Trincomalee, on Sri Lanka’s north-east coast, is a port city built around one of the finest natural harbours in the world. It has long been a place of pilgrimage and trade, and today travellers come for its quiet white-sand beaches, clear water for snorkelling, ancient temples and, in season, whale watching. Its dry season runs opposite to the west and south coasts, which makes it a good choice when those are wet.
A short history
The town’s Tamil name, Thirukonamalai, means the “sacred hill of Koneswaram”, after the Hindu temple on Swami Rock that has drawn pilgrims for well over a thousand years. The deep, sheltered harbour made Trincomalee a prize for successive powers. The Portuguese built a fort here in the early 17th century, the Dutch took it soon after, and the British made it a major naval base from the late 1700s, a role it kept through the Second World War.
Today Trincomalee is home to Tamil, Muslim, Sinhalese and Christian communities, and that mix shows in the town’s temples, mosques, churches and food.
Getting there
Trincomalee is roughly a six-hour drive from Colombo and about two and a half hours from Sigiriya or Habarana, so it fits naturally at the end of a cultural triangle tour. With a private driver you can stop at Anuradhapura, Sigiriya or Polonnaruwa on the way.
