When I was at the Chennai airport in India, I started planning my trip in Sri Lanka using the Lonely Planet. I read about all the main attractions of Sri Lanka and I figured out that most of them were not what I wanted to visit! Thinking in retrospective about my last trip to India, I figured out that what I enjoyed most were off the beaten tracks in Rajasthan and Gujarat, and not the major tourist attractions. So I thought of a better use for my guidebook: to look where tourists go, and not go there!

So after visiting some of the attractions that I wanted to visit, I decided that it was time to get off the touristy sites. Most of the touristy areas in Sri Lanka are located in the west, south and the center. People go to west and south coasts to bathe and enjoy the beach, and they go to the center to visit the hill country (where the famous tea plantations are), and to visit historical sites above the hill country. But very few tourists make it to the east and the north of the country.

There “was” a very good reason for that till a few years ago: a full-fledged civil conflict was raging on in the north and east till 2009. I don’t want to tell the story here, but the conflict was between the LTTE or more famously known as Tamil Tigers, and the government of Sri Lanka. It was a dirty and bloody war between the two, and many people perished during more than two decades of this conflict. So it’s not so long, less than three years, that this long conflict has ended and this is why tourists still think it might not be that safe. But I asked around and found out that there are absolutely no problems for traveling to these regions. So over there, it was my best chance to do off the beaten track in Sri Lanka!

But it’s not all. The east has some of the best beaches in the country, and I wanted to do some snorkeling as well. So I thought it might be a better place to head to. However, according to LP and the people at the tourist information, this time of the year, monsoon is in full rage in the east. But when I asked around and checked on internet, the east coast was even sunnier than the rest of the country! So I decided to head east to the city of Trincomalee, aka Trinco.

I am going to write more in detail about my trip to the east, as there is little information available in guidebooks and even on internet about it. It might come in handy for some.

Getting to Trincomalee

So from Sigiriya, I took a bus back to Dambulla, and from there, I took a government bus to Trinco. The last 50km of the ride was rough, as there was lots of construction and maintenance going on. It took like 2h30 or so to reach Trinco.

As I knew that the tourist infrastructure is very bad in the east, even in a big city like Trinco, I had reserved a room before. Patrick, the French photographer I met in Negombo, gave me the name of this hotel that he had stayed in. The hotel’s name was Green Park Hotel, and it is mentioned in LP. However what is not mentioned in LP is that apart from the expensive 4000 rps plus rooms they have in the main building, they also have a satellite building closeby, where simple rooms with attached bathroom are only for 1500 rps. When I called to book, they gave me the first price, and only when I mentioned the satellite building, they said that there are rooms available there too.

The room was really basic, but clean and ok (no hot shower). The only restaurant in the neighborhood is in the main building of the hotel. The food is ok, though once it was so spicy that it made me hiccup! But the good thing is that you have free wifi over there!

First Day - Uppuveli Beach

So after leaving my luggage in the room, I headed to Uppuveli beach in the north of Trinco by rickshaw. The beach was beautiful; golden sand, palm trees, and just a few people, but the sea was a bit rough. I tried to snorkel a bit, but the visibility was horrible and the currents were strong. So I quickly changed my mind. Instead, I went around walking and collecting seashells! I was also invited by some local guys, which I then found out were navy soldiers, to play volleyball with. It was beautiful weather and I had a great time that ended with a magnificent sunset!

Second Day - Meeting New Friends

The next day, I thought to go to another beach to avoid the strong currents. There is a famous beach further north of Trinco called Nilaveli, and from there it’s possible to go to a small island 1 km off its shore called Pigeon Island. Over there, there is a coral national park which is said to be excellent for snorkeling and diving. But I learned that the boat drivers were on strike that day, and it wouldn’t be possible to reach Pigeon Island.

So instead, I decided to go to Marble Beach, located at China Bay. As this beach is located in a bay, I supposed that the waters would be calmer and more suitable for snorkeling. I took a local bus from in front of the Green Park Hotel, and told the driver that I wanted to go to the Marble Beach (taking a rickshaw is too expensive as it is pretty far from the hotel). But the driver forgot to tell me to get off at the right location, and he just remembered when we had arrived to the next town, called Kinniya. So I got off in Kinniya, and started walking to find a rickshaw.

Suddenly, a guy approached me and said that he had seen me somewhere, and I answered it’s not possible. He asked me where I am from, and when he found out that I am Iranian, he got very excited and told me that he is also Muslim, and he invited me to go with him to a teahouse. I said why not, as I was in no hurry. You know you can easily say if someone is just friendly, or if he wants to trick you. At least, I have found it to be easy, and this guy was very friendly.

His name was Jaan. He was in his fifties (though he looked younger), and he could speak English very well. We went in, and he introduced me to his friends. They all got excited at my sight, and welcomed me very warmly. One of his friends was particularly interested about Iran, and he had a good knowledge of Iranian affairs and history. His name was Munawwar, and he was an English teacher in his forties (though again looking younger!). His English was stunningly good, and throughout our discussion, I really admired his vast inventory of good words.

We talked and talked for hours with Jaan and Munawwar and other fellas over so many subjects. They were very curious to know about Iran, and once in a while I had to debunk a myth about Iran for them, and they would grow more and more eager to hear. It was a very lively and fun discussion. I really liked that crowd and they seemed to like me, so I thought I should come and stay there, instead of staying in Trinco. I would have better access to a beach there as well.

So I went to see a guesthouse nearby, called Beach Rest House (077 258 51 10), whose owner was a friend of Munawwar. I found a room for 500 rps (without attached bathroom) which was clean and ok, and very cheap. I reserved a room for the day after, and I headed to the Marble Beach.

Marble Beach

To go to Marble Beach, I had to take a rickshaw, as it was not exactly within walking distance. On top of that, as the Marble Beach is in the Sri Lankan Airforce base, you need to enter by a motored vehicle (it’s their policy) and pay an entrance fee of 100 rps. Munawwar arranged a rickshaw for me to take me to the beach for 200 rps.

The beach was beautiful, but not as much as Uppuveli beach, but the water was a lot calmer. More than that, only local people were there. Although the water was calm, again the visibility was very bad, so I decided to forget about snorkeling there and at any other beach in the east. I’m sure this was because it was not the right season for it, and if you come during the peak season here, the waters would be great for snorkeling.

Instead, I walked around and looked at the marine life at the shore. There were a few rocks sticking out of the water, and there were loads of seashells, crabs and even hermit crabs living in that vicinity. It was fun to watch, but nevertheless, I was disappointed by the clarity of water which made it impossible for snorkeling.

I got a free ride back to Trinco in a van full of Roman Catholic sisters with a Muslim driver! Guess what? All the way the sisters were singing and praying! But they were nice and generous, as one would expect.

The day after, I packed and left Trinco for Kinniya to have a wonderful experience there!

Side Notes:

  • Oh boy, there hasn’t been one Sri Lankan that had met me, and not asked me if I’m married or not! I think the number of times I have been asked about my marital status in these 7-8 days in Sri Lanka is equal or more than the number of times I was asked the same question in my entire life!

  • Before coming to Sri Lanka, I was not sure if the conflict is solved or suppressed. When I came, I asked around and everyone said that it is solved once and forever. They all said that conflict will never begin again. I really hope that this is the case.

  • Mosquito net is an essential piece of equipment here in Sri Lanka. Most of the hotels and guesthouses have one. If they didn’t, check if there are orifices and openings in the room or not. If there were, do not rent the room!