Eastern Province (Sri Lanka)

Eastern Sri Lanka is a province in Sri Lanka.

Map of Eastern Province (Sri Lanka)

• 8.56666781.2333331 Trincomalee — The province's capital, with many outstanding beaches, plus historical forts and temples
• 7.71666781.72 Batticaloa — the second largest city in the province, rarely visited but has plenty of history
• 7.36666781.83 Sammanthurai — an ancient trading town and the site of the first Dutch landings on the island

• 6.8581.8333331 Arugam Bay — a popular surfing and tourist destination
• Passikudah — a crescent-moon bay with shallow water and fringing reefs
• 8.68333381.22 Nilaveli — town with a long sandy beach just north of Trincomalee
• 6.51305681.6877783 Kumana National Park — in the extreme south of the province next to Yala National Park, famed for birdwatching

Travellers to Eastern Province will notice it is markedly different to southern and central Sri Lanka. The landscape is much dryer, and the Sinhalese, the majority of the population in most of the country, are a minority here. In this province, they make up one fifth of the population, while Tamils and Muslims each make up two fifths of the population.

Weather on the east coast remains good while the more populated southeast is lashed by the main monsoon from April to September. In fact, April to September is the east coast's dry season, and is when most tourists visit. 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.

Batticaloa and Trincomalee both have small domestic airports. Cinnamon Air runs daily scheduled flights to both destinations from the main Bandaranaike International Airport.

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
• For history buffs, 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

For more Tamil culture, head up to Northern Province. Many buses link east coast cities with Ella.