Uppuveli

The best beach town in Sri Lanka during the summer is Uppuveli. Due to its location on the island's extreme north-eastern edge, it experiences its peak dry season when the more well-known and accessible communities along the southwestern shoreline are in the midst of the monsoon. The drawback is that it requires a little bit of walking from the Colombo airport; the trip from the terminals to Uppuveli lasts for around five hours.

The reward will be the long and uninterrupted sand stretches that face directly east into the Bay of Bengal. They are extremely dissimilar from their compatriots on the opposite side of the Teardrop, who run for miles in stretches of yellow sand with coconut palms in the background.

Numerous hotels and bars with views of the waves surround Uppuveli. But it's also the entrance to the entire Trincomalee region, which extends south into a twisted headland with even more gorgeous bays and beaches to offer. If that sounds appealing, check out places like Marble Beach, Sweat Bay, and Karumalaiyootru.

Location: Trincomalee District, Sri Lanka

Best time to visit: December to March