Jaffna: etiquette first, and what to know before you go north

Jaffna, the main city of the Tamil-speaking far north, is reached by train from Colombo: about 6.5 to 8 hours to Kankesanthurai, just past Jaffna. Services returned in April 2026 after Cyclone Ditwah. At Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil, men remove their shirts for the inner sanctum, women cover their shoulders, and shoes come off. The driest months are February to September.

The north feels like a different region from the classic loop, with its own language, temples, history and food. This guide starts with how to behave, then how to get there in 2026, and what to see.

How should you dress and behave in Jaffna's temples?

Jaffna's great temples are Hindu kovils. At a Hindu kovil, the shoe and dress rules are the same as at a Buddhist temple, and some kovils add more. At some kovils, non-Hindus may not enter the inner shrine at all.

At Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil in Jaffna, men must take off their shirts before they enter the inner sanctum. Women must keep their shoulders covered. Photography is not allowed inside. Shoes come off at the entrance. Our guide to temple etiquette in Sri Lanka explains the general rules, and ten first-time mistakes covers the rest.

What else should you know before you go north?

There is a visible military presence in the north. Do not photograph military bases or government buildings, or fly a drone near them. Some former military areas are still marked as minefields: follow the warning signs and stay on roads and paths.

Tamil is the main language of the north. The Tamil greeting, Vanakkam, is a good word to learn before you go.

How do you get to Jaffna in 2026?

By train

As checked on 3 October 2026, trains run from Colombo to Jaffna and on to Kankesanthurai. Cyclone Ditwah damaged the Northern line at 14 places in November 2025, and full services came back on 9 and 10 April 2026. There are three trains, and not all of them run every day:

• Intercity express: early morning, Fridays to Mondays only since July 2026. It leaves Colombo Fort at 5.45 am and takes about six and a half hours to Kankesanthurai.
• Yal Devi: on alternate days, about eight hours.
• Night Mail: leaves Colombo Fort at 8 pm.

Jaffna station is a stop before Kankesanthurai, so the ride to Jaffna is a little shorter. Timetables have changed several times this year, so check Sri Lanka Railways and book seats at seatreservation.railway.gov.lk.

By road

By road, Jaffna is about 400 km from Colombo. Allow at least 7 hours of driving, and more with stops; it is roughly as long as the train.

By air

Jaffna International Airport, at Palaly north of the city, has scheduled flights from Chennai and Tiruchirappalli in south India. Flights from Colombo are less certain: a domestic service from Ratmalana airport (not the main airport at Katunayake) started in 2023, but we could not confirm a current timetable. Check with the airline before you plan around it. From India there is also a ferry to Kankesanthurai, near Jaffna.

Every foreign visitor to Sri Lanka needs an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA), including visitors whose ETA is free. See the Sri Lanka ETA.

What is Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil?

Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil is Jaffna's best-known temple. The temple traces its foundation to 948 CE. The present temple was rebuilt in 1749, after the Portuguese destroyed the earlier one.

Nallur's main festival, the Mahotsavam, lasts about 25 days, with the chariot procession near the end. Its dates follow the Tamil calendar, so they move each year: in 2026 the flag was raised on 17 August and the festival ran into early September. The town is very busy then, and special trains and buses run.

What can you see at Jaffna Fort?

Jaffna Fort stands by the lagoon, next to the old town. The Portuguese built the first fort here in the early 1600s. The Dutch captured it in 1658 and rebuilt it as a large five-sided star fort, built partly of coral stone. Visitors can walk the grounds and the ramparts; foreigners pay an entry fee. In August 2026, archaeologists found the remains of a Portuguese guard tower inside it.

Can you visit the Jaffna Public Library?

Jaffna Public Library, near the fort, is a working public library and one of the city's best-known buildings. It was burned on the night of 31 May 1981, and about 97,000 books and manuscripts were lost, some of them the only copies. It was rebuilt and reopened in 2004. Visitors can look around; remember it is a place people come to read.

