Fort Hammenhiel guards the sea channel between the islands of Kayts and Karaitivu, west of Jaffna. The Portuguese built the coral-stone fort in the seventeenth century as Fortaleza do Caes to protect the approach to the peninsula. Dutch forces captured it in 1658 and renamed it Hammenhiