Situated about 48 k.m. north of Trincomalee, ‘Girihandu Seya’ located at Thiriyaya (Thiriyai) is an important historical place of worship for Buddhists. An 8th century Brahmi epigraph found at the site refers to a shrine named ‘Girikandicaitya’ established by Tapassu and Bhalluka during the lifetime of Buddha.

According to the ‘Mahavagga’, Tapassu and Bhalluka were two brother merchants, who offered alms to the Buddha, in the 8th week after his enlightenment. At their request, Buddha gave them a handful of hair relics, which they carried while engaging in trade. The ship they were travelling underwent repairs at a nearby port and the two merchants decided to enshrine the holy relics on the hillock and built a small shrine.The shrine was built during the lifetime Buddha and it was the first Buddhist shrine in Sri Lanka. The ruins of the vatadage consisting of a small stupa encircled by two concentric circles of stone pillars and a retaining wall of stone slabs has evolved with time.

The Gal Viharaya, is a rock temple of the Buddha situated in the ancient city of Polonnaruwa in north-central Sri Lanka. It was fashioned in the 12th century by Parakramabahu I. The central feature of the temple is four images of the Buddha, which have been carved into the face of a large granite rock. The images consist of a large seated figure, another smaller seated figure inside an artificial cavern, a standing figure and a reclining figure. These are considered to be some of the best examples of ancient Sinhalese sculpting and carving arts, and have made the Gal Vihara the most visited monument at Polonnaruwa.

The sea off Uppuveli abounds in marine life with squid fishing being one of the top specialties of the area. You too can join the local fishermen and venture in a nocturnal squid fishing expedition. The motor boats leave the shore moments before nightfall. Equipped with artisanal gas-powered lamps and fishing nets they silently journey for a little less than an hour across the massive bay to the foot of the famed Koneswaran Temple. After paying homage to the God Shiva and seeking his blessings, they then spread across the bay like little stars splattered across the ink blue sky. The formula is rather simple. Attracted to the light of the lamps, the squid and small fish converge to the edge of the boats only to be swooped into the little fishing nets by the hawk-eyed fishermen. The wise, big fish however stay away from the boats. Armed with fishing rods, the wiser fishermen use the freshly caught squid to lure and catch hauls of big fish. Back to land by dinner time, you can even grill your catch and savour it straight off the pan!

Pampering that travel bug in you, we are more than delighted to organise custom-made tours, thus enabling you to explore, discover and enjoy the multi-faceted variety Sri Lanka has to offer. Travelling north from Uppuvili is the famous Nilavali beach. Further beyond is Kuchchaveli, which has been earmarked for development as a tourist resort. North of Kuchcheveli are the Nayaru and Kokilai lagoons. Parts of these lagoons form a bird sanctuary where both endemic and migrant birds flock in their numbers. This is where your binoculars and you become inseparable. North West of Kuchchaveli is the more than 2500 year old ‘Girihandu Seya’ (Buddhist Stupa) located atop a 212 ft rock in Thiriyaya near the Yan Oya estuary. It contains a lock of the Buddha’ hair and goes on record as being the first Buddhist stupa in this country, perhaps in the whole world, and one established even prior to the Buddha’s visits to Sri Lanka. South West of Trincomalee is the strategically located bustling town of Habarana, which provides quick access to historically important locations such as Sigiriya, Dambulla and Ritigala. The latter two bear important religious significance in the Buddhist world. Two other important locations for visitors are the mediaeval city of Polonnaruwa and the Minneriya Wildlife Park. The latter is famous for what is called the ‘Minneriya Gathering’ where hundreds of elephants gather on the lake bed from August to September in search of water and fodder. Hugging the coast and driving south of Trincomalee takes you all the way to Passikudah famous for its inviting beaches and beach-side hotels. And further south is Arugam Bay, the surfers’ paradise.

The Salli Kovil also known as Muthumariamunam Kovil is at the northern end of the Uppuveli beach, a mere walking distance from Amaranthé Bay across the Pillaikulam Aru river. It is an important temple to the local Hindus, who regularly visit it for prayers and hold colourful festivals. Men with pierced tongues and women holding pots of milk are common sights during festival times. During festivals, drummers and dancers are also a common sight, but most striking are the devotee.

