THE COMPLETE DESTINATION GUIDE
Discover Delft Island
Delft Island — known locally as Neduntheevu — sits in the Palk Strait off the Jaffna peninsula, reached by a public or chartered ferry crossing that is itself part of the island's appeal, offering wide views over open water on the way. The island's flat, sun-bleached landscape, criss-crossed by walls built from coral stone gathered from the surrounding shore, gives it a genuinely different, sparser character from almost anywhere else covered on a typical Sri Lankan itinerary.
A population of wild ponies, descended from horses said to have been introduced during the Dutch colonial period, roam parts of the island and are one of its most distinctive draws — sightings are generally likely given their free-roaming presence across open ground, though as with any wild animal, exact locations and numbers seen will vary by visit. Scattered ruins from the island's Dutch colonial period, including a fort and a stone-walled enclosure historically used for breeding horses, add a layer of low-key historical interest to the otherwise stark, open scenery.
A baobab tree, unusual in a Sri Lankan context and believed to have been introduced by early Arab or colonial-era traders, stands as one of the island's more curious landmarks, alongside a natural coral formation known locally as the giant's footprint. The island's small population lives a quiet, largely fishing- and farming-based life, considerably removed from the tourism infrastructure found elsewhere in the country, and this genuine remoteness is central to Delft's appeal for travellers seeking something distinctly off the more established routes.
Because the island is reached only by boat and has limited facilities, a visit here requires more planning than most destinations on this list, and is best arranged with confirmed ferry timings before setting out.