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Jaffna · Sri Lanka

Car hire and driving in Jaffna

Driving distances to the cities around, the rules that change at the border, and where to compare rental prices.

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In Sri Lanka traffic drives on the left. Picking up at JAF means 15 km (9 mi) into the centre before the trip starts. The emergency number is http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q25648823 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q2807090.

Drives from Jaffna

Car rental from Jaffna: distances and estimated journey times
RouteCountryDistanceEstimated time
Jaffna to TrincomaleeSri Lanka181 km (112 mi)about 2 h 45 min
Jaffna to KandySri Lanka273 km (170 mi)about 4 h 10 min
Jaffna to NegomboSri Lanka274 km (170 mi)about 4 h 11 min
Jaffna to ColomboSri Lanka304 km (189 mi)about 4 h 39 min
Jaffna to Pita KotteSri Lanka309 km (192 mi)about 4 h 43 min
Jaffna to Sri Jayewardenepura KotteSri Lanka310 km (193 mi)about 4 h 44 min
Jaffna to MaharagamaSri Lanka314 km (195 mi)about 4 h 47 min
Jaffna to Dehiwala-Mount LaviniaSri Lanka315 km (196 mi)about 4 h 48 min
Jaffna to KalmunaiSri Lanka322 km (200 mi)about 4 h 54 min
Jaffna to MoratuwaSri Lanka322 km (200 mi)about 4 h 55 min

Distances are straight-line; road and rail routes run about 15–25% longer. Times are estimates from distance and typical speeds, not timetables.

Where to compare car hire

ExpediaCar hire from the major suppliers, and the one to look at if the flight or hotel is already booked there. Part of Expedia Group.Check car hire on Expedia (opens www.expedia.com in a new tab)
DiscoverCarsCompares local and international suppliers. Read the counter reviews before you pick.Check rental cars on DiscoverCars (opens www.discovercars.com in a new tab)
Rentalcars.comBooking.com's car arm, with wide airport coverage worldwide.Compare suppliers on Rentalcars.com (opens www.rentalcars.com in a new tab)
Every link above leaves this site.

We take no bookings for these providers and hold no reservation with them. The provider you choose handles payment, confirmation, changes and refunds. How that works.

Common questions

Which side of the road do they drive on in Jaffna?

The left, as everywhere in Sri Lanka.

How are the journey times on this page worked out?

From straight-line distance and typical speeds for each mode, so they are estimates for planning, not timetables. Road and rail routes run 15–25% longer than the straight line.

Where these facts come from

  • GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
  • Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
  • OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
  • Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines

Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.