Khiri Travel launches trips to Jaffna

Khiri Travel has launched four-day, three-night trips to Jaffna, a region which is still healing from the country’s brutal civil war.

With Jaffna returning to normalcy following the arrival of peace, Khiri Travel believes the time is right to start sharing the historical, cultural and culinary attractions of the area with guests who will travel by train, bicycle, jeep and catamaran.

Visitors can now easily combine the Jaffna peninsula with existing mainstream tourism sites in Sri Lanka as the Queen of Jaffna train departs from Anuradhapura in the country’s Cultural Triangle, which is well-known to tourists.

“Our aim is to share the wonderful seafood, curry, architecture, beaches and friendliness of the Jaffna people with guests who share a passion for discovery,” said Khiri Travel Sri Lanka General Manager Gonzalo Gil Lavedra. 

“We are providing an itinerary that is not only groundbreaking in terms of the destination and experience but has been designed with the people of Jaffna in mind.”

On the first day, guests travel three hours by train from Anuradhapura to Jaffna, passing the dry landscape of Vavuniya, which is embellished with the occasional village and was the site of much of the past conflict. In the Jaffna town centre, guests stay in a new four-star hotel. 

After a local lunch, visitors ride bicycles to see a fort, churches, parks, temples, the statue of the last king of Jaffna, the house of the last king’s minister and much more.

On the second day guests wear a veddi to enter the Nallur temple where they receive a cultural and historical orientation and can try some Hatha Yoga moves. The guide will elaborate on Jaffna’s culture, the scars of war, similarities and differences with South Indian culture and the considerable effects of migration and exile on the Jaffna region. Then, after a prawn curry lunch served on a banana leaf, guests visit temples and local attractions with plenty of time to relax on Casuarina Beach.

The third day includes a 24-hour round trip by catamaran to Delft Island, an hour offshore from Jaffna. The island features exquisite beaches, wild horses, a huge baobab tree, a Dutch fort, a pigeon cage and coral structures among many other attractions. A special seafood lunch will be prepared by a local family. Guests stay overnight in a private cabin on the catamaran.

“If there is a place in Sri Lanka that has remained hidden, it is Delft Island,” said Gil Lavedra. “With its unique people, coral walls, fort, feral horses, food, temples and lovely beaches, I could go on and on. But the best way is for the clients to see it for themselves.”

On Day Four, guests can enjoy breakfast on board the catamaran and take a final dip in the sea at Delft before sailing back to Jaffna. Guests arrive in Jaffna around midday for lunch. In the afternoon they continue with their Sri Lankan itinerary, which can include for example the newly accessible attractions of Trincomalee in northeast Sri Lanka, famed for its beaches and surf.

No special visas or permissions are needed to visit the Jaffna peninsula.

 “The area is perfectly safe,” said Lavedra. “The time is right for tour operators to add Jaffna to their Sri Lanka itineraries.”