Delft Island (Neduntheevu)
A remote, wind-scoured island of coral-stone walls, wild ponies descended from Dutch stock, a baobab tree and colonial ruins, a full-day adventure off the peninsula.
Roughly 30 km off the Jaffna coast in the Palk Strait, Delft Island, known locally as Neduntheevu meaning Long Island, offers one of Sri Lanka's most genuinely off the beaten path experiences, a flat, coral and limestone landscape reached only after a bumpy, hour long ferry ride from Kurikadduwan harbor. The island's history stretches back to the Chola Dynasty, ruins of a Hindu temple built in Chola style dating to the 10th or 11th century still visible on its western coast, though it was Dutch governor Rijckloff van Goens who renamed the island after the Dutch city of Delft in the 1660s, part of a wider practice of naming Sri Lanka's northern islands after cities back home.
The Portuguese first described Delft as Ilha das Vacas, Island of Cows, later Ilha das Cavallos, Island of Horses, having introduced horses imported from Arabia and Central Asia to the island for military breeding purposes, a practice the Dutch and later the British continued and expanded. Those horses have since gone feral, roaming the island's grasslands and beaches today as a genuinely wild population, their ancestry tracing back four centuries to colonial cavalry breeding programs that ceased in the early 20th century, leaving the animals to adapt and thrive on their own across Delft's harsh terrain.
Scattered ruins from that layered colonial past dot the island still, a Portuguese fort built from coral, a Dutch hospital with tiles imported from Bangalore bearing the date 1865, crumbling horse stables with 64 visible pillars, and an unusual Dutch era dovecote once used to house messenger pigeons carrying communications between Delft and the Jaffna mainland. Add in a rare African baobab tree, likely planted by Arab traders centuries ago, and three partially restored ancient stupas along the northwestern coast, and Delft offers a genuinely rustic, layered journey through Portuguese, Dutch, British and pre-colonial Chola era history, all within a landscape that still feels remarkably untouched by modern tourism.
At a glance
- Entry fee: Free government ferry, plus island transport
- Opening hours: Ferries a few times daily
- Time needed: Full day
- Best time: May to September, for calm crossings
Getting there
Reached by government ferry from Kurikadduwan (KKD) jetty, about 35km from Jaffna, then a hired vehicle on the island.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does it cost to visit Delft Island (Neduntheevu)?
- Free government ferry, plus island transport.
- What are the opening hours at Delft Island (Neduntheevu)?
- Ferries a few times daily.
- How long should I spend at Delft Island (Neduntheevu)?
- Plan for full day.
- When is the best time to visit Delft Island (Neduntheevu)?
- May to September, for calm crossings.
- How do I get to Delft Island (Neduntheevu)?
- Reached by government ferry from Kurikadduwan (KKD) jetty, about 35km from Jaffna, then a hired vehicle on the island.