Jaffna Tour Packages from Malaysia

Jaffna is Sri Lanka's most culturally distinct destination — a city with its own language, cuisine, architecture and spiritual traditions that feel closer to Tamil Nadu across the Palk Strait than to Colombo five hours south. Most foreign visitors have never been here, which means the experience is entirely authentic. The 17th-century Dutch Fort at Jaffna is one of the largest surviving colonial fortifications in Asia — still intact, still imposing. The Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil is the most important Hindu temple in the north, with a gopuram tower of intricate stone carvings and a daily ritual attended by pilgrims in white dhotis and jasmine garlands. The Jaffna local market has the freshest seafood on the island and street food unlike anything in the south. The most extraordinary experience is the boat journey to Nainativu Island — where the Nagapooshani Amman Hindu temple and the ancient Nagadeepa Buddhist shrine share one small island in the Palk Strait, and pilgrims of both faiths arrive side by side. Anuradhapura, the first ancient capital of Sri Lanka, lies on the road south from Jaffna. Dhesu has been arranging northern Sri Lanka journeys since 1988.