due to war service, and of civilians, of whom some were employees of the Admiralty; while the post- war graves were dependents of servicemen, civilian employees of the Admiralty and dependents of such employees.