How to get to Jaffna, transportation and how to get around

Overview of how to get to Jaffna

Jaffna is 400 kilometers from Colombo and the airport, and it is one of the most remote resorts in the country (Jaffna on the map of Sri Lanka). However, despite the remoteness, it will not be difficult to get here, since direct railway flights from Colombo have been resumed since 2019, as well as direct bus services from Colombo, Trincomalee, Anuradhapura and other cities in the northern part of the country. From other popular resorts and major cities of the island you can get with a transfer to Colombo, Anuradapura, Vavuniya. To begin with, here are brief instructions on the directions:

• From Russia and other countries. There are no international flights to Jaffna Airport, and there are no composite ready-made routes on airplanes. Therefore, fly to Colombo and transfer there to domestic airlines, train, bus, taxi, rental of transport.
• From Colombo. You can fly by domestic airlines, but it's cheaper to take a taxi (group), train, buses. Everything goes often and quickly, is inexpensive.
• From Negombo. There are no direct trains or buses from Negombo, so you can transfer via Colombo, Kurunegala, Anuradhapura, etc.
• From the southern and western resorts of Hikkaduwa, Bentota, Unawatuna, Galle, Mirissa, etc. Only with a transfer via Colombo by train, bus. There are no direct flights.
• From Kandy. There are direct buses, or go to Anuradhapura or Vavuniya and change to a bus or train there.
• From Trincomalee. There is a direct bus service several times a day, or take the atabuses to Vavuniya or Anuradhapura, and change there by bus or train to Jaffna.
• From Passikuda, Kalkuda. Go with a transfer through Trincomalee, and then as indicated above.
• From Battikaloa. Go by bus to Anuradhapura, and there is a transfer to a bus or train.

Whatever type of transport you choose, it is very important to leave places far from Jaffna very early in the morning, otherwise there is a chance to get stuck somewhere on the way to spend the night!

And now more about all the ways and how to get to Jaffna and other places in the north of Sri Lanka:

✈ By plane

International scheduled flights to Sri Lanka arrive at Colombo bandaranaike International Airport. There is also the Matara Rajapaksa Airport far to the south of the island near Hambantota, but only rare international charters arrive there. There is no way to get directly to Jaffna by plane.

You can find and book flights to Colombo International Airport on the websites Aviasales and Trip.com, as well as via the Aviasales search form:

The price of flights from Moscow to Colombo:

ЦЕНА	ПЕРЕСАДКИ	АВИАКОМПАНИЯ	ДАТА ВЫЛЕТА	ДАТА ВОЗВРАЩЕНИЯ
Купить от 46454 ₽	1 пересадка		22.06.2026	28.06.2026
Купить от 55112 ₽	1 пересадка		30.07.2026	13.08.2026
Купить от 56294 ₽	1 пересадка		05.08.2026	17.08.2026
Купить от 51599 ₽	1 пересадка		14.09.2026	21.09.2026
Купить от 53992 ₽	1 пересадка		20.10.2026	05.11.2026
Купить от 53273 ₽	1 пересадка		17.11.2026	10.12.2026

16 kilometers from the center of Jaffna there is a military airport Palaly Airport (IATA code – JAF, Jaffna airport map), which can be reached by plane from Colombo. Flights on this route are operated by small charter aircraft from Bandaranaike Airport, as well as from Ratmalana Airport in Colombo. Flights are operated by local airlines Air Senok, FitsAir, Helitours, Millennium Airlines, Cinnamon Air. Tickets can only be purchased on airline websites, they are not available in flight search engines.

However, objectively it is worth noting that flights on this route are very expensive, and it is cheaper to get here immediately upon arrival at Colombo airport by taxi than to fly. In addition, small aircraft flights are often canceled due to bad weather, so buying a ticket does not guarantee that you will fly away.

How to get to Jaffna from Colombo Airport

A taxi ride from Colombo Airport to Jaffna will take about 6 hours. You can find a car in the arrivals hall after receiving your luggage at the counter, or book a tourist transfer from Kiwitaxi in advance. It is more expensive than a taxi, but more comfortable, besides, the driver will meet you at the airport with a sign:

If a taxi is too expensive, then you can transfer via Colombo or Negombo. True, these options will most likely require an additional overnight stay to rest in one of these cities, since immediately after a tedious international flight, it's too hard to go on another long transfer with transfers without sleep. In addition, please note that if you choose the night train or bus option, you will arrive in Jaffna very early in the morning (from 4 to 7 in the morning), and then you will have to wait for check-in at the hotel until 14:00 or pay for check-in earlier.

