Sri Lanka, Ceylon, Eastern Province, East Coast, Passekudah, Kalkudah beach, aerial view

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Kalkudah Beach

Top choice in The East


Kalkudah Beach is the kind of fantasy that makes you want to chuck away your return air ticket and lounge forever under the palms. Good roads run inland from the sand and it may not be long before hotels again line the shore the way they did in places before the 2004 tsunami. In the meantime, while there's little shade, it's a delight to explore; just wander along the shore until you find your own private patch of sand.

The long, rugged beach is located 34km north of Batticaloa and is adjacent to the more populated and more up-market Passekudah beach, which is enclosed in a sheltered bay 2km to the north.

Hotels near Kalkudah Beach

Luxury resorts are dotted along Coconut Board Rd and strung out along the extensive Passekudah shoreline, while budget and midrange places are concentrated inland along the Valaichchenai–Kalkudah Rd.

For closeness to Kalkudah, Laya Waves is your best bet, located right at the northern end of the sand. Elsewhere, both Nandawanam Guesthouse and New Land Guesthouse are within walking distance of the beach (around 10 minutes and 15 minutes respectively).