The stunning east coast of Sri Lanka is wild, untamed and exactly the place you need to go to escape the masses. The beaches are gloriously long and sandy, providing an old-fashioned castaway paradise. Places such as Trincomalee, Pasikuda and Arugam Bay make perfect beach holiday destinations from May through to September due to the way Sri Lanka’s microclimate and monsoons fall.
On this tranquil coast, there is just a handful of luxury hotels and other than that you’ll be rubbing shoulders with boho traveller types, the occasional hippy time has forgotten and barefooted surfboarders. And that’s exactly, what makes the east coast so exciting.
The tourist hordes that can monopoilise the main destinations elsewhere on the island don’t make the long journey to the sleepy sands of the east coast. But those intrepid travellers – or simply sun worshippers – who do will be richly rewarded.