It is worth walking up to the very well maintained Commonwealth War Cemetery, a graveyard for British servicemen, who died in Trincomalee during World War II. Located on a hillock just behind the ‘Amaranthé Bay’, the cemetery is an ideal location from where you can literally have a bird’s view of the surrounding countryside, which includes Salli Amman Kovil by the seaside as well as a magnificent new Hindu Kovil dedicated to God Shiva.

One of the most magnificent beaches on Sri Lanka’s East Coast is the Marble Beach located deep in Trincomalee where the water is as clear as glass. This particular stretch of water looks like marble when seen from above and hence its name.

It is a place where one can enjoy the scenic beauty of the eastern coast of Sri Lanka while basking in the history of this strategic town, boasting of one of the largest natural harbours in the world. Air Force Resort Marble Beach, located not very far from the newly built Kinniya Bridge, the longest bridge in Sri Lanka is built around Marble Beach, a virgin stretch of beach which has always been synonymous with Trincomalee.

Air Force Resort Marble Beach has been designed to blend with its natural surroundings, leaving its natural beauty and tranquility intact so that its guests will be able to enjoy nature at its best while also enjoying all the amenities they need for their comfort. It will give you sense of communing in harmony with nature.

Nearby, at the China Bay are the Eagles’ Golf Links, which overlook the scenic Clappenberg Bay and Malay Cove, and are a 15-minute drive from the pristine Marble Beach.

This 18-hole course offers golfing enthusiasts nearly seven kilometres of challenging rounds of golf for a par of 72, routed through undulating Bermuda grass fairways and Tifdwarf greens, complete with magnificent trees. And while at the game, you can also feast your eyes on coves and bays, sparkling waters, all of which truly enhance the experience of a memorable game of golf.

The Eagles’ Golf Links enjoy warm to hot weather all year through, thus assuring golfers of warm sunny days during most times of the year. The North-East monsoon is generally from November to February when afternoon showers are fairly common.

Pasikuda has become a popular tourist destination amongst locals and foreigners alike. This is because Pasikudah is known to have one of the longest stretches of shallow coastline in the world. In other words, people walk kilometers into the sea because the water is only a few inches deep and the current is relatively weak compared to the rest of Sri Lanka’s coasts.

Pasikudah is easily accessible from Trincomalee and Batticaloa, both of which cities have star class accommodation. Pasikudah is fast becoming an investors hub as foreign and local investors have shown interest in developing tourism along the beach.

Arugam Bay is a bay situated on the Indian Ocean in the dry zone of Sri Lanka’s southeast coast. The bay is located 320 km due east of Colombo. “Ullai” as Arugam Bay is locally known is a popular surfing and tourist destination.Beyond surfing there are many things can be enjoyable, Lagoon tour, bird watching, elephant watching, Kumana National Park, Kudumpigala monarchy and many ancient ruins & archaeological sites. After the war ended, there are lot of tourist not only surfers but many nature lovers visiting Arugam Bay.

Recent data (especially from the Sri Lankan Navy) points to a commercially feasible strike rate for whales which extends Sri Lanka’s Blue Whale watching season from May to August off Trincomalee. This over-turns the prevailing view that the Blue Whale season finishes in April. Whale watching can now become commercially established during the ‘East Coast Season’. The combined Mirissa (December to April) and Trincomalee (March to August) seasons for watching Blue Whale now gives Sri Lanka the longest and best Blue Whale watching season in the world, spanning at least 9 months.
During May to August, Blue Whales remain close, around 6-8 nautical miles East of Trincomalee, about 30 minutes in travel time. Koneswaram Temple atop Swamy Rock is the best publicly accessible on-shore whale watch point in the world for watching Blue Whales.
Between March to August, Trincomalee has a combined strike rate of over 80 per cent for Blue and Sperm Whales. More data is needed at species level. Dolphins (mainly Spinner Dolphins) have a higher strike rate.