Jaffna

The heart of Tamil culture at Sri Lanka's northern tip, with Nallur Temple, a Dutch fort, wild horses on offshore islands, Point Pedro and a distinctive crab curry.

Jaffna lies on the Jaffna Peninsula at the northernmost tip of Sri Lanka, facing India's Tamil Nadu across the Palk Strait, and is the centre of Sri Lankan Tamil culture. Once the capital of the Jaffna Kingdom, it passed through Portuguese, Dutch and British rule and was largely cut off during the 1983–2009 civil war, reopening to visitors only after 2009. As a result it retains a character quite unlike the south: Hindu temples with colourful gopurams, palmyra palms and coral-stone walls, lagoons and islands. Sightseeing falls into three areas: in town, Nallur Temple, Jaffna Fort, the Public Library and the market – one day is enough; the islands to the west linked by causeways, including Casuarina Beach, Nainativu (with its Hindu temple and Buddhist vihara) and Delft Island with its wild horses and baobab trees – allow 1–2 days; and the north and northeast coasts, with the Keerimalai sacred spring, Point Pedro, Valvettithurai and the Manalkadu sand dunes – a day by hired tuk-tuk or car. January–September is relatively dry, with the Nallur Festival in July–August the liveliest time; October–December brings heavy northeast monsoon rains, and ferries are often suspended. From Colombo it's about 6–8 hours by train, or you can fly into Jaffna (Palaly) International Airport, which has flights to and from India. Allow 3–4 days. Jaffna crab curry, odiyal kool (seafood porridge) and palm toddy are must-tries. Remove your shoes at temples – men are often required to go shirtless – and dress conservatively.

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