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Mannar, Sri Lanka: The Island I Almost Skipped
BY Sibashree Jul 10, 2026
Many unexpected things happened during my trip to Sri Lanka. For example, I did not expect what I felt at the Dambulla Royal Cave Temple. Similarly, there are places like Puttalam. Puttalam stands out with its ancient history, wildlife, coconut plantation, and ideal ambiance for stargazing. However, of course, Puttalam is not as celebrated as the cultural richness of Kandy or the thrill of a Kandy to Ella train ride. It is more like a hidden gem. Now, talking about hidden gems, Mannar is another destination I almost missed. I am glad that I did not ultimately, as in recent times, it has become the land where women are fighting for the protection of the bodies and land impacted by industrialization, bypassing their consent. In this article, I will share my experience in Mannar, and of course, why women in this coastal village are putting up such a strong fight. However, I will begin with why I almost missed it. This Is Why I Almost Missed Mannar Mannar is not a usual or bucket-list destination when planning a trip to Sri Lanka. So, it was not originally on my list even after multiple visits to the country. For the first time, Jaffna and its Tamil culture were my priority. Also, for the next time, it was quite a predictable loop with Ella for the hills, Kandy for the temples, and Mirissa for the beaches. Again, while Mannar kept popping up as a suggestion, most forums described it as "connected by a causeway, has some baobab trees, not much else." So, I never had Mannar on my mind. However, when I visited Sri Lanka for the third time, my focus was more on historical exploration in the country that is so connected to the country I come from, India. So, I was staying in Anuradhapura, and Adeesha, the guesthouse owner, told me about Mannar. He said, “Mannar is where Sri Lanka forgets it's an island for a while. The wind never stops, and neither do the birds." This description stayed with me. And in three days, I took to the Medawachchiya-Talaimannar Highway for a road trip to Mannar. The distance was around 119 km, and it took around 2 hours and 17 minutes. Initially, I thought that it was a mistake as I saw the landscape flattening out into salt pans and scrub. However, I had not! Mannar Reminded Me Of Art Of Slow Travel: We All Know It But Often Forget I planned a half-day detour and ended up staying two nights, and even that felt like less. What I appreciated most was how little the island tried to perform for visitors. You don’t have a polished tour script to follow. Also, from the causeway moment to standing on the spot where two countries meet, you will not notice the crowd for photo ops. And do you know what you have as your companions here? Just baobabs older than most nations, donkeys that own the road, flamingos that don't care if you're watching, and a stretch of water that people once believed connected two entire countries! So, Mannar is more than worth being beyond an afterthought when you are planning a trip to Sri Lanka. I certainly did not expect a forgotten causeway town to end up as one of my favorite stops in the entire country, but that's exactly what happened. Here are more details about my days in Mannar, from the causeway moment to visiting the historical fort. 1. The Causeway Moment There's a specific moment on the drive-in that I still think about. I left the palm-fringed road of the mainland behind, and the land narrowed into a causeway with water pressing in on both sides. I rolled the window down, and I instantly felt the gush of wind on my face. My driver, Aslam, laughed and said I should get used to it. Talaimannar, further west, is considered one of the windiest points in the country, which is exactly why it's become a magnet for kite-surfers. Crossing that causeway felt like flipping a switch. The dense, wet green of the rest of the island gave way to something drier, flatter, and quieter. I hadn't expected Sri Lanka to have a landscape like this, and it was closer in spirit to the Deccan scrublands than to a tropical postcard. 2. First Impressions Of Mannar Town Mannar town itself is unhurried in a way that took me a day to appreciate. My first afternoon, I wandered past fishing boats pulled up on the shore, nets drying in loose piles. I also spotted a handful of tea shops where conversations paused just long enough for someone to glance at the obvious outsider before returning to their card game. Nobody tried to sell me anything. It was the first place in Sri Lanka where I felt like a guest rather than a customer. 