There’s a stunning beach here – a classic tropical picture of white sand, azure ocean and swaying coconut palms – though absolutely no facilities. Perfect if you want to get away from it all. Note the huge old baobab tree.
Chempiyanpattu Beach
Jaffna & the North
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
26.97 MILES
Long the gatehouse of the city, the vast Jaffna fort, overlooking the Jaffna lagoon, has been fought over for centuries. Today you can wander its walls,…
25.64 MILES
This huge Hindu temple, crowned by a towering god-encrusted, golden-ochre gopuram, is one of the most significant Hindu religious complexes in Sri Lanka…
29.52 MILES
This spring is a beautiful little spot: the men’s side has a picturesque stepped pool of bright aquamarine water set against the ocean, while the women…
13.34 MILES
A small dirt road runs for 3.1km off the B371 to this lovely beach. There are a few fishing boats, some palm trees and not much else on the sand. The…
25.19 MILES
The provenance of this Jaffna Kingdom relic is fairly secure. This archway is thought to be one of the palace’s original entrances. Among its weathered…
26.75 MILES
Tellingly, one of the first major buildings to be rebuilt after the 2002 ceasefire was Jaffna's Public Library. It had been burnt down by pro-government…
26.65 MILES
An architectural curiosity, the spindly Clock Tower has a Moorish domed top, which makes it look like it belongs somewhere in North Africa. It was erected…
27.86 MILES
Some 1km via a squiggle of lanes south of the B380 is the beautiful and mysterious Kantarodai Ruins – two dozen or so dagobas, 1m to 2m in height, in a…
Nearby Jaffna & the North attractions
7.29 MILES
This grandiose, vaguely stupa-like monument glorifies the role of the Sri Lankan armed forces in defeating the LTTE and lauds the role of former President…
8.8 MILES
About 1km south of the causeway's southern end, there is a large memorial to Gamini Kularatne, a Sri Lanka Army soldier who single-handedly disabled an…
13.34 MILES
A small dirt road runs for 3.1km off the B371 to this lovely beach. There are a few fishing boats, some palm trees and not much else on the sand. The…
15.49 MILES
The much-revered Vallipura Aalvar Kovil is 5km south from central Point Pedro. Its gopuram is painted in an unusually restrained colour palette and the…
16.14 MILES
Right near the centre of town, an enormous concrete water tower lies on its side where it was toppled in the final days of the war in 2008. The sheer size…
16.52 MILES
Simply a very fine beach, not far east of the Point Pedro Lighthouse. It's often good for swimming when the water is calm.
16.78 MILES
Occupies a prominent spot with sweeping views at the east end of the spectacular VVT–Point Pedro Coast Rd. Although the lighthouse is fenced off and…
17.41 MILES
These mysterious and elaborately carved ruins of a gate over the road are thought to date to Dutch colonial times. It's about 100m east of the heart of…