Batticaloa isn’t on your usual Sri Lankan travel itinerary. That might be because this small settlement is situated out on the east coast, far away from the built-up resort beaches around Hikkaduwa and Unawatuna. Or, it may be because of the rep it garnered during the Sri Lankan Civil War of the 90s and 2000s as a dangerous flashpoint between the Tamil Tigers and the national government. Thankfully all that has changed, except for the location on the east coast, of course. Today, the town sports a few remnants of the colonial age – a clocktower, some historic mansions and formidable Batticaloa Fort – peppering the area in memory of the 1602 landing of the Dutch and the erstwhile power of the Portuguese. Batticaloa tour guides often take travelers out beyond this smattering of relics though, to explore the sparkling blue waters of the Batticaloa Lagoon, where mangrove swamps converge on coconut plantations and it's possible to glimpse the more bucolic side of island life.