Uppuveli, Trincomalee’s Best Beach - Paradise in North-Eastern Sri Lanka
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After the frantic pace of Jaffna, we were looking to relax. We came to Trincomalee for beachy times and beachy times we got. After some research we settled on the Uppuveli area of Trincomalee. It had the beach, the accommodation and the food and drink opportunities we were looking for, in our holiday within our backpacking adventure.
How to get to Trincomalee and Uppuveli
Sweaty bus selfie!
Getting to Uppuveli from Jaffna was straightforward. Trincomalee is well served by buses from nearly everywhere on the island of Sri Lanka. Google said it was going to take five and a half hours, but our bus managed it in four and half hours. We suspect that this was due to our driver, as he didn’t let off the accelerator for the whole journey. As soon as the bus was full, there was no stopping him! The blue buses of Sri Lanka are certainly an experience.
At Trincomalee bus station, it was a short 15 minute tuk tuk ride to get us to Uppuveli beach and our accommodation, Wanderers Hostel.
Where to Stay in Uppuveli
Wanderers Hostel
Wanderers Hostel is just like a Margherita pizza, everything you need and nothing you don’t. It was perfect for our backpacking needs. Cheap with simple (very simple) comfy private rooms (dorm rooms are also available) and decked out in the usual boho beach-chic vibes of murals, prayer flags, and bamboo wooden walls. We thought we would spend a couple of days at the beach….Wanderers Hostel would be our home for the next ten days.
Outside the rooms in Wanderers Hostel
We were greeted by the owner, who was swinging in a hammock and sipping a beer. Over the next few days we gathered that this guy was so laid back that he was pretty much permanently horizontal. This was just the kind of host we like, there if you needed him, but non judgemental of our laziness and very relaxed about us repeatedly extending our stay (we originally had planned to be there for 3 nights but stayed for 10).
Wanderers had the usual communal area filled with board games, cards and mementos from other travellers, as well as a small kitchen, a communal fridge, free drinking water (result!) and laundry facilities. All of this set us back £11 a night (around $13) for our private room.
We loved our simple accommodation, it was a 5 minute walk to the beach and even closer to the restaurants of Uppuveli strip.
P.S. Wanderers had the added bonus of Ahoy the dog (great name) and Daisy, a newly adopted kitten who took a shine to John. In addition to these friendly animals, we were also received an unexpected visitor one morning when the tail of a large black lizard, stuck through our wooden walls next to our sink. Ellie reacted with her usual poise and grace, in other words there was much screaming. In her defence she did think it was a snake tail. A quick poke from John encouraged our uninvited scaly friend to vacate our room.
Daisy in her special ‘hammock’
Other accommodation in Uppuveli
There are plenty of places to stay in Uppuveli. Whether you are looking for a fancy beach resort or a basic hostel check out our map for all your choices:
Uppuveli Beach
Uppuveli beach is great at whatever time of day, we spent countless hours lounging around, walking on the sand and swimming in the surf. Some stretches of the beach are cleaner than others, but generally in the area around Uppuveli and Fernando’s bar, the beach was kept immaculate.
We said the beach is great at any time of day, however we would strongly urge you to put your alarms on and catch the sun rising over the Bay of Bengal. As the beach is entirely east facing, you’re treated to a spectacular show as the sun emerges from the horizon, igniting the sky and staining the clouds pink and gold. John is not traditionally an early riser, and it took some convincing to get the alarm set. But even he agrees, the get up was worth it as the sunrise was magical!
We spent afternoons on the beach in a cycle of reading, sunbathing and swimming. Swimming in the sea at Uppuveli (at least in the time we were visiting, July 2022) was intense, but fun. The waves towered above you and were easily capable of bowling you over if you mistimed or underestimated them. The powerful waves did however, provide excellent body surfing opportunities. The sea was warm, and as with oceans everywhere when treated with respect, great fun!
After our afternoon swims came the traditional discussion of whether 3.30pm was an acceptable time for a beer. The general consensus is yes it is. Which leads us neatly on to…..
Fernando’s Beach Bar Uppuveli
We spent an inordinate amount of time at this beachfront bar. Whether it was using their sun loungers in the reading/sunbathing portion of the day or enjoying sunset beers, we found ourselves gravitating towards this bar again and again. Fernando’s seems to be an institution within the area. There are several other beach bars, but none as lively as we found Fernando’s to be.
Deckchairs, beanbags, a repurposed canoe and driftwood swings spread out across the sand under twinkling fairy lights. Picture a perfect beach bar and it was pretty much that.
Swinging chairs and alcohol, what could go wrong?
In addition to the usual beers and cocktails, Fernando’s had a couple of other notable liquid offerings:
The orange Sri Lankan King Coconut is an amazing fruit. Sweeter and more flavourful than regular coconuts, this thirst quenching bowling bowl is a must in the midday sun. Fernando’s delightfully would use the sliced off coconut lid to make mouse ears before serving. They also had the genius idea to pair the King Coconut water with fresh squeezed lime juice and ice to make the perfect refresher to the sun parched patron!
We also spied on our first visit, a proper coffee machine. Like the pampered Westerners we are, we were overjoyed. Since leaving Colombo, we had not had our caffeine fix in such luxurious form. Up until this point, we had been living off of tea or (shudder) Nescafe sachets!
Each evening we would sit with ice cold Lion lagers, watching the boats come in, as the sky behind faded from azure blue, through fiery reds, royal purples until succumbing to the star-filled night.
Like we said, a perfect beach bar!
At night, Fernando’s had music, a campfire and candles in the sand. The beach side ambiance was amazing, with the waves crashing and music playing it was a perfect place to unwind after a month of hectic travel.
Jellie beer price index: 700 LKR for a can of Lion lager (£1.68 or $1.94) - thoroughly reasonable for an awesome beachside bar.
Tips for Visiting Uppuveli, Trincomalee
How to get to Uppuveli, Trincomalee
Trincomalee bus station is a major hub and connects pretty much all of northern and central Sri Lanka as well as buses to the capital of Colombo and even some routes that go further south.
The bus station is located in the town of Trincomalee, next to the central market and is a 20 odd minute tuk tuk ride away from Uppuveli beach. There are buses connecting the town and beach, but services were infrequent when we visited (2022, the fuel crisis and all that).
Bus tickets can be brought on the day of travel, on the bus itself. Just get on, put your luggage at the front of the bus next to the driver and take a seat. A bus attendant will (eventually) come round, ask for your destination and sell you a ticket. Local buses are the cheapest, most exciting but probably least comfortable way of getting around Sri Lanka. Our tickets from the city of Jaffna to Trincomalee (one bus for 5 hours) cost us 1081 rupee each (£2.63 or $3.20).
For a more organised or luxurious travel experience, you can book tickets in advance. Advance tourist tickets can be brought for AC mini vans, larger tourist buses or private taxi’s. This can be done via travel agents or online via this link with 12Go
When to visit Uppuveli, Trincomalee
The best time to visit Uppuveli beach is between February and August, the peak tourist season is July (although this maybe because of Western school holidays) As the months go on and the end of the season approaches, the sea does become a little rougher, but the weather is still extremely hot and perfect for beach lounging.
Make sure to wear suncream with high UVA and UVA-B protection as everyday we were in Uppuveli, we received alerts on our phones that the UV level was extreme.
Thanks for reading.
John & Ellie x
#adventuresofjellie
Obligatory Jellie selfie!
NB: We have not been asked or received any kind of incentive to mention the above places, they are just where we went and what we thought! Although this article does contain an affiliate link with 12Go, we will earn a small commission if you book through them. We recommend them and use them on our site as we have had great experiences with them in the past.
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