Jaffna Travel Guide

  upper deck :)
by tommix
 
  • upper deck :)
      upper deck :)
    by tommix
  • unloading the ferry
      unloading the ferry
    by tommix
  • Nagadipa Purana Vihara
      Nagadipa Purana Vihara
    by tommix
  • Nallur Temple
      Nallur Temple
    by Kumeresh
  •   Things to Do
    by wattle9
 

Explore Jaffna

Things to Do  

Dutch Fort in Neduntivu islet

Dutch Fort in Neduntivu islet, Jaffna

 wattle9 Says:  Five hundred years ago ,Portuguese built this fort in Neduntivu (an islet of Jaffna peninsula )At That time , they called this islet ,Ilha das Vacas .During the Dutch rule of Sri Lanka, Dutch called this islet ,Delft Island. 

Jaffna Fort

Jaffna Fort, Jaffna

 wattle9 Says:  Situated on the south side of the Jaffna peninsula at the water’s edge of the lagoon, the ancient fort in Jaffna is the second largest existing fort in the Island.Originally built by the Portuguese in 1619 and re-built and expanded by the Dutch during the second half of the... 

Kadurugoda Temple

Kadurugoda Temple, Jaffna

 wattle9 Says:  There is a ancient buddhist historical place called 'Kandarodei' situated in the midst of palmyrah trees beyond Manipai about 10 Kilometres away from Jaffna. There are small dagabas numbering 61 scattered over about 1/2 acre land. Those small structures are constructed with... 

Naga Pooshani Ambal Kovil

Naga Pooshani Ambal Kovil, Jaffna

 tommix Says:  Original temple, supposedly built by a rich foreign trader who received blessing from Goddess Ambal Devi when passing by in the sea, was demolished in the sixteen century by Portuguese. However Ambal statue was hidden by locals and temple was rebuilt in 18 century. The... 

Nallur Kandasamy Kovil

Nallur Kandasamy Kovil, Jaffna

 tommix Says:  Nallur Kandasamy Kovil is Jaffna's premier place of Hindu worship. Nallur Kandasamy Kovil characterised by a golden arch and elaborate gopuram attracts hundreds of pilgrims and worshippers. Shops in the vicinity cater to the needs of the devotees by selling coconuts,... 

Nagadipa Purana Vihara

Nagadipa Purana Vihara, Jaffna

 tommix Says:  This temple, located in the village of Nagadipa on (close to Jaffna) Nainativu Island, is one of 16 hallowed by visits of the Buddha places of veneration in Sri Lanka.Purana Vihara were constructed by the two warring Naga kings, Mahodara and his nephew Chulodara, at the site... 

Nallur Kovil

Nallur Kovil, Jaffna

 Nilanka Says:  The Nallur Kovil is a beautifully decorated place of Hindu worship. The best time to visit the temple is during July-August when the hindu festivals begin 

Hotels  

BlueHaven

 13 Opinions

Hotels  

Not easy to find...

Not easy to find..., Jaffna

 tommix Says:  Everywhere in Sri Lanka where you get out from a bus or train you will meet a lot of people proposing you a big variety of hotels and guesthouses. Not in Jaffna. Here the turistic infrastructure is still very limited. Big hotels are now being used by army, a lot of others... 

Yarl Beach Inn: A Place to stay

Yarl Beach Inn: A Place to stay, Jaffna

 Nilanka Says:  The original Yarl Beach Inn had 20 rooms in it but after the war the place was reduced to nothing more than a pile of concrete. The present Inn has 4 rooms with 2 of them being air conditioned. It's a very quiet place (there were no other guests when I was there) with very... 

Restaurants  

Palm Beach Restaurant: Excellent food

Palm Beach Restaurant: Excellent food, Jaffna

 Nilanka Says:  This restaurant has excellent food. It was the only air conditioned restaurant that we could find in Jaffna. Serves excellent buriyani. You have to eat the Chicken Kaddai. It's amazing. Chicken Kaddai 

Transportation  

Boat services around Jaffna

Boat services around Jaffna, Jaffna

 tommix Says:  Once you get to Jaffna don't hesitate to visit surrounding islands. They are beautyfull and - it's important - landmine free. You can find there some great temples, abandonned villages and friendly people.Three of the major islands - Kayts, Karaitivu and Punkudutivu - are... 

