Jaffna Fort

EXPLORE THE ANCIENT JAFFNA FORT

If we’re being honest, we’ll admit that we didn’t find Jaffna Fort as beautiful as its Insta-famous southern counterpart, Galle Fort. However, we did really enjoy walking its tourist-free walls and ramparts at our own pace and enjoying the great views over the moat, Jaffna Lagoon and the city.

Similar to Galle, the Jaffna Fort was originally built by the Portuguese before the Dutch (and later, English) expanded it into one of the greatest forts in Asia in the late 1600s.

This fort is much smaller in size than its counterpart so you can explore it easily in half a day. We’d recommend heading over in the afternoon to watch the sunset over the city.

It's free to explore, although many historical buildings and structures remain in ruins due to the recent civil war.