03/05/2020
DELFT ISLAND, JAFFNA, SRI LANKA.
The journey to Delft begins at Kurikadduwan harbour, about an hour south-west of Jaffna. After a bumpy, enclosed, hour-long ferry ride, you arrive onto the mysterious, isolated, outlying coral and limestone island.
With a long history dating right from the ancient Chola Dynasty through Portuguese, Dutch and the British Colonial periods, history tugs at your sleeve with every step you take on Delft. Amongst the swaying palms and gentle sea breeze, remnants of the island’s past are dotted throughout; quaint tiny villages, colonial ruins, winding dirt roads and coral walls hint at bygone eras and simpler times.
Although Delft has not yet fully embraced modernity, or indeed tourism (or maybe it's vice versa and tourists haven't yet embraced Delft), we feel it only adds to the rustic charm of the island. There’s plenty to see and do, the locals are wonderfully friendly, and it’s entirely possible to fill a day of sightseeing without any hassles. Just don’t arrive expecting to find food - despite the island’s 6,000 full time inhabitants, the island is devoid of any restaurants!
Food can be hard to come by on the Island; there's one restaurant called Delft Hotel located just off the Jetty which serves vegetable roti and wade, otherwise a few small market stores sell snacks.
There's another 'hotel' close to the jetty called ‘Island Hut’ which serves curries and fresh seafood.
main attractions on the island, we recommend visiting the following:
1.Portuguese/Dutch Fort | Situated under tall Palmyra palms, this ruined ancient Fort (originally built by the Portuguese) constructed out of limestone and coral, was eventually turned into a Fort by the Dutch. It's free to explore to your heart’s content
2.Delft Island baobab tree | A huge baobab native to tropical Africa planted on Delft in the 16th century by Arab merchants. After spending so much time in Africa, it was pretty flipping weird to see baobab trees here in Sri Lanka.
3.Old Dutch Hospital | This old hospital was built by the Dutch and converted into an administrative centre in the early 1900's. In 'The Courts', there's a British Emblem inscribed on the wall, which gives you an insight into the reach of the British Empire.
4.Pigeon Nest | Set in the gardens of the Old Dutch Hospital is a unique structure used to house messenger pigeons during the Dutch reign. The pigeons used to carry messages between Delft island and Jaffna.
5.Dutch Horse Stables | The island of Delft was used as a breeding ground for Dutch horses, so there are a number of ancient stables on the island. The stables are now crumbling, with 64 pillars visible where horses were formerly tied up. When we visited, the area was under water, which made for a unique experience
6.Hanuman footprint | The giant human-like footprint embedded in the rock is somewhat of a myth, but the local inhabitants believe it was left by Hanuman, the king of monkeys and the devoted servant of Rama. Mythical and kinda cool
