Things to do in The East
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Sunflower Bake House
Below the hotel of the same name, this place has a range of sweet and sour pastries that make for a good breakfast and some dirt-cheap, but dirt-free, rice-and-curry lunches for Rs 80.
reviewed
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Siripala Place Surf Cafe
Right next to the spot where the fish are first hauled out of the deep blue, the seafood here is as fresh and tasty as can be. Despite the name, it’s refreshingly unsurfy.
reviewed
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Old Batti
Wandering around Old Batti is particularly atmospheric late at night: cicadas call and water drips, but not a soul stirs on the eerily empty streets. Dim street lamps give lugubrious form to shadows around the various colonial edifices like the pompous sky-blue St Joseph’s Convent (St Mary’s St), St Michael’s College (Central Rd), which is so drenched in vines and creepers that the brickwork is starting to be broken away, and the sturdy 1838 Methodist Church (Post Office Rd). Of the dozens of churches, the most eye-catching is the huge blue, eight-sided, unfinished Our Lady of Sorrows (Trinco Rd), the vaguely Mexican, earth-toned St Anthony’s (St Anthony’s St) and the gra…
reviewed
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Pigeon Island
Floating in the great blue a short way offshore, Pigeon Island, with its powdery white sands and glittering coral gardens, tantalises with possibilities. However, though it used to be a very popular day-trip destination, today – thanks to a navy ban on boat trips, diving and snorkelling excursions and anything else that could be termed as fun in the sun – it has gone back to being the archetypical desert island. Having said that, for the really determined, it’s possible to reach, but you must first arrange a naval escort through the Nilaveli Beach Hotel. This will cost around Rs 2500 for half a day (give a day’s notice). They’ll normally pick you up in a small zodiac boat…
reviewed
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Fort Frederick Area
Built by the Portuguese, Fort Frederick was rebuilt by the Dutch. Today, British insignias crown the tunnel-like gateway that pierces the fort’s massively stout walls. Parts of the fortress are under military jurisdiction, and anyone entering will have to undergo a stringent security check. Despite this, a stroll up to the big new standing Buddha statue at the Gokana Temple and on up to Swami Rock, a 130m-high cliff nicknamed Lovers’ Leap, and the revered Koneswaram Kovilis highly worthwhile. This temple houses the rescued lingam (Hindu phallic symbol) known as the Swayambhu Lingam (viewing 7am-11.30pm & 4-6pm), making it one of Sri Lanka’s most spiritually important …
reviewed
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Dutch Fort
The 6m-thick walls of Batti’s Dutch fort surround the rambling kachcheri (administrative office). The fort itself contains government offices and isn’t very interesting, but the stroll along the eastern fringe between the walls and the water is nice. By the eastern entrance gate you’ll find a couple of old canons guarding the District Secretariat Office, while inside, on the 1st floor of the office opposite the entrance gate, is a stone slab engraved with a 1707 VOC inscription; it was recently removed from the fort walls and now balances precariously on a chair.
reviewed
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Nilaveli Beach
For years Nilaveli has been considered one of Sri Lanka’s most perfect beaches. It certainly has that feeling of paradise-island remoteness, with plenty of bending palms swaying over the golden sand. Good it may be, but in reality things aren’t quite as heavenly as they seem here. It’s not far from the recent front line and soldiers are everywhere, which kind of spoils the happy holidays’ mood. This is made plainly obvious in the numerous army checkpoints on the road into town and the massive military camp that sits right in the middle of the beach.
reviewed
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Kalkudah Bay Beach
Kalkudah Bay Beach, just over the headland to the south, is the kind of fantasy beach that makes you want to chuck away your return air ticket and lounge forever under the palms. The easiest approach to this beach is now blocked by an army camp at the end of the Valaichchenai–Kalkudah road. To reach the sand, bypass the camp and use the partly rebuilt beach-access lane 800m further southwest.
reviewed
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Peacock Rock
A demanding hike is the six-hour round trip to the summit of the densely forested Peacock Rock (to make it appear more peacock-like, drink a couple of bottles of arrack before viewing…). There is no set trail up the mountain and you’ll need a guide, which can be organised through most guest houses for around Rs 800 to 1000. From the summit you can check the surf at Arugam Bay on a clear day.
reviewed
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RN Buffet & Take Away
This superclean little eatery above a grocery shop offers a six-dish lunch buffet that’s not excessively spiced. Unfortunately, military restrictions in the neighbourhood mean it’s closed in the evenings. The restaurant also does a mean line in savoury pastries and cold drinks. It’s run by a delightful English-speaking couple who get their inspiration from a Delia Smith recipe book!
