Visit Jaffna and the Magnetic North on your Holidays to Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka’s Magnetic North
What’s Jaffna Like?
Jaffna is where the soil is rich and red.
The residents, known as Jaffna Tamils are hard working and owes much of their culture to influences from India. Jaffna has a peculiar beauty which lures a visitor and an unlikely mix of rural rustic agricultural settlements and sand dunes, scrub jungles tempered by swathes of palmyrah groves, row upon row of agricultural plots where onions, chillies, tobacco and vegetables are watered at dawn and harvested by those who know the richness of the red soils. Compelling sunsets cast glorious shadows on vast expanses of water and bird rich lagoons.
With a heady mix of food, adventure and luxury mingling well with sunlit roads that wend their way between pretty palmyrah tree-lined rural villages, the northern route all the way to the beaches hugging the Jaffna Peninsula are secret corners even many Sri Lankans hardly know of.
Jaffna and the Magnetic Northern Sri Lanka Experience with Ayu in the Wild
Take a trip up to the northern circuits of Sri Lanka cultures and landscapes. Fresh experiences curated by Ayu in the Wild Holidays provide even more compelling new reasons to go, from innovative food experiences and to meeting locals. The northern discoveries trip explores the other side of Sri Lanka taking you through the heartlands and heritage sites of Anuradhapura, Mannar and Jaffna.
Things to Do In Jaffna
Take a scenic train ride through the island's northern landscapes. Ayu in the Wild recommends the Anuradhapura - Jaffna train journey to all guests starting at the quiet Anuradhapura station at around 9:15am. A beautiful ride on air conditioned carriages where the ever evolving scenery takes you on a gentle, gradual odyssey to the far north of Sri Lanka. You will be picked up at the iconic Jaffna railway station by noon by our favourite Jaffna locals - just in time for a delicious local lunch.
Explore the historic temples around Jaffna. Although the Nallur Temple is the most visited, Jaffna is home to other temples elaborately embellished with stories of history, legend and myth. These prayerful places of worship dot the entire Jaffna peninsular. Take your pick from the Naguleswaram Temple, Tellipalay Durgay Amman Temple and biggest of them all - the Anjaneyar Temple.
Afternoons in Jaffna can include a mix of Forts, Temples and Libraries. Take a guided tour of the Jaffna Public Library after 4 p.m. or visit the Nallur Temple in time for a guided tour during the special poojah at 4.30 pm. The majestic Nallur Kandaswamy hindu temple dates back to the 15th century. The temple has been destroyed and rebuilt over many centuries since 948 AD. Built originally like an ancient temple city housing the residents and flourishing business outside its towers and an inner city with courtyards and residences for priests and nobility, dance halls and much more it has been rebuilt after being destroyed lastly by the Portugese. The current temple is much smaller but is still magnificent with beautiful sculpture and elaborate Dravidian architecture. It attracts devotees in their thousands during the 27 day annual festival. (Note: no photography is allowed within the temple, ladies should wear long pants and cover their arms (three quarter pants are not allowed) and men can only enter with their shirts off).
Enter the Jaffna Fort around 5.30 pm to watch the sunset from atop the Fort's walls.This fortress has been built by Portuguese and was later captured by the Dutch. Wander quietly around this historical bastion exploring old tunnels, take in the scenic views of the city with walks on outer walls, see the old bell posts and hidden rooms in the outer walls, and enjoy sweeping panoramic views of the ocean as the wafting breeze accompanies the orange sunsets.
Meet the friendly locals who will be as inquisitive about you as you are about their life in the land of palmyrah trees. Through these wonderful community interactions you will be taken on a journey of faith and devotion, of war and peace of hope and life today.
If you are a foodie, you will be spoilt for choice. We love the meals at local restaurants, especially for those yearning for a real insiders dining experience with the famous Jaffna Kool, seafood and sambals. Be adventurous and spend time with an informative Jaffna resident to enjoy an Ayu in the Wild signature cook-like-the-locals experience where you will try your hand at cooking some authentic Jaffna cuisine and enjoy a simple but delicious vegetarian dinner with the family.
Ayu in the Wild has curated an intriguing day out exploring the Peninsular which can be kept as a half day excursion exploring the colours and taste on a local market walk that delights you with the sights and sounds of traders selling Palmyra products, traditional dresses, Jewellery, Jasmine garlands, Tobacco and more; or a full day adventure exploring all the way to the Thondaimannar bridge through interior roads, through Velvettithiurai and the coastal roads. On this day out you will walk on the sand dunes of Manalkadu, meet the local fishermen as they bring in their boats, see the locals at the Holy Ponds, visit Fort Hammenheil, the Casuarina beach and see rural Jaffna winding down for the day.
Trains and Planes to Jaffna
Jaffna can be easily accessed via train; or with a private chauffeur on a tailor made tour from Colombo with overnights in either Kalpitiya, Wilpattu or Anuradhapura; or on scheduled flights from Colombo to Jaffna which are short comfortable journeys. Holidays to Jaffna connect well with the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Cultural Triangle in Sri Lanka with privately guided tours to Sigiriya, Dambulla and the stunning ruins of Polonnaruwa. Chartered flights can be arranged for those who wish to connect with stays in Galle, Tangalle, Koggala and Mirissa. Speak to the Travel Designers at Ayu in the Wild for tailor made holidays to Sri Lanka with Jaffna and the northern adventures.
Ayu in the Wild is 100% locally owned, women-led, and Sri Lanka’s only luxury DMC that is a member of The Long Run, a reflection of how we design travel that gives back and connects deeply with our island.