Casuarina Beach

Jaffna & the North


An attractive stretch of sand with good swimming and, as the name indicates, a shoreline backed by mature casuarina trees. It's popular with folks from Jaffna on weekends and has a couple of food vendors for a bite to eat and a drink. Buses from Jaffna to Karainagar pass within 2km of the beach. There are three-wheelers available for onward transport.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Jaffna & the North attractions

1. Varatharaja Perumal Kovil

2.13 MILES

This temple is 1.1km north of the start of the Karaitivu causeway on the mainland. It's visible on the right as you start your crossing. There's a…

2. Fort Hammenhiel

4.32 MILES

A tiny islet in the bay is home to the pocket-sized Fort Hammenhiel, a small Portuguese-built bastion that passed on to the Dutch in the 1650s. The thick…

3. Kayts

4.44 MILES

Kayts is a moody little village with a few scuttled fishing boats down by the ferry dock and some big old bayan trees. This was the port from which…

4. St Anthony's Church

4.54 MILES

Built in 1820, this large colonnaded church is dishevelled, but the faithful have strung colourful garlands from the soaring rafters. Immediately west,…

5. War Memorial

6.9 MILES

About 2km north of the AB19 along a dirt track is a sombre memorial to Lieutenant General Denzil Lakshman Kobbekaduwa and others. In 1992, the LTTE set…

6. Kantarodai Ruins

8.61 MILES

Some 1km via a squiggle of lanes south of the B380 is the beautiful and mysterious Kantarodai Ruins – two dozen or so dagobas, 1m to 2m in height, in a…

7. Chaatty Beach

9.19 MILES

Chaatty Beach is no white-sand wonder, but it’s passable for swimming and has changing rooms, picnic gazebos and snack vendors. It's just 11km from Jaffna.

8. Naguleswaram Shiva Kovil

9.32 MILES

Just before Keerimalai spring is the 6th-century-BC Naguleswaram Shiva Kovil, one of the pancha ishwaram, five temples dedicated to Lord Shiva in Sri…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "sri-lanka/karaitivu/attractions/casuarina-beach/a/poi-sig/1568416/1319598",
      "destination": "Jaffna-&-the-North",
      "continent": "Asia",
      "country": "Sri-Lanka",
      "region": "Jaffna-&-the-North",
      "position": "superzone"
    }