Trincomalee sits on one of the finest natural harbours in Asia, a deep-water bay on Sri Lanka's northeast coast that naval strategists have coveted for centuries. It remained off the main tourist circuit largely because of the long civil war, but the area has been open and increasingly visited since 2009. The town itself is unhurried and predominantly Tamil, with a palpable sense of recovery.
The main sights are the Koneswaram Temple, a Hindu temple dramatically perched on a rocky headland called Swami Rock above the harbour, and Fort Frederick, a Dutch and later British fortification on the same promontory where spotted deer wander freely. The beaches to the north — Uppuveli and Nilaveli — are among Sri Lanka's best, with calm clear water and far fewer crowds than the southwest coast. Pigeon Island, just offshore from Nilaveli, has decent snorkelling around its coral reef.