Pigeon Island National Park

Pigeon Island National Park consists of two small islands off the east coast north of Trincomalee. The island gets its name from Blue Rock Pigeon, a native endangered bird that lives within the rocks on these islands. The islands were declared a sanctuary in 1963 to protect these birds. In 2003 this area was upgraded to the status of a National Park and the boundaries were extended to include coral reefs around them. The national park is situated 1 km off the coast of Nilaveli, a coastal town in Eastern Province, encompassing a total area of 471.429 hectares.

During the colonial oppression, Trincomalee was a highly strategic natural harbour which was valued by all colonial masters. This island has been only about 20 kilometers away from the harbour, it was used as a shooting range by the colonials. the Pigeon Island National Park is one of the only two marine national parks in Sri Lanka, the other being the Hikkaduwa Corel Reefs.

The two islands are called large pigeon island and small pigeon island. The large pigeon island is fringed by a coral reef and is about 200 m long and 100 m wide. Its highest point is 44.8 m above mean sea level. The small pigeon island is surrounded by rocky islets. The national park is situated within the dry zone of Sri Lanka. The mean annual temperature is around 27.0 °C (80.6 °F). The annual rainfall ranges between 1,000–1,700 millimetres (39–67 in) while most of the rain is received during the Northeastern monsoon season from October to March. During this period the sea is rough and windy on some days. The Navy will not operate their boats or will not allow private owners to operate their boats during these periods. Therefore if you are visiting Trincomalee for the sole purpose of visiting the island, it’s best you have alternative plans in case the boats are not operating.

The reef here is shallow, making snorkelling almost as satisfying as diving, and it’s home to dozens of corals, hundreds of reef fish (including blacktip reef sharks) and turtles. This is an ideal place to spend your day under the shade of a tree or on the powder-like white sand. The recent surge of tourism has somewhat damaged the corals in the shallow areas by trampling while bathing.

A number of Hotels and Guest Houses have opened up along the sandy beaches of Nilaveli since the end of the war. There are Scuba Dive operators based in these hotels who organise dive trips. The National Wildlife Park Office lies at Nilaveli Beach and the entrance tickets to the island are the same as the entrance fee of any National Park in Sri Lanka as shown below. There is a hut operated by the local boat owners association where you could arrange a return trip. Boat operators will charge Rs 3000-5000 for a return trip to the island. These can be organised outside hotel arrangements. The islands are looked after by the Sri Lankan Navy.

The busiest period of this site is May to September due to the weather being the best during this period

Pigeon Island National Park Photos