North

Jaffna

The heart of Tamil Sri Lanka

Overview

AboutJaffna

In the far north, Jaffna is a proud, culturally distinct city — the heartland of Sri Lankan Tamil life, with its own cuisine, dress, music and temples. Only recently reopened to travel, it remains one of the island's most genuinely unexplored regions.

Jaffna combines a colourful old town, colonial fort, a great Nallur Kandaswamy temple and a hinterland of palmyra plantations and offshore islands reached across shallow lagoons. It rewards travelers seeking something unfamiliar, unhurried and deeply Sri Lankan.

Once the seat of an independent Tamil kingdom, Jaffna was later ruled by Portuguese, Dutch and British powers. The long civil conflict of the late 20th century left deep scars; today the region has entered a period of renewal.

Why visit

Why travellers come to Jaffna

The cultural heartland of Sri Lankan Tamil life
A great Nallur Kandaswamy temple lit for evening puja
Offshore islands reached across shallow lagoon causeways
One of the island's least explored, most distinct regions

Top Attractions

What to see

Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil
Jaffna Fort
Casuarina Beach on Karainagar Island
Nagadeepa Temple
Point Pedro and the palmyra north

Things to do

Ways to experience Jaffna

Attend evening puja at Nallur Kovil
Take a private day trip through the northern islands
Sample Jaffna's distinct crab curries and palmyra sweets

Best time to visit

May to September is the driest season in the north.

Nearby

Delft Island • Kilinochchi • Anuradhapura (en route)

Photography

Nallur temple lit at night • Palmyra plantations • Island roads and lagoons

Local food & flavours

Jaffna's cuisine is the most distinctly Tamil on the island, built on dried fish, tamarind and unique blends of roasted spice. Its signature crab curry, cooked in a thick, chilli-dark gravy, is renowned across Sri Lanka, while palmyra products -- from syrup to a firm, fibrous jaggery -- appear in local sweets found nowhere else in the country.

Travel tips