Tourist Destinations in Sri Lanka

Batticaloa is a major city in the Eastern Province, Sri Lanka, and its former capital. It is the administrative capital of the Batticaloa District. The city is the seat of the Eastern University of Sri Lanka and is a major commercial city. It is on the east coast, 69 miles south by south east of Trincomalee, and is situated on an island. Pasikudah is popular tourist destinations, with beaches and flat year-round warm-water shallow-lagoons
Batticaloa is located at a distance of 313 km away from Colombo, in the Batticaloa district of the Eastern Province.

Reaching Batticaloa

Batticaloa can be reached by motor roads beginning with the A1 and connecting to A6, A11 and A15 via Maradankadawala, Habarana and Thirukkondaiadimadu.
Batticaloa, which is the terminus of the eastern Railway line, can be reached from Colombo via Polonnaruwa. Trains run daily on this track to Batticaloa. Domestic carriers can be chartered to fly to Batticaloa (IATA airport code: BTC), which consists of a military air force base.

Batticaloa Town

The coastal town of Batticaloa sits on a narrow tongue of land with the Indian Ocean to the east and the snaking estuarine lagoon in and around it.

Batticaloa Beach

Batticaloa has coral rich seas along the east coast. Diving and snorkeling is possible in the nearby seas.
Late March to end of October is a good season for these activities along the eastern coast.

Batticaloa District

Batticaloa district which has an average elevation of around 5 meters, occupies the central part of the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka on a flat coastal plain, boarded by the Indian Ocean.

Batticaloa is considered as a major city of Sri Lanka. On the east coast of the Batticaloa gives its way as a very gorgeous city and as a highly commercialized area. The lagoons of the area add scenic beauty which catches the heart of anyone who pays a visit, featuring a tropical wet and a dry climate.

Batticaloa Beach

The coastal area of the Batticaloa district is dominated by estuarine lagoons, namely the Valaichchenai Lagoon and Vakari (Panichchankerni) Lagoon. The District extends for a distance of 130 miles along the east coast of the Island, from the River Kumbukkan – aar in the south to the River Verugal – aar in the north. The district of Batticaloa takes its name from the principal town of the same name, which was originally known as Batticaloa, or Puliyanduwa a derivation of the Sinhala name Mada Kalappua meaning muddy swamp.

Batticaloa Lagoon

The Batticaloa Lagoon, which is the largest lagoon, features extensive mangrove swamps and some sea grass beds that attract a wide variety of water birds.

Kallady Beach

Kallady Beach is a popular attraction among the diving and snorkelling enthusiasts.

The Singing Fish near the Kallady Bridge

Batticaloa lagoon is famous for its `Singing Fish’. On full moon nights, during the period of April to September, a faint but distinct musical sound resembling a plucked guitar rises from the lagoon waters in the area along the Kallady Bridge, a couple of kilometres off the town centre of Batticaloa. The mysterious music is attributed to a noise emanated from some form of a marine life found in the lagoon. The best way to listen to the music is to dip the end of an oar into the water and hold the other end to your ear.

Passikudah Bay

Passikudah Bay contains a shallow fringing coral reef towards the outer bay with scattered coral communities within the bay, and is connected to similar reef systems further south towards Kalkudah. It is one of the best-known reef systems in the east and has been proposed as a Marine Sanctuary by NARA . Passikudah is very popular among visitors due to the calm clear waters which are ideal for swimming. This is located about 28km north of Batticaloa town, in the Batticaloa District, of the Eastern Province .

Batticaloa Fort

Originally a Portuguese settlement, the Fort of Batticaloa was first constructed in 1628 as a trading and administrative center. Set upon a small island, the fort protrudes into a swampy lagoon, surveying the brackish waters protected by the citys outer banks. The Dutch had arrived in 1602, drawn to the prospects of trade and the abundance of pepper and cinnamon grown by the local community. However, it was not until King Rajasinghe in Kandy urged Dutch intervention that the European colonial power took action, capturing the fort in 1638 and establishing sovereignty in the region. Bordered by a moat on two sides and the lagoon on the others, the stone fort remained in Dutch hands for nearly two centuries before the British entered the country in the late 18th century and took control of the Dutch fortifications. The site has significant religious implications dating back to the 1st century B.C., evidenced by a Buddhist stupa and shatra from the Ruhuna Kingdom that remains in the area.

Sathurukondan Wetlands

Located within the urban area of Batticaloa and adjacent to the lagoon, the site consists of mixed wetland habitats and extends to an area of 75 ha. The site has a well-known reputation for its bird population and includes a number of rare species such as Lesser Adjutant Stork Leptoptilus javanicus and Spot Billed Pelican Pelecanus philippensis. The lagoon also contains a small population of Broad Snouted Crocodile or 'Mugger' (Crocodylus palustris) a species also in decline and classed as vulnerable by the World Conservation Department (IUCN).

The Sathurukondan site is locally noted for the wide variety and large numbers of water and wading birds that flock to the open water thus making it a visual spectacle of visitor interest all the year round. Located close to the urban center, the area provides an underused nature site resource which could be further developed as an educational/recreation center for both local people and visitors to the area.