East

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The East Coast is one of Sri Lanka’s undiscovered areas yet has turquoise seas, soft white sandy beaches with calm shallow waters, a perfect place to relax. It is becoming very popular and this is only going to increase, so now is the time to visit. Trincomalee played an important part of Sri Lanka’s naval history because of the deep water harbour. Pigeon Island is a must visit and popular as a snorkelling destination. Tourists also love and return to the superb beaches in Passikudah and Nilaweli, not forgetting Arugam Bay, the surfers paradise. There are great diving opportunities such as the wreck of the HMS Hermes, which was a British naval ship that was sunk in World War II and there are also some colourful coral reef gardens. The best time to visit the East Coast is from April to September as the Monsoon takes part between November and March. Gal Oya, Kumana and Lahugala National Parks are some interesting and less discovered sites.