Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WORTH A TRIP
TRINCO TO BATTI
New bridges and the upgraded A15 highway between Trincomalee and Batticaloa have
cut travel times considerably, and this scenic coastal route now begs to be explored.
Heading out of Trinco the A15 loops around the fringes of giant bite-shaped Trinco-
malee Bay, passing the airport. After 17km there's a turnoff on the left (signposted just
Beach;chalets US$120-150, villa from US$250 incl full board; ), a glorious cove bookended
by wooded headlands. There's a strip of golden sand, no trash and a drinks stand. School
groups descend on the beach from time to time (afternoons are quieter), but otherwise
it's a lovely place to kick back with sheltered swimming and a little snorkelling. On the
north side of the bay a section of the beach is reserved for guests of the resort (but diners
are welcome to use the restaurant; book ahead). Marble Beach is managed by the Sri
Lankan Air Force and you have to pay an entrance fee of Rs 20/50 per person/car.
Continuing south over the Kinniya beach the A15 hugs the coastline then crosses an-
other bridge before the Muslim town of
Mutur
where the roadside
MNU Hotel & Restaur-
ant
( 077-350-2377;Batticalao Rd) provides Chinese, local, and even some Arabic food
and has clean good-value rooms.
Pushing on south, there's a turnoff at the Km 101 post for the important stupa
Ser-
uwawila Rajamaha Viharaya
, one of the holiest Buddhist monuments in Sri Lanka, foun-
ded in the 2nd century BC, but only rediscovered (and reconstructed) in the 1920s. It de-
teriorated badly in the civil-war years, but was renovated in 2009.
Continuing south, the A15 cuts through an ocean of rice paddies and then a very
sparsely populated region of scrub bush and wetlands.
Just after the Panichchankeni bridge, at the Km 58 post,
Tranquility Coral Cottages
(
011-262 5404;
http://tccvakaraisl.com
;Sallithievu Rd, Panichchankeni;cottages incl meals Rs
4000-8000) is 2km from the highway and offers an unplugged, off-the-grid beach experi-
ence. Here you can enjoy empty white sands, explore the Panichchankeni lagoon, snorkel
the reefs around Sallithievu (an islet connected by a sandbar to the mainland) and taste
home-style cooking. The wooden cottages are spacious but perhaps a little pricey for
true Robinson Crusoes.
From here it's 27km south to the twin beaches of Kalkudah and Passekudah.
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