How to get from Kandy 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 320 kilometres (199 miles) from Kandy to Jaffna. You can choose between the bus, taxi and train. The journey takes 6 hours 40 minutes to 15 hours and the quickest way is by taxi. If you're on a budget, the cheapest option is by bus with tickets starting at 670 LKR ($2.20).

Direct buses are available from Kandy to Jaffna, but we don’t really recommend this option. The journey takes about 10 hours depending on traffic, and only non-aircon buses are available.

Alternatively, you can take a longer and indirect route via Colombo, but aboard more comfortable air-conditioned buses.

Direct buses operate from Kandy to Jaffna every 2 hours, but this schedule can change so it’s best to visit the bus station early for current departure times.

Only non-aircon ordinary and semi-luxury buses are available for this route and they cost 445 LKR ($1.50) and 670 LKR ($2.20) respectively. If you really want to take the direct bus, we recommend that you go via a semi-luxury bus as they have better seats.

• Departs from Goods Shed Bus Station, west of Kandy city centre
• Arrives at Jaffna Bus Stand in the city centre

Travelling by bus from Kandy to Jaffna via Colombo takes 14 hours, excluding transfers. This is a good alternate option if you want to visit Sri Lanka’s capital anyway.

First, you have to take a bus from Kandy to Colombo. This bus journey costs 175 LKR ($0.60) for an ordinary bus and 4,690 LKR ($15.60) for an air-conditioned bus. Travel time takes 4h.

• Take bus route #01 from Goods Shed Bus Station, west of Kandy city centre
• Arrive at Colombo Central Bus Stand in Colombo city centre

You can also check out our page for Kandy to Colombo for more details.

When travelling from Colombo to Jaffna via bus, you have 3 options: an ordinary bus costs 540 LKR ($1.80); a semi-luxury bus costs 810 LKR ($2.70); and an air-conditioned bus costs 5,300 LKR ($17.50). Travel time takes 7h 30m - 11h.

• Take bus route #87 from Colombo Central Bus Stand in the city centre
• Arrive at Jaffna Bus Stand in the city centre

See our page for Colombo to Jaffna for more info.

When taking the train from Kandy to Jaffna, there are 2 steps. First, you have to get to Polgahawela Railway station. Second, take a train from Polgahawela to Jaffna.

From Kandy, you have 3 options to get to Polgahawela Junction: via train, bus or taxi. Below is a step-by-step guide to help you choose your best option when going from Kandy to Polgahawela.

Unreserved seats are easily available at the train station on the day of your trip, with fares starting at 100 LKR ($0.30). But if you want to be assured of a seat, you have to book your ticket online at least a month before.

If you plan to book reserved seats for your connecting train ride to Jaffna, you have to be at Polgahawela before 13:00. You can choose from 4 trains that depart from Kandy in the morning, although only Train #1024 is available to book online.

• Departs at 10:40 from Kandy Railway Station
• Arrives at 12:14 at Polgahawela Railway Station

Note that if you take train#1024 from Kandy to Polgahawela, the next train from Polgahawela to Jaffna departs at 13:02. If you miss this, the following train leaves at 17:01. You can use this time to go around the nearby temples or have an early lunch near the station.

Also, keep in mind that Polgahawela sometimes does not appear on online booking websites so you will have to book a train journey from Kandy to Colombo. You can also book a different train via other means as long as you arrive in Polgahawela by noon. Read further to find out the best way to score seats on unreserved trains.

See below the train schedule from Kandy to Polgahawela.

If you don’t want to take the train, you can also take the bus to Polgahawela Railway Station and time it well to arrive around noon. Travel time is 1 hour, including a taxi transfer. Make sure to allow extra time for traffic.

Take non-aircon Bus #662 for 45 minutes and costs 71 LKR ($0.20).

• Departs from Goods Shed Bus Station, west of Kandy city centre
• Arrives at Kegalle Bus Stop in the city centre

In Kegalle, hail a taxi to take you to Polgahawela Railway Station. This taxi journey takes around 20 minutes and costs between 490 LKR ($1.60) and 635 LKR ($2.10).

An easier but more expensive option is to take a taxi from Kandy to Polgahawela. This is a good option to consider if you are travelling in a group.

You can hail one from the street or ask your hotel to get one for you. Fares start from 3,450 LKR ($11.50). Travel time takes around 1 hour, but allow extra time for traffic.

From Polgahawela Station, several trains going to Jaffna operate daily. As you are making a transfer from Kandy, it would be best to take train #4017.

• Departs at 13:02 from Polgahawela Railway Station
• Arrives at 18:15 at Jaffna Railway Station

There are other trains operating from Polgahawela to Jaffna, but we recommend the above schedule if you want to book reserved 1st class air-conditioned seats. It gets hotter and more humid as you head north, so it can be uncomfortable on a non-aircon cabin.

Note that you have to book your tickets at least a month before when booking online. You can choose between a 1st class seat for 5,200 LKR ($17.20) and a 2nd class seat for 3,090 LKR ($10.30). Sri Lanka Railways operates on this route daily, but you will not find Polgahawela on any booking website. Book a train ticket for Colombo to Jaffna instead.

See below our suggested train schedule from Polgahawela to Jaffna via Train #4017.

You can get a taxi from Kandy to Jaffna for around 20,000 LKR ($67) when you book via Uber, although fares can be slightly cheaper or more expensive depending on availability.

If you want to do everything to find the cheapest rates, you can also check the taxi apps PickMe and TaxiGo. However, these apps are very limited in availability outside the capital city, Colombo.