Trincomalee holds one of the finest natural deep-water harbours in Asia – a geographic feature that made it one of the most contested strategic points in the region across four centuries of colonial history. Today it offers pristine diving at Pigeon Island National Park, wide reef-sheltered beaches at Nilaveli and Uppuveli, and whale and dolphin watching between May and September that complements Mirissa’s November to April season. The clifftop Koneswaram Temple, built on Swami Rock 130 metres above the harbour, is one of Sri Lanka’s most dramatically sited places of worship.