reviewed
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Commonwealth War Cemetery
You can stroll up to the beautifully kept, yet immensely sad, Commonwealth War Cemetery. This is the last resting place for over 600 servicemen who died at Trinco during WWII, most of them during a Japanese raid on 9 April 1942 that sank over a dozen vessels. The simplicity of the lines of graves and their often moving epitaphs bring a tear to the eye. Donations are appreciated.
reviewed
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Passekudah Beach
Passekudah Beach is the most visited and at weekends you might find two or three carloads of local beachgoers hanging out. At the southern end of the beach, gaudy little fishing boats add splashes of colour to the stunning pale sands. Head north along the beach, past the LTTE-destroyed hotels, and it’ll be just you and the crabs making footprints. Swimming here is normally safe.
reviewed
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Tiruchendur Murugan Alayam Temple
Built in 1984 as a stopping point on the Pada Yatra pilgrimage to Kataragama, its Murugan image is said to have opened its own eyes before the painter could do the job. The structure was slammed by the tsunami, leaving its small gopuram leaning at an alarming angle. Its colourful leaning tower sits near the beach between Third and Fourth Cross Sts.
reviewed
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Japanese Peace Pagoda
West of the clock tower and bus station, DS Senanayake Rd leads towards Inginyagala, passing scenic Ampara Tank. After about 2km a short right turn brings you to the graceful Japanese Peace Pagoda. The pagoda itself is large rather than beautiful, and despite still being a spring chicken in pagoda years it’s starting to look a little tatty.
reviewed
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Gecko Restaurant
The English–Sri Lankan owners of this chilled restaurant serve an excellent and varied menu for those with the homesick blues. Most of the dishes are homemade in their entirety and include such treats as salads, some superb pasta dishes, burgers, full English breakfasts, muesli, ice cream and apple pie.
reviewed
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Hotel Club Oceanic
The excellent dinner buffet at this top-end hotel is a favourite of NGO workers for miles around. If you know that quantity doesn’t always equate to quality, then choose from the à la carte menu featuring reasonable Western and better Sri Lankan dishes. Drinks cost (a lot) extra.
reviewed
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Monty Guest House
You can feast on a wide range of local dishes, as well as passable pasta and burgers, on either the pleasantly cool outdoor terrace or the spacious indoor dining room. It’s a good place to meet up with NGO workers and the odd passing tourist.
reviewed
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Dutch Bay
Right in the centre of Trinco is the attractive and picturesque Dutch Bay. Swimming is possible despite sometimes dangerous undertows. However, it’s more a place for strolling, and ice-cream sellers cater to the evening passeggiata.
reviewed
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Family Needs
This shack-fronted rice-and-curry place, which you’d never look at twice, actually makes an epic fried rice and, if you give plenty of notice and if they have some cheese and, and, and, might just be able to conjure up a decent pizza.
reviewed
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Chinese & Western Food Court
Set in a tropical garden, this is far and away Ampara’s most alluring dining place. The wide range of well-prepared dishes includes stir-fried cuttlefish and excellent ‘crumb chicken’ – think Kentucky smeared with crushed garlic.
reviewed
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Kandasamy Kovil
This temple, dedicated to Murugan, houses the rescued lingam (Hindu phallic symbol) known as the Swayambhu Lingam (viewing 7am-11.30pm & 4-6pm), making it one of Sri Lanka’s most spiritually important Hindu sites.
reviewed
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New City Food Cabin
The cleanest and brightest of several budget eateries around the clock tower, this place rings with the deafening knife-work of the kotthu rotti (doughy pancake chopped and fried with meat and vegetables) maker each evening.
reviewed
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Image Room
The incense-smoked image room next door to the Japanese Peace Pagoda, with its gaudy collection of Buddha statues, is interesting, and the friendly resident nun is liable to hand out sweets if you’re well behaved!
reviewed
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Welcombe Hotel
There’s appealing alfresco dining at this hotel restaurant, which serves some original and mostly successful Western dishes, including lamb chop in wine and rosemary, and jumbo prawns in lemon-garlic butter.
reviewed
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Lotus Park
Believe the menu and you’ll think that the cooks here can whip up anything under the sun. Anything that’s fish, curry or a bizarre Sri Lankan version of pasta, that is. Still, the beachfront dining is nice.
reviewed