What are the best trips from Jaffna?

• Point Pedro: about 30 km from Jaffna, the northern tip of Sri Lanka. A sign at Sakkotai marks the most northerly point. It is a working fishing town with a lighthouse.
• Keerimalai: about 20 km north of Jaffna, a freshwater spring that fills a bathing pool right beside the sea, with separate sections for men and women. Local tradition says its water heals. Next to it is the Naguleswaram Shiva temple.
• Casuarina Beach: on the island of Karainagar (Karaitivu), about 20 km from Jaffna by causeway road, a quiet beach lined with casuarina trees and fishing boats.

How do you visit Nainativu and Delft?

The small island of Nainativu has two important shrines: the Hindu Nagapooshani Amman Kovil, and Nagadeepa, a Buddhist temple. Buddhists believe Nagadeepa is the place the Buddha visited in the old chronicle, the Mahavamsa. Boats leave from Kurikadduwan jetty on Punguduthivu island, about 35 km and under an hour by road from Jaffna, across the causeways. We found no official timetable: boats run through the day, and many people go in the morning. The public boats can be very crowded; wear a life jacket, or hire a private boat that has them.

Delft, a flat island with wild ponies, coral-stone walls and a baobab tree, is about an hour by ferry from Kurikadduwan jetty. Public ferries run in the morning and evening, with a private boat around midday, but services are often cancelled or overloaded. Go early, and be ready to stay longer than planned.

What should you eat in Jaffna?

• Jaffna crab curry: mud crab in a hot northern spice mix, eaten with rice.
• Odiyal kool: a thick Jaffna seafood broth made with flour from palmyra root, with crab, fish, prawns, tamarind and chilli. Expect to eat it with your fingers and to deal with shells.

See Sri Lankan food for the rest of the island's dishes.

When is the best time to visit Jaffna?

Jaffna gets most of its rain from October to December. From February to September it is mostly dry, and it can be very hot. January is in between. Treat this as a likely pattern, not a promise: monsoon timing changes from year to year. See when to visit Sri Lanka.

Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2026 list named Jaffna among its 25 best destinations for the year, at number two. For the east coast in summer, see Arugam Bay or Trincomalee.

What most visitors miss

• The train runs again, but not every train runs every day.
• Nallur's rules are stricter than most temples': shirts off for men in the inner sanctum.
• The library is a working library, not a monument.
• The island boats are crowded. Wear a life jacket.
• Festival dates move with the Tamil calendar.

Before you go north

• Train seats booked, and the day's timetable checked.
• Clothes for kovils; men ready to remove their shirts at Nallur's inner sanctum.
• No photos of military sites; minefield signs obeyed.
• A morning start for Nainativu or Delft.
• Your ETA, applied for before you fly.

Questions people ask

How do I get from Colombo to Jaffna?

By train (about 6.5 to 8 hours to Kankesanthurai, a little less to Jaffna; services returned in April 2026), or by road (about 400 km, at least 7 hours of driving). Flights from Colombo could not be confirmed as of October 2026.

Is the train to Jaffna running after the cyclone?

Yes. Full services came back on 9 and 10 April 2026, but not every train runs every day; the Intercity express runs Fridays to Mondays only since July 2026.

What should I wear at Nallur Kovil?

Men must take off their shirts before they enter the inner sanctum, and women must keep their shoulders covered. Shoes come off at the entrance, and photography is not allowed inside.

When is the Nallur festival?

The Mahotsavam lasts about 25 days and follows the Tamil calendar. In 2026 the flag was raised on 17 August and the festival ran into early September.

What is the best time to visit Jaffna?

February to September is mostly dry, and it can be very hot. Most rain falls from October to December.

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Coming soon: Sri Lanka Before You Land, our pre-trip ebook, explains the customs behind every temple on your route. A free guide, Your First Week in Sri Lanka, will cover the first days on the ground.