How to get from Colombo to Jaffna

Why visit Jaffna?

Jaffna is a relatively newly-reopened town for tourists in Sri Lanka’s northern tip. The city is a fusion of Hindu Islam and Buddhist Sri Lanka — a product of over two decades of civil war. Its many years of isolation from the rest of the country make it a unique place to visit, and there are relatively fewer tourists so you can have a more authentic glimpse of local life.

Inhabited by the Tamil people, you can expect a warm welcome when you explore this city. Some of the best things to do in Jaffna include a visit to Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil, a walk around the Dutch Fort, and a trip to the local market (try the Jaffna mango!). Everywhere you go, friendly locals will greet you with bright smiles.

There are 3 ways to travel the 395 kilometre (245 miles) distance from Colombo to Jaffna. You can choose between the bus, taxi and train. The journey takes 7 to 11 hours and the quickest way is by taxi. If you're on a budget, the cheapest option is by train with tickets starting at 4,860 LKR ($15.70).

We recommend taking the train from Colombo to Jaffna for a comfortable 7-hour journey.

If you take a daytime train, the fastest travel time is 6 hours 40 minutes. You can also take the quicker evening train, but then you will miss the views during the ride and arrive in the middle of the night in Jaffna (which we won’t recommend).

See here the arrival and departure stations of the Sri Lankan Railway train:

• Departs from Fort Railway Station in Colombo city centre
• Arrives at Jaffna Railway Station in Jaffna city centre

Booking your train tickets

It gets hotter as you travel your way up North from the capital city, so if you prefer some more luxury, it might be better to travel with an air-conditioned 1st class seat. This costs 1,500 LKR ($4.80)  when you buy them at the train station.

However, since reserved 1st and 2nd class seats often sell out fast, you might want to reserve your tickets online at least 30 days before. They are more expensive, but they will save you a lot of worry. A 1st class seat bought online costs 6,500 LKR ($21). If you rather save money, 2nd class seats are still comfortable enough and they cost 4,860 LKR ($15.70).

If you missed this 1-month deadline, you can likely still buy your tickets at a local agency or cheap (2nd or 3rd class) unreserved tickets at the railway station in Colombo.

Unreserved tickets are unlimited and you can easily buy them at the train station on the day of your trip. However, bear in mind that you will have to compete with hundreds of locals for a good seat. There’s a great chance you will be standing for the first 3 hours of your journey until Anuradhapura, where many passengers get off.

Check out the Sri Lanka Railways website to see the schedules for 2nd and 3rd-class seats. For more info and other train booking options, check out this train guide for Sri Lanka.

Taking the bus from Colombo to Jaffna might be even cheaper than the train, but bear in mind that it will be quite a long journey of 7 hours 30 minutes to 11 hours.

If you still want to travel to Jaffna by bus from Colombo, you have two options: you can take a tourist bus starting at 5,400 LKR ($17.50) or the cheaper local air-conditioned bus for 1,080 LKR ($3.50).

Tourist buses can get you from Colombo to Jaffna more than 2 hours faster than local buses, with a travel time of 7.5 to 9 hours instead of 11 hours.

They are also cleaner and much more comfortable with reclining seats and charging sockets. Well worth spending some extra dollars on!

You can choose from three tourist bus operators: Muthu Travels, Prince Travels and AKMT Holidays.

Rates start from 5,400 LKR ($17.50), but all three companies are well-reputed companies.

In Colombo, you can find intercity buses to any point in the country. When going to Jaffna, you can take Route #87.

Most Sri Lankan local buses do not get good reviews. But if you really want to go local, taking an air-conditioned bus can make your journey a little bit more comfortable. A seat costs 1,080 LKR ($3.50).

Ordinary and semi-luxury buses with hard wooden seats and no air-conditioning are also available, but not recommended for a journey of 11 hour. If you still want to try these options, they cost 540 LKR ($1.70) and 810 LKR ($2.60) respectively.

• Departs from Colombo Central Bus Stand in the city centre
• Arrives at Jaffna Bus Stand in the city centre

The taxi from Colombo to Jaffna costs around 23,000 LKR ($74) when you book via Uber, but fares can be slightly cheaper or more expensive depending on availability.

Hoping for cheaper rates? You can also check the taxi apps PickMe and TaxiGo. But, unfortunately, these apps have limited availability outside the capital city, Colombo.

Sometimes none of the above options works, and in that case, we recommend booking a taxi via BookAway. Fares start at 86,000 LKR ($275) for a 2-seater private transfer.

Taxi options from Colombo to Jaffna