FORT OF BATTICALOA
Originally a Portuguese settlement, the Fort of Batticaloa was first constructed in 1628 as a trading and administrative center. Set upon a small island, the fort protrudes into a swampy lagoon, surveying the brackish waters protected by the city’s outer banks. The Dutch had arrived in 1602, drawn to the prospects of trade and the abundance of pepper and cinnamon grown by the local community. However, it was not until King Rajasinghe in Kandy urged Dutch intervention that the European colonial power took action, capturing the fort in 1638 and establishing sovereignty in the region. (Distance - 4.5 Km from Batticaloa Town)
BATTICALOA LAGOON
Batticaloa Lagoon is a very large estuarine lagoon in Batticaloa District, eastern Sri Lanka. The city of Batticaloa is located on land between the lagoon and the Indian Ocean.Batticaloa district is flourished with three lagoons, such Batticaloa lagoon, Valaichchenai Lagoon and Vakari Lagoon. Among them, Batticaloa lagoon is the largest lagoon in Batticaloa District. Batticaloa lagoon is a long and narrow lagoon situated in the east coast of Sri Lanka with the total area of approximately 11,500 ha of water. (Distance - 33.5 Km from Batticaloa Town)
THOPPIGALA
Thoppigala (also known as Baron's Cap), located 40 km northwest of Batticaloa, in eastern Sri Lanka. Thoppigala, also known as Baron's Cap and Kudumbimalai, is a large rock standing at 1,753 feet (534 m) above sea level. The rock is surrounded by thick jungle and rocky terrain,[1] and has a number of natural caves. (Distance - 66 km from Polonnaruwa Town)
PASIKUDA BEACH
Pasikuda beach although popular among locals and well known among locals isn't a place frequented by locals or foreigners. Which is a bit strange because it is one of the safest beaches for sea bathing in the east coast. Because of the lack of crowd is very clean most of the time and the nave does a good job of keeping it clean. It has the basic facilities like fresh water bathing etc as well making it an ideal place for a sea bath. You want find any shops or traders unless you go on a weekend and even if you go on a weekend you want find many people. There are no luxury hotels in the are and you have to do with small hotels or houses rented out for visitors. The prices are very reasonable and you can get it very cheaply especially if you happen to visit on week day. The closest major town is Batticaloa which is about 20-30 minutes ride in a vehicle.Although the road is a bit tricky now it is being constructed and should be finished by 2011. Lack of hotels in the Pasikuda area is one of the major reasons why tourism is not taking off in that beach but some of the land are already bought by some hotel groups so in the future we are bound to see an increase in tourism in the Pasikuda beach. (Distance - 69.4 Km from Polonnaruwa Town)
