Jaffna

Kovil mornings, fort afternoons and a day on Nainativu

Three days suit Jaffna. Spend one on Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil, the public library and the Dutch fort, one on the island temples of Nainativu, reached by boat from Kurikadduwan jetty, and one on the north coast at the Keerimalai springs and the Murugan temple at Thondaimanaru.

Day one: begin early at the Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil for morning prayers before the midday closure. Ride into the centre for the Jaffna Public Library, then spend the late afternoon on the ramparts of Jaffna Fort above the lagoon, the Dutch-era stronghold built on a Portuguese site.

Day two: leave early for the islands. The causeways run west to the Kurikadduwan jetty, where boats cross to Nainativu, holy to Hindus for the Nagapooshani Amman temple and to Buddhists for Nagadeepa Vihara. Back on the mainland, stop at Casuarina Beach on Karaitivu for a late swim.

Day three: drive the north coast to the freshwater springs at Keerimalai and the Selvachannithi Murugan temple at Thondaimanaru, then return to Nallur for the evening puja.

Travellers with more time ride the train south toward Dambulla or back to Colombo.

Odiyal Kool, crab curry and Palmyra treacle

Northern cooking is hotter and more seafood-led than in the south, and much of it relies on the palmyra palm. The dish to seek out is odiyal kool, a thick, spicy broth of crab, prawns, fish and vegetables, bound with palmyra-root flour. It is hard to find anywhere else in Sri Lanka.

Jaffna crab curry, dark with roasted spices, is the other headline plate, best eaten with string hoppers or rice. Vegetarian Tamil restaurants serve rice and curry on banana leaves at lunch, and street stalls fry vadai and dhal vadai through the day.

For dessert, curd and treacle here comes with palmyra treacle, earthier than the kithul syrup used in the south. Drinks run to fresh juice, a nelli gooseberry cordial and toddy, the sweeter version made from palmyra sap. Ice cream parlours near the bus stand are a local institution on hot evenings.

Chariot day at Nallur and the northeast monsoon

January to September is the season to visit, with less than 70 mm of rain in most months. The northeast monsoon soaks October to December and peaks at 437 mm in November. Pick July or August for the Nallur festival, about 25 days of puja that ends with the chariot procession.

The climate here runs opposite to the southwest coast. From January to September rainfall stays mostly under 70 mm a month, with highs climbing from 29C in January to 34C in April. The northeast monsoon then arrives, bringing 235 mm in October, 437 mm in November and 274 mm in December.

The year's great event is the Nallur festival, a temple celebration of about 25 days in July and August that ends with the chariot procession, when devotees pull Murugan's car around the temple streets. Expect huge crowds and strict dress rules.

Thai Pongal, the Tamil harvest festival, falls in mid-January with sweet rice boiled at homes and temples. Deepavali comes in October or November.

For a longer trip, combine Jaffna with the east coast at Trincomalee by bus, or the train south.