Kokkilai Lagoon
Northern Province
Photo by Nisfan Hamza via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
About Kokkilai Lagoon
Kokkilai spreads its shallow silver across the border country between Mullaitivu and Trincomalee districts: a great lagoon-and-mudflat system, declared a bird sanctuary decades ago, where the north-east's emptiness works entirely in the birds' favour. In the northern winter the water fills with movement - flocks of migrant ducks and waders, pelicans sailing convoys, painted storks and spoonbills working the shallows, and in good years lines of flamingos turning the horizon pink - while sea eagles patrol overhead from the casuarina fringes year-round. The lagoon's human life is as photogenic as its wild one: small fishing communities work the waters with brush-pile traps and slender canoes, hauling prawns at dawn. Facilities are nil and that is the point; bring binoculars, hire a fisherman's boat at first light, and drift one of the least-watched great wetlands of the island. Pulmoddai's beaches and Arisimale lie just south.
Top Activities
- ✓Dawn birdwatching by fisherman's canoe
- ✓Flamingo and pelican flocks in season
- ✓Lagoon-mouth fishing-village life
- ✓Sunset photography over the water
- ✓Combine with Arisimale and Pulmoddai
Nearby Attractions
Closest Places in This Guide
Straight-line distances; allow considerably longer by road, especially in the hills.
Travel Tips
Arrange a boat the evening before through the fishing village.
There are no facilities - carry water, sun cover, and patience.
December–February brings the fullest migrant flocks.
Quick Info
Best Time
November to March (migrants)
Weather
Hot, dry and breezy; dawn and dusk are the lagoon's hours.
Estimated Daily Budget
9.0000°N, 80.9500°E
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