3. Meeting The Giant Of Pallimunai I was not prepared for the first baobab tree I spotted in Mannar. Seeing it for real is a different experience than seeing the photos. The barrel-shaped trunk was wider than a small room, and the branches moved upward. Furthermore, it had a thick and wrinkled grey bark, which gave it the name of the “Elephant Tree” from the locals. However, the most famous one among the baobab trees in Mannar is the one in the village of Pallimunai. It has a history of 600 to 800 years. Furthermore, it was fascinating to think that baobabs are native to Africa and Madagascar, not South Asia. Common sayings are that the Arab traders carried the seeds here centuries ago, possibly using the leaves as camel fodder during the long sea crossings. The seeds eventually took root in Mannar's dry soil. I sat under that tree for a good twenty minutes, and a local teenager on a bicycle stopped to chat, half in English and half in gestures. He told me his grandfather used to tell him the tree was older than any building on the island. Looking up at it, I believed him completely. Things To Know About The Baobab Trees In Mannar Mannar has around thirty baobab trees scattered across the district. All of them are not as gigantic as you expect them to be. However, even the smaller ones along back roads and behind houses will grab your attention with their unique silhouette. 4. The Donkeys Of Mannar The feral donkeys are a part of Mannar’s wildlife identity. They come from the animals the Arab merchant brought generations ago. When I reached Mannar, I spotted them wandering freely across the island. They were unbothered by traffic or tourists. Even I watched one calmly block an entire lane of road near the causeway, chewing grass with the unhurried confidence of something that knows it has the right of way. Aslam just waited it out, grinning. "This is Mannar traffic," he said. 5. Flamingos At Vankalai My visit to the Vankalai Sanctuary and the nearby wetland was one of the highlights of my trip to Mannar. I spotted flamingos, and they looked unreal for the first few minutes. I have never been so up close to these majestic birds. Furthermore, I spotted a flock lift off a shallow lagoon at dusk, and it was dusk. So, they were catching the last orange light for the day. Everything around me paused for a while. 6. Adam's Bridge And Talaimannar: Standing Where Two Countries Almost Touch The furthest point of my trip was Talaimannar. It was right at the western tip of the island, where a chain of limestone shoals, the Adam's Bridge, stretches out toward Rameswaram in India. In Hindu tradition, this is the causeway said to have been built by Rama's army in the Ramayana. Furthermore, geologically, it is a natural formation due to sedimentation and shifting sea levels over thousands of years. The Moment… I was standing on the shoreline, and the wind hammered at my jacket. I squinted toward the horizon and tried to make out India. Certainly, I could not. Now, being from the land of spirituality, the myth was quite fascinating. However, the practical history seemed more tantalizing. It was one of the busiest pearl-trading points in ancient times, and it was famous even in Rome. 7. The Fort That Changed Hands Three Times On the way back, I stopped at Mannar Fort, a low, weathered structure sitting near the causeway. The Portuguese built it in 1560, and then the Dutch took over until they surrendered to the British. Compared to the grandeur of the Galle Fort or the Sigiriya Rock Fortress, it is a small, crumbling monument to how many empires passed through this one unassuming stretch of coastline. There wasn't a ticket booth or a gift shop. The caretaker nodded me through, and I wandered the ramparts alone, looking out over the water as the light started to fade. My Two Days In Mannar: The Itinerary Here is my two-day slow travel itinerary in Mannar. Day 1: Causeway, Town, And Giants Time ActivityMorningThe Road Trip to MannarLate MorningThe Causeway MomentEarly AfternoonCheck-in and Town ExplorationLate AfternoonThe Giant of PallimunaiEveningMannar "Traffic" and Dinner Day 2: Ancient Connections, Wildlife, And Heritage TimeActivityMorningJourney to TalaimannarMid-DayAdam's Bridge ExperienceAfternoonVisiting the Fort of Three EmpiresDuskSpotting Flamingos at Vankalai Sanctuary That’s it from my days in Mannar. However, I want to conclude with a brief discussion on how women in Mannar are fighting for their bodies and soil. Konniyan Kudiyirippu: A Mannar Village Where Women Fight For Their Bodies And Soil Konniyan Kudiyirippu is a small coastal village on the southern edge of Mannar. Here, the lives of the women revolve around the soil and palmyrah. However, the setting up of a windmill here without consent has ruined their lives by poisoning the water and flooding the land. That is not all! A mining company is eyeing this village. I was reading about this news on eathjournalism.net, and there, a 32-year-old woman and a kindergarten teacher from the village, Vashingtina, mentioned, “We use everything from nature to earn an income.” So, due to the industrialization without consent, the village economy based on nature is about to get ruined. The women of this village are putting up a fight against this and the violation of “the right to free, prior and informed consent.” So, come and visit Mannar to see how the women here are fighting one of the biggest battles of mankind, saving the environment vs. industrialization.
