The northernmost tip of Sri Lanka, a quiet fishing town with a lighthouse, palmyrah-lined coast and windswept beaches.

Overview

Point Pedro, known in Tamil as Paruthithurai, marks the northernmost point of Sri Lanka and makes an evocative end-of-the-island excursion from Jaffna. The small town has a working fishing harbour, an old lighthouse and long, breezy stretches of coast backed by palmyrah palms. Nearby lie the sand dunes of Manalkadu and the shifting dune-buried church ruins, adding to the remote, edge-of-the-country atmosphere.

History

The town takes its English name from early European navigators and grew as a fishing and trading port on the exposed northern coast. Like much of the peninsula it was heavily affected by the civil war and the 2004 tsunami, and has slowly recovered as a quiet outpost at the island's northern extremity.