01
Nallur Kandaswamy Temple
A magnificent gold-and-ochre Hindu temple, spectacular during its annual festival.
Jaffna
The proud cultural capital of the Tamil north.
What makes Jaffna.
Jaffna is the heart of Sri Lanka's Tamil north — a peninsula city of soaring temple gopurams, a vast Dutch fort, palmyra palms and a celebrated, fiercely good cuisine. Long cut off by the decades of civil war, it now rewards those who venture beyond the usual loop with a Hindu culture, language and rhythm all its own. The Nallur Kandaswamy temple is among the most striking in the country, especially during its 25-day August festival, while a causeway-and-ferry network links a chain of low sandy islands offshore. The food alone — crab curry, dosai and palmyra-treacle puddings — justifies the long journey north.
The proud cultural capital of the Tamil north.
- February – September (driest in the dry zone)Best time
- 6Spots to see
- ~250KVisitors / year
What to see
Where to explore in Jaffna.
The landmarks and corners worth carving out time for. Each one a reason this place earns its place on the route.
02Jaffna Fort
A vast Dutch star fort on the lagoon, among the largest in Asia.
03Jaffna Public Library
A beloved white colonial-style library, rebuilt after its wartime burning, a symbol of the city.
04Nagadeepa & the islands
A causeway-and-ferry chain to the offshore islets and the sacred Nainativu temples.
05Keerimalai springs
Sacred freshwater bathing springs beside the sea on the northern shore.
06Point Pedro & Dambakola Patuna
The island's northernmost tip and the bay where the sacred Bo sapling is said to have landed.
Find Jaffna on the map.
Where Jaffna lies within the Northern Province, and the landmarks clustered around it, so you can picture how it threads into the rest of a tour.
Keep exploring
More of the Northern Province.
Our tours through Northern Province.
Make Jaffna yours.
We weave it into a private, tailored trip around how you want to travel.