Pigeon Island snorkelling

What happens

A short boat ride from Nilaveli beach to a small island national park with shallow coral and reef fish, with turtles and black-tip reef sharks close to shore on some mornings, not all. Go early: by late morning the water is crowded and the coral is easily damaged.

What is in the price

Season

• ●Good month
• !Does not run
• Blank: neither

Good months: May to Sep. Does not run: Nov to Jan.

Calm from about May to September. Boats do not go out in rough sea, and from November to January the sea is rough with the north-east monsoon, so we do not sell those months.

Limits

• Minimum age 6.
• You must be able to swim. Life jackets are provided on the boat.

How we run it

Where it is offered

• Trincomalee (Nilaveli and Uppuveli)

Day tours with this activity

• Trincomalee and Pigeon Island from SigiriyaIncluded · day tour, $105 per person for two, from Sigiriya (Dambulla and Habarana), tickets included
• Pigeon Island snorkelling and Koneswaram at sunsetIncluded · day tour, $96 per person for two, from Trincomalee (Nilaveli and Uppuveli), tickets included
• Whale and dolphin watching from TrincomaleeOptional extra · day tour, $83 per person for two, from Trincomalee (Nilaveli and Uppuveli), activity included

Tours with this activity

• Slow travel with the north and east, 21 daysIncluded · tour, $2,411 per person for two, 21 days, comfort hotels, shoulder season, tickets included, Udawattakele forest ticket and temple-run sites paid there
• East coast summer, 9 daysIncluded · tour, $1,111 per person for two, 9 days, comfort hotels, May rates, tickets included

Read more

• East coast in summer: Trincomalee to Arugam Bay

  From May to September the east coast is the right beach: June averages 25 mm of rain at Trincomalee against 205 mm at Colombo. Checked 7 November 2026.

• Sri Lanka whale watching: Mirissa vs Trincomalee

  Mirissa boats run daily November to late April, USD 60 per adult with Majeste; Trincomalee roughly May to August, USD 60 per adult too. Checked 7 Nov 2026.

• Best time to visit Sri Lanka: month by month

  January to March is driest on the west and south coasts, in the hills and the Cultural Triangle; May to September suits the east. Checked 7 Nov 2026.