Northern Province
Jaffna's vibrant Tamil culture, island-hopping causeways, palmyra groves and some of the island's least-touristed beaches.
Districts
Places to visit
Jaffna
Jaffna
The cultural capital of Sri Lanka's Tamil north, a warm, unhurried city of soaring Hindu kovils, a Dutch fort, palmyrah plains and island temples reached by navy ferries.
Kilinochchi
Kilinochchi
The quiet capital of Sri Lanka's northern Vanni region, a rebuilding town of paddy fields and reservoirs that carries the raw history of the civil war's final chapter.
Mannar
Mannar
A remote, sun-baked island town linked to the mainland by a causeway, famous for its Dutch fort, giant baobab trees, wild donkeys and vast flocks of migratory flamingos.
Mullaitivu
Mullaitivu
A quiet north-eastern coastal town of long golden beaches, fishing boats and lagoons, set on the narrow strip of land between the Nanthikadal lagoon and the Indian Ocean.
Puthukkudiyiruppu
Mullaitivu
An inland town in southern Mullaitivu District, the base for visiting the war museum, the Victory Monument and the Sea Tigers submarine yard from the final battles of the civil war.
Talaimannar
Mannar
A sleepy fishing village at the western tip of Mannar Island, once the ferry port to India and now the mainland gateway to the sand shoals of Adam's Bridge.
Vavuniya
Vavuniya
The gateway town of the northern dry zone, a busy crossroads between the Sinhalese south and the Tamil north, ringed by ancient temples and tranquil reservoirs.