East coast
Pasikudah
A wide, shallow bay of calm, clear water on the east coast, where you can wade far out on sand, with the Dutch fort town of Batticaloa nearby.
- Time to spend
- 2 to 3 nights
- Best months
- April to September. November to February brings the north-east monsoon.
- Getting around
- Tuk-tuks. Pasikudah is about 2 hours from Polonnaruwa and 3 hours from Trincomalee.
- Good to know
- Most of the bay is lined with resorts, but the beach itself is public. Bring reef shoes for walking on the coral at the edges.
Pasikudah is one of the most sheltered bays in Sri Lanka. A reef keeps the water calm and shallow for a long way out, which makes it popular with families from April to September, when the east coast is at its best.
Next door, Kalkudah has a longer, wilder beach with fewer hotels. Both were hit hard by the civil war and the 2004 tsunami, and the resort strip at Pasikudah has been built mostly since 2010.
Batticaloa, an hour south, is a lagoon town with a small Dutch fort, a lighthouse at the bar mouth and a strong Tamil and Muslim culture.
What to see and do
Pasikudah bay Must see
Open in MapsA wide, reef-sheltered bay where the water stays waist-deep a long way out, good for swimming and paddling in season.
3 hr · MorningFree entryBatticaloa Fort and lagoon
Open in MapsA small fort built by the Portuguese and taken over by the Dutch in the 17th century, on an island in the Batticaloa lagoon, with a walk along the lagoon front.
1 hr · AfternoonFree entryKalkudah beach
Open in MapsA long, quieter beach south of Pasikudah with fishing boats and few hotels.
1 hr 30 min · AfternoonFree entry
Also consider
Worth the trip if you have time. The planner leaves these out unless you add them.
Batticaloa lighthouse
A 28-metre lighthouse from 1913 at the bar mouth where the lagoon meets the sea, with a small park beside it.
Nearby places to stay
- PolonnaruwaAbout 2 hr by carPlan with both
Photos