Here are the options:

• Via Negombo

  Negombo is the nearest resort and transport hub to the airport, besides, there is no need to make a detour through Colombo through it. You can get to Negombo from the airport very inexpensively by local buses, tuk-tuks or taxis. For more information, how to get to Negombo from the airport, we have a separate instruction here...

  There are local slow buses from Negombo to Jaffna. There are direct or transfer routes via Anuradapura, Kurunegala, Vavuniya. It will take a full day (about 12 hours) to move, so you need to leave Negombo early in the morning.

• Via Colombo

  Colombo is further from the airport and a detour is obtained through it, but from here there are more transport options to Jaffna, and most importantly - there are trains, which are much more comfortable than buses, though more expensive. You can also get to the center of Colombo from the airport without problems and inexpensively by local buses No. 187, taxi or tuk-tuk. About how to get to Colombo from the airport we have a separate instruction here...

  Further from Colombo to Jaffna you will have the following options:

  • Daytime slow intercity buses from Colombo bus station in Pettah district, the journey is almost 13 hours, so leave early in the morning. They are sent often, you can just come and buy tickets on the spot on the bus.

  • Night or morning train from Colombo Fort station (see schedule below). A good option and fast (7-8 hours), but the problem is that it is better to buy tickets in advance for the night train or for the morning train of the 1st and 2nd class with a seat. Before sending and the day before the trip, it may not be possible to buy them at the ticket offices, and you will have to go in 2nd or 3rd class without a seat. And without a place, there is a chance to go standing or sitting in the vestibule for 6 hours to Anuradhapura itself (everyone goes out there). Online tickets can only be purchased with a foreign card, Russian ones are not accepted.

  • Branded buses. There are branded buses that go as fast as the train (7-8 hours). They depart in the morning around 8:00 and at night at 20:00 and 21:00. They cost one and a half times more expensive than a train. They do not depart from the Colombo bus station, but from their offices. You can buy tickets at travel agencies and hotels in Colombo, or on the website 12go.asia (does not accept Russian cards).

🚆 By train

On some old websites and guidebooks you can find information that there is no way to get to Jaffna by train. But this is not true, and starting in 2019 there are direct trains from Colombo to Jaffna via Anuradhapura and Vavuniya, but not through Negombo. There are no other trains to Jaffna.

Trains from Colombo depart from Colombo Fort railway station several times a day, including at night. You can check the schedule on the official website of the Sri Lanka railway - https://eservices.railway.gov.lk/. If the site does not open, which happens often, then here is the schedule (changes very rarely):

First-class tickets must be purchased several days in advance, 2nd and 3rd an hour before the train departs. Tickets for the 2nd and 3rd classes never end, so the trains go crowded to Anuradhapura, and then almost empty. Get ready for the fact that the first six hours of the journey to Anuradhapura may have to stand.

In Jaffna, trains arrive at the station in the city center (Jaffna railway station map), from where hotels in the center can be reached on foot or by tuk-tuk from 300 rupees (0.89). The station in Jaffna is well equipped: there are cash desks, a toilet, an ATM, a SIM card sale and even Wi-Fi.

If you have never traveled by train in Sri Lanka before, we recommend that you first read our instructions about traveling by train in Sri Lanka...

🚌 By bus

The bus connection to Jaffna is well developed, but to get here from most popular resorts, you will have to transfer to Colombo or Anuradhapura. Another convenient city for transplanting is Vavuniya.

In Jaffna, all buses arrive and depart from the bus station in the city center (Jaffna bus station on the map). There is an information window at the station where you can get information about all flights, but tickets are not sold there, they are bought on the bus from the conductor. There are also branded night buses on the route Point Pedro–Jaffna–Colombo and back. Tickets for them are sold on Hospital Rd street next to the bus station, buses depart from the same place, and not from the station itself.

And here is a little more information about routes and flights:

• From Colombo

  Colombo and Jaffna are connected by frequent bus services of government and branded private buses. The journey takes 8-12 hours. They depart from 02:00 to 23:30 approximately every hour, but at night and in the evening less often.

  Regular state and commercial buses are the cheapest. They depart from Colombo bus stations in Pettah district (see how to get to Colombo and bus stations). There is no need to purchase tickets for them in advance, just come to the station and buy on the spot for the nearest bus. The fare starts from 1200 rupees (3.56) on a straight simple bus 15/87, 1700 it costs to travel in a junior suite. If for some reason there are no direct buses, then you can take a bus to Vavuniya and change there to Jaffna.

