SRI LANKA-EAST COAST - Trincomalee, Nilaveli, Uppuveli

Uppuveli Beach, Trincomalee, Sri Lanka

Uppuveli is a quiet beach village on Sri Lanka's northeast coast, just a few kilometres north of Trincomalee harbour. Its calm, clear waters and palm-fringed shoreline make it a base for snorkelling and diving around nearby Pigeon Island, one of the country's two designated marine national parks. The reef hosts blacktip reef sharks and colourful coral gardens.

This video covers a stretch of the East Coast that remained largely off the tourist map until after the end of the civil conflict, giving it an unhurried character distinct from the south-west. Alongside Uppuveli, the footage takes in neighbouring Nilaveli beach and the historic port city of Trincomalee, home to the clifftop Koneswaram temple and one of the world's finest natural harbours.