Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
It's impossible to explore Neduntivu without transport. Three-wheelers/pick-ups (Rs
1500/3000 for three hours) can be rented for island tours from the dock.
A crowded Sri Lankan Navy-operated ferry (free, one hour) departs KKD daily at 9am,
returning at 2.30pm. Arrive 30 minutes before (or earlier) to secure somewhere to sit, and
expect an uncomfortable, if memorable trip. If you're travelling by bus from Jaffna you'll
need to catch the 6.40am departure to KKD to make the ferry connection.
ELEPHANT QUAY
Elephants were once indispensable to South Asian armies: they could transport troops
through difficult terrain and waterways, carry heavy supplies, knock down the doors of
forts and, when lined up with steel balls swinging from their trunks, scare the hell out of
the enemy. Sri Lanka's elephants were known to be exceptionally strong, intelligent and
large, and so the island became a major supplier to India - a practice that began around
300 BC and continued to the early 19th century.
Most elephants were caught in the Vanni, then marched through the Jaffna peninsula
and shipped out from Elephant Quay in Kayts. (Elephant Pass, linking the Jaffna penin-
sula to the rest of Sri Lanka, really was an elephant pass.) They were shipped in custom-
made wooden elephant boats constructed in Kayts, and the town was renowned as an
elephant port.
As powerful as the elephants were, however, they were frightened and confused by loud
noises, so the arrival of firearms put an end to their war prowess and the Kayts elephant
trade.
Karaitivu
Karaitivu has two main things going for it: access to Kayts and the trippy crossing from
Jaffna across a long, water-skimming
causeway
, with views of wading fishermen and
shrimp traps. Look right at the start of the causeway to spy the towering
gopuram
of
Pun-
Karaitivu's
Casuarina Beach
is an attractive stretch of sand with good swimming and,
as the name indicates, a shoreline backed by mature casuarina trees. It's popular with folk
from Jaffna on weekends and has a couple of snack bars for a bite to eat and a drink. Half-
hourly buses from Jaffna to
Karainagar
pass within 2km of the beach. There are three-
wheelers available for onward transport.
