Eastern Zone

A few hundred meters off the shore, Pigeon Island is one of the two marine national parks in Sri Lanka. It is covered with rocks but offers some shady stretches and offers snorkeling to view corals and fish. The spot is good for diving too. The island is named after blue rock pigeons who breed here. As with all national parks in Sri Lanka, the various fees and charges are myriad and can add up. The local boat owners association, Nilaveli Private Boat Service, has a hut next to the park office where you can arrange trips. Most dive shops offer trips here, as do many hotels. The busiest times to visit are May to September.

Being a coastal town Batticoloa is also the same as most coastal town in the east of Sri Lanka, also has been captured by Dutch at one time, Batticoloa also has the Dutch fort intact in the structure ruins. Batticoloa Beach and the Kallady Beach and the bridge is among the popular beach attractions in Batticoloa. Batticoloa also has a lagoon formation and is a prominent fishing and a naval city.

Kattankudy and Navalady Peninsula is a natural formation out of sea and is a distinct advantage to its naval base. The town is also blessed with its fair share of Catholic (mostly), Buddhist in Hindu shrines, the town also has a fully pledged Museum and a Lighthouse remaining from the era of conqueror ruling.

Popular among the tourist as a popular surfing point, Arugambay. Known worldwide for the shallow and smooth waters the bay has to offer, Arugambay can be easily recognized as Sri Lanka’s most popular and most internationally known beach destination. International surfing association holds surfing competitions at Arugambay. After the civil war stopped in 2009 Arugambay is even more peaceful and is brimming with tourist hotels and attractions.

Apart from the famous surfing point, the destination has a lot of other attractions to offer, Buddhist temples such as Muhudu Maha Viharaya and Magul Maha Viharaya, the Potuvil Point and Crocodile Rock to name a few. Diving, Bird Watching and Wildlife is also some other activities to embark on while being on Arugambay.

A bay lying in between two headlands and is known around the world as an excellent surf spot. Tourists come here just for the surf. With a clean wall of surf allowing up to 400m in the season, it gets rather crowded. If not in the season bay goes completely out and quiet and most beach places close down, if not the Bay beach is more towards a laid out, chill beach with hammocks and small cafes in the area.

Another famous destination in the east coast of Sri Lanka, Pasikuda has a stretch of uninterrupted clear beach and a perfect spot of the beach. May to September is the best time to visit Pasikuda. The shore also has a coral reef that guards the beach.

Pasikudah remained off limits for a long time, thus being one the best of beaches hidden. Pasikudah’s fine 4km sweep of horseshoe shaped bay, is reminiscent of that in Unawatuna in the South. Though the beach is narrower the sea is clear up to about 500m ashore. The beach is clear and is just like made for beach baths and sun bathing. Other than that this famous stretch is also available for deep sea diving and coral reef snorkeling

The Yala East National Park commonly known as Kumana has been topping the list of bird watchers since its inception. The focus is the wetland formed by the Kumana Villu, fed by a channel of Kumbukkan Oya when a sandbar forms at the mouth of the river in the dry season. In recent years, the tank hasn’t been able to fill with sufficient water killing off part of the mangrove. Large flocks of Painted Stork are commoners at the park, while many other resident and migratory birds can be spotted. The park has a smaller Elephant population, along with Deer and Wild Boar.

This small NP is good for watching birds and large Elephant herds. Lying between Gal Oya and Yala, the park is part of the “elephant corridor” for the elephant population to move freely across the South Eastern part of the island. The Lahugala, Mahawewa and Kithulana tanks that attract numerous species of water birds, while in the dry season herds of 100 or more Elephants are drawn to grass that grows in shallow tanks. The best time to watch them is the afternoon. 

This magnificent park was established to protect the catchment area of the Senanayake Samudra, an enormous reservoir created in 1948 by damming the Gal Oya. Still parts of the national park is visited by the Veddas for their daily herb and medicinal collection. Gal Oya NP is famous for its elephants and varieties of birds. Out of which White Bellied Sea Eagle and Crocodiles holds a priority. Gal Oya National Park is famous for it’s boat safaris operated by Wildlife department and the most practical way of going on a boat safari is  joining at the starting point, which is Siyabalanduwa, that is halfway through on Monaragala – Arugam Bay road. The best time to go on the boat safari is at 6 AM or at 3 PM when the sunlight is not too harsh.

Nilaveli is Sri Lanka’s longest beach, and was very popular before the war strike. The straight wide strip of inviting white sands, backed by screw pines and Palmyras which provides shade, stretches for miles, and the beach’s gentle waters are safe for swimming outside the period of North Eastern monsoons. The boom in tourism bought together some very promising resorts in and close to the impeccable beach and is well managed at the moment.