Travel Tips : Trincomalee, the East Coast of Sri Lanka
Best time to visit the East Coast/Trinco, Sri Lanka
Monsoon seas in the north and east is November to February. The best time to visit in May to September when the rest of the country is experiencing the southwest monsoon. For Surfers, April to October is the best time to visit Arugam Bay. Whale Watching season is December to April but the Naval vessels do operate off the coast of Tricomalee in from May onwards and regular sightings are reported.
Getting to the East Coast/Trinco, Sri Lanka
By Air:
Expo Air (www.expoavi.com) flies several times daily between Colombo and Jaffna. Sri Lankan Airlines’ Air Taxi service operate scheduled flights up to Dambulla in the North Central region of Sri Lanka.
By Rail:
Several services daily (plus overnight sleeper trains) from Colombo to Trinco (appro. 7 to 8 hours) and Batticaloa (8 hours). Rail services between Colombo and the north extends only as far as Vavuniya (about 140km/90 miles south of Jaffna).
By Bus:
Trinco from Colombo (7 hours), Batticaloa from Colombo (6 to 7 hours) and local buses along the coast road from Trinco to Pottuvil via Batticaloa. Jaffna from Colombo (8 to 10 hours).
Getting Around East Coast/ Trinco, Sri Lanka
Getting around in public transport with the North & East of Sri Lanka will certainly be a challenge. The buses, three wheelers are not as common as it would be in the west of Sri Lanka and within Colombo region.
If you are planning a holiday to the part of the region, its best to look out for hired taxis, hotel transport, or the services of a professional travel agent.
However, three-wheelers, local buses and taxis operate in and around Trinco and Jaffna and along the coast. Boasts operate across Jaffna lagoon and to the outlying islands in the region.
Hi There Ruvi
Getting around by Air: I was looking through your blog and I realized your research had missed out Sri Lanka’s leading local airline – Deccan Aviation. In operation since 2004, Deccan is the only airline that operates planes, helicopters and shortly, seaplanes. Check out the site at http://www.simplifly.com
Cheers,
Suren
Founder
Deccan Aviation Lanka
Hi Suren,
Thank you for your valued comments and for visiting my blog.
Yes, I haven’t mentioned it, but purely because I was referring to scheduled flights. All your flights are Chartered and are fairly expensive compared to other operators in Sri Lanka. Your Plane too was not in operation and I was told that it was sent to USA for maintenance (Which is a really good thing and great to know!!:) ). Is it back in Sri Lanka and in operation?
I should also mention that Daya Aviation operates Chartered flights and is competitively priced.
I hope I’ve offer you and other visitors to the blog with valued information with regards to this. Please continue to follow my blog and I look forward to working with service providers, such as yourself, to offer better packages and services to traveler in Sri Lanka.
Cheers
Ruvi