Trinco to Jaffna this week - Palaly hop or is it the A9 for 5 hours
Two spare days after whales. Everyone said add Jaffna. FitsAir / Palaly seats for the weekend looked random and some depart from Ratmalana not CMB. Night bus from Colombo is a different trip. What are people actually doing. Public transport inside Jaffna after that - can we do Nallur and the islands without a driver.
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3 Answers from travellers
From Trinco you do not fly to Palaly unless you go back to Colombo. The useful move is a van or the bus via the A9 / east-then-north - figure 5-7 hours depending on the route and the rain. Palaly (JAF) is a 20-30 minute ride north of town and is useful if you are coming from Ratmalana or CMB on a day that FitsAir is actually going. Schedules have been on-and-off for years - buy only on the airline site, then pre-book the hotel pickup. There is no airport train.
We took a morning AC bus Colombo-Jaffna, about 8 hours, fine. Inside Jaffna: tuk-tuks are cheap, buses to Point Pedro / islands exist but are slow. For Delft you need the ferry day, not a whim.
Public transport on the peninsula is real. It is not Grab. If you have 48 hours, hire a local driver for one full day (Nallur, fort, Keerimalai, casuarina) and use tuk-tuks for dinner.
Scam Watch: colombo
Driver claims the meter is broken and quotes an inflated flat rate. Common on arrival at airport or railway stations when tourists are tired and disoriented.
Drivers wearing official-looking uniforms claim to be "government-approved" and charge 3-5x normal rates. They may have fake badges or ID cards.
Women with babies approach asking you to buy milk powder at a nearby shop (not cash). The shop is run by accomplices and charges 5-10x normal price.
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