Trincomalee holidays

Trincomalee holidays give you a bit of everything, with white-sand beaches, whale-spotting cruises and sacred temples.

Sri Lanka’s hidden city

Trincomalee’s plotted on the north-east coast of Sri Lanka, with swathes of white sand bordering the Indian Ocean. The city’s known for its natural deep-water harbour, sacred temples and excellent whale-watching credentials. Around the waterfront you’ll find lots of fresh seafood restaurants and a fish market where you can buy the catch of the day.

Miles of sand

The beaches here rival those of the Maldives, with miles of powder-white sand cosied up to the warm waves of the Indian Ocean and backed by dense, green forests. There are beaches ideal for surfing, and to the east the water’s calm and the sand’s untouched. Dutch Bay – just south of the city – has restaurants and museums nearby, with a tiny Buddhist temple minutes from the shore. If you’re a fan of snorkelling, Pigeon Island National Park is teeming with tropical fish and the shallow water makes it safe for children to try it out, too – the island’s just a short sail away.

Whale watching

You can’t visit Trincomalee without going whale watching – it’s one of the top spots for it in the world, thanks to it being home to 27 species of whales and dolphins. Between August and September, you can head out on a cruise to watch sperm whales, and between February and April you might catch a glimpse of blue whales. Head to the top of Swami Rock and you may even see some from the shore. Dolphin sightings are also a possibility – hundreds of them swim along the coast from early May to August.