Arisimale Beach
Eastern Province
About Arisimale Beach
Arisimale takes its name from its most curious feature: sand of rounded, translucent grains that look uncannily like polished rice ('arisi' in Tamil) - coral and shell fragments milled by the currents into a beach unlike any other on the island. The cove itself, near Pulmoddai on the lonely coast north of Nilaveli, completes the reward: a calm, reef-sheltered bay of extraordinary clarity, backed by scrub and cashew trees, with a small beach shrine and - on most weekdays - nobody at all. Getting there is the adventure: the coast road north from Trincomalee runs through fishing villages and mineral-sand country that tourism has not yet found, and the final approach is a sandy track best handled by tuk-tuk or 4x4. Combine it with Girihandu Seya's hilltop stupa - the world's claimed first - for a day on Sri Lanka's emptiest beautiful coast.
Top Activities
- ✓Swimming the sheltered bay
- ✓The famous rice-grain sand
- ✓Empty-coast beach walks
- ✓Combine with Girihandu Seya
- ✓Pulmoddai coast exploration
Nearby Attractions
Travel Tips
Bring everything - shade, water, food; the cove has no facilities.
The last kilometres are sandy track; tuk-tuks manage, cars may not.
Weekends draw local picnics; weekdays are yours alone.
Quick Info
Best Time
April to September
Weather
Hot and dry; seas calm April–September, rough in the north-east monsoon.
Estimated Daily Budget
8.9500°N, 80.9700°E
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