6 Beaches to Explore in Eastern Province

Checkout places to visit in Eastern Province

Eastern Province

The Eastern Province is the second largest province in Sri Lanka, and its capital is Trincomalee, located on the east side of the region. The province covers most of the coastline on the east coast, and its area is 9,996 km2 which is 15.2% of the Sri Lankan landmass. Its major cities are Kalmunai, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Kattankudy, Eravur, and Ampara, with a population of 1,551,381 in 2012. And, it is the most diverse province ethnically and religiously in the country.

Activities Around

Beaches to Explore in Eastern Province

Arugam Bay

It is known locally as Arugam Kudah, a bay situated on the Indian Ocean, and a historic village of the ancient Batticaloa Territory. The bay is located 117 km south from Batticaloa. Arugam Kudah translation to Tamil is the Bay of Cynodon dactylon(Bermuda Grass). Arugam Bay attracts tourists through surf tourism, thanks to several quality local beaches, lagoons, historic temples, and the nearby Kumana National Park.

Fort Frederick

Fort Fredrick is located in Trincomalee, Eastern Province, Sri Lanka and built by the Portuguese in 1624 on Swami Rock-Konamamalai near Koneswaram temple. The Fort named Triquillimale was dismantled and rebuilt by the Dutch in 1665 and renamed as Fort Fredrick.

Marble Beach

Marble Beach or Marble Bay Beach, is a beautiful golden beach located in the north of Sri Lanka at the Marble Bay within the Trincomalee’s natural harbor area. It is best to go on weekdays to avoid crowdedness. When the day is bright and the sea is calm, you can see the surface shining like marble and that’s how the name was derived.

Nilaveli Beach

It is a 16 kilometers long beach North of Trincomalee. Across the beach, about 2 km toward the ocean you will find the famous pigeon island.

Pasikuda Beach

Pasikuda means the green algae bay and is located in the Eastern seaside of Sri Lanka around 35 kilometers from Batticaloa. The beach comes with turquoise blue waters, along with many activities such as kite surfing, boogie boarding to surfing and sailing across in a canoe. It has Coconut palms and Borassus adorn the shores. Sunscreen and a beach brimmed hat are recommended along with lots of liquid, to be hydrated.

Pigeon Island

Pigeon Island National Park lies 1 km off the coast of Nilaveli in Eastern Province, containing a total area of 471.429 hectares. The island's name came from the rock pigeon which colonized it. The park includes some of the best remaining coral reefs of Sri Lanka. This place in the 17th century used as a shooting range during the colonial era. Pigeon Island was one of the several protected areas affected by the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004.

Map of Beaches to explore in Eastern Province