3 Answers from travellers
Realistic only via flight. Cinnamon Air (35 min each way) makes it possible - depart Ratmalana 7am, land Jaffna 7:35, sight-seeing 8am-3pm (Nallur Temple, Jaffna Fort, Fort Frederick lunch), fly back 4:30pm. Costs USD 250-400 round trip. By train: 6-7 hours each way, impossible as day trip. By car: 8-10 hours each way. If you want to actually enjoy Jaffna, budget 2-3 nights minimum. Day trip is a taste, not the experience.
Alternatively: skip the day trip and add Jaffna as 2-3 nights on a longer trip. It's genuinely different from the south (Tamil culture, Hindu temples, palmyra trees, Rio ice cream, quiet). Day trip won't do it justice.
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