Things to do in Trincomalee
If you are still undecided on visiting the North East of Sri Lanka then these Trincomalee tips photos may help you take the final decision.
For this post, I teamed up with Tania Nallathamby, a local traveller and photographer that loves to explore Sri Lanka and discover new destinations as Trincomalee
I love travelling to Sri Lanka (actually just booking my next trip there) and discovering new things to do in Trincomalee will help me to build a new itinerary in the country.
But let’s get straight into it
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Things to do in Trincomalee – the interview
Unusually from all of my guides, I have organised this post as an interview where Tania will tell us more about the things to do in Trincomalee, the best time of the year to visit and of course a local tip on a place to stay.
Hello Tania, and thanks for helping us out. Can we go straight to your suggested attractions of Trincomalee?
Hi everyone, no worries at all. And let’s move to the point
Trincomalee, thanks to its beautiful attractions, is increasingly becoming an interesting tourist location.
You can easily spend days here visiting the beautiful beaches and the historic sights and obviously taking some photos of Trincomalee
Most visitors go to Trincomalee for the beaches.
White sands, swaying palms, fisherfolk…what’s not to love?
You’ll come away with some beautiful sunrise and sunset shots.
Koneswaram Temple is a famous site to visit whilst in Trincomalee.
You have to go through Fort Frederick to get to the top of Swami Rock to see the temple.
On the way to the top, you will see plenty of spotted deer around the place.
They are pretty docile and I even saw some tourists touching them.
I wouldn’t recommend this personally.
Shoulders and knees should be covered when visiting the Koneswaram Temple.
I had on a skirt slightly higher than my knee and a shop owner just outside the temple gave me an old sari to tie around my waist during my visit.
No photography is allowed inside the temple, but there are plenty of photo opportunities outside.
You can also get some good shots of Lovers Leap just outside the temple, whilst imagining the many romantic tragedies that have reported to have happened here.
Trincomalee Bay is one of the world’s finest natural harbours.
You can capture some great shots of the bay in and around Fort Frederick
You may also check this post if you are after more tips on a trip in Sri Lanka
What is the best time to visit Trincomalee?
Trincomalee can get very hot depending on the time of year you travel there.
I visited in September and most days were bright sunshine and in the mid-thirties.
For photography I highly suggest the very early in the mornings (7am is even too late in my opinion) and very late in the afternoons.
You’ll avoid shadows in your portrait photos and you’ll bypass the excessive perspiration too
You can read more on the best time to visit Sri Lanka in my extensive guide.
Where to stay in Trincomalee
This is still not a popular destination as such however more travellers are venturing as north on the east coast.
I would personally suggest querying the booking system as booking.com as new hotels have been added on a regular basis.
It’s a new destination in its infancy.
You can check out for example Trinco Blu by Cinnamon for the most exclusive stay, right in front of the beach, one of the best hotels in town
Another great alternative is the Anantamaa, a great value for money hotel, just meters from the beach
Exclusive Trinco Blue Great value Anantamaa
You can also read more on the best places to visit and stay in Sri Lanka in this extensive guide.