  Branded buses depart from their stations, and make stops including in the Pettah area, railway stations and bus stations. You can buy tickets for them either at the carrier's office (known to us is in Mount Lavinia Colombo area), or on the https://12go.asia/en/travel/colombo/jaffna or https://busseat.lk/. On the latest website, prices are lower and there are more options in the schedule, but you need to have a local SIM card to buy a ticket. The ticket price starts from 1700 rupees (5.04).

• From Kandy

  About 10 buses depart from Kandy daily from 3 am to 7 pm. The journey takes 8 hours, the ticket starts from 1000 rupees.

• From Vavuniya

  This is a very convenient city for transplanting. Buses depart from here from 5 am to 3 pm every 30-60 minutes. The journey takes 3 hours, the cost starts from 250 rupees.

• From Trincomalee

  You can get there with a transfer in Vavuniya or by direct bus. Direct flights (go via Vavuniya) from 4 am to 7 pm every 1-3 hours, 6 hours on the way, from 800 rupees.

• From Batikaloa

  One flight a day in the morning at 06:30. The journey takes 8 hours, the cost starts from 1200 rupees.

• From Potuvil (Arugam Bay)

  One flight per day at 20:30 (night). The journey takes 10 hours, the cost starts from 2000 rupees. But this ticket is not guaranteed, check on the spot or go with a transfer via Batikaloa, Kandy or Colombo.

Jaffna transport, what to use to get around

Jaffna is a small town, and you can walk around its center. You can explore the fort, visit the market and the main shopping street, get from the railway or bus station to the hotel on foot. However, other interesting places and beaches are located at a respectful distance from the center, and to visit them, you will have to use transport.

The easiest and most convenient way to travel around Jaffna is to use tuk–tuks as a taxi. There is no regular car taxi here. Tuk-tuks can be used for short trips around the city (from 200 rupees per trip), or hire them for a whole day for trips to distant attractions or beaches (from 4000 rupees per day after bargaining). Tuk-tuks in Jaffna are not equipped with counters, so you need to negotiate the cost of the trip before boarding, and you definitely need to bargain. Even better, order tuk-tuks from the Uber and PickMe app, it's cheaper and more reliable.

If tuk-tuk trips are too expensive for you, then there is a system of city public and private buses. They can be used not only to move around the city, but also to get to some distant beaches and attractions, and the fare is cheap. Payment is made to the conductor, but do not forget to name the place to which you are traveling, since the ticket price depends on the distance.

All buses start moving from the city bus station, so if you don't know which route you need and where to find it, just go to the station and ask the locals what route you need, they will be happy to help you. Transport departs quite often, approximately every 10-30 minutes, depending on the direction. But there is no regality, private traders decide for themselves when to go and when not. The section about attractions of Jaffna provides information on how to get to a particular place, including bus routes.

But renting your own transport gives you much more freedom of movement. In Jaffna, you can rent a bike for about 500 rupees, although you will have to look for a rental. It is even better to rent a motorcycle (scooter, motorbike).

There are few motorcycle rentals in Dazhfne. When we were here for the first time, there were generally only two rental places for the whole city, now there are new rentals. Here are two tested by us (not advertising):

• SRI LANKA CLICK rental. Located at 447 Stanley Road. Motorcycle rental costs from 2500 rupees/day (7.41 USD), the contract is concluded. Bicycle rental – 500 rupees. They do not ask for a passport as a deposit, they only take a photo of the passport and IDP. You can book a motorcycle on the website - http://www.srilankaclick.com/
• S.M.E. Rental Shop and motorcycle rental on Hospital Street. They ask for 3500 rupees per day, because the scooters are new.

Other rental locations, including car rental, can be found on Google maps by searching Motorcycle for rent or Car Rental. Just keep in mind that many of these places are usually closed even during business hours. It is best to write off first (you can use Whatsapp), request a price, and then arrange a time for you to be met at the office door or even delivered a motorcycle or car to your hotel.

To manage rented transport in Sri Lanka, it is completely legally necessary to issue a local driver's license in Colombo on the basis of your international rights. But in practice, it is not necessary to do this, since the police usually look at tourists driving condescendingly if they do not grossly violate the rules. However, there is always a chance to get a fine. Rental companies also check the availability of an international driver's license with a category for driving a motorcycle, and in its absence they may well refuse you. For more information about renting a motorcycle in Sri Lanka, see here...

📅 Train and bus schedules in Jaffna