Taking a bus to Jaffna

Taking a bus to Jaffna, Jaffna

 tommix Says:  From Colombo to Jaffna you can now fly every day. It's fast and not so expensive. But a land-trip is far more interesting. First you have to get to Vavunia - it's a "border" town. After passing several checkpoints you will leave governement controlled teritory and enter to... 

Travel to Jaffna By Air

Travel to Jaffna By Air, Jaffna

 Kumeresh Says:  Expo Air Srilanka's Leading and Reliable Domestic Airline is the best option for Air Travel as it flies daily flights to Jaffna using a Fokker 27-500 Aircraft and highly experienced friendly staff.Greatly appreciated and recomended by all passengers travelling on Expo Air it... 

Travel by Van

Travel by Van, Jaffna

 Nilanka Says:  The best way to travel in Jaffna is by van. The cars are quite old and threewheelers are not all that safe. 

Warnings Or Dangers  

Not easy to communicate

Not easy to communicate, Jaffna

 tommix Says:  The main problem for a tourist in Jaffna is the fact that - contrary to other places in Sri Lanka - very few local people speaks english. It's due to years of war and isolation of the city. Of course, everybody wants to help you, but there is still a "language barrier". So... 

Strong military presence

Strong military presence, Jaffna

 tommix Says:  In Jaffna, more then in others parts of Sri Lanka, the army is omnipresent and strongly armed. Checkpoints like this one are almost everywhere, so you need to carry your passport all the time. But the soldiers are quite friendly and helpfull, and big part of them speaks... 

Off The Beaten Path  

Murikandy Pillayar Shrine

Murikandy Pillayar Shrine, Jaffna

 tommix Says:  It's not literally "off the beaten path". It's even almost directly "on" the beaten path, but quite far away from Jaffna. More precisely it's on the road from Vavuniya to Jaffna. Almost every bus, every car stops here and the Tamils are making offerings in this small shrine,... 

Homeless Children

Homeless Children, Jaffna

 Nilanka Says:  Do try and spend some time with the poor homeless children. It will bring them great joy to see that someone really cares about them. Don't forget to take some sweets with you. 

The Place

Plan a Jaffna vacation with reviews, tips and photos posted by real travelers and Jaffna locals

Experience Jaffna
  •   18 Tips and Reviews
  •  34 Photos
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The People

2 Members Live Here
 
Our Members Say
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 The Nallur Kovil is a beautifully decorated place of Hindu worship. The best time to visit the temple is during July-August when the hindu festivals begin 

2 members live in Jaffna

 

Questions and Answers

Andare profile photo

Q:  How hard is it to go to Nainativu from Jaffna? I heard there is a ferry, and there is heaps of people waiting all the time.. How... 

HansDK profile photo

A: AFAIK the boat service to Nainativu is first come first served. Reservations is not possible. It is still pretty hard to find accommodation in Jaffna for 2... 

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Top 3 Jaffna Writers

1

Jaffna - destroyed glory

tommix profile photo

 Jaffna was considered as a cultural and scientific capital of Sri Lanka. But it was more than 20 years ago, before the civil war between Tamil Tigers and governemental army began. Now the peace seems... 

2

Jaffna

Nilanka profile photo

 After almost 20 years travellers can once again visit the beautiful pennisuela of Jaffna. Jaffna is situated on the northen tip of Sri Lanka and has a predominently Tamil population. The locals of... 

3

The heart of the Nothern Province.

Emichelle profile photo

 Jaffna, was one a wonderful city in the distant past and a city that produced some of Sri Lanka's finest intellectuals. A city rich with cultural heritage and history. It used to be famous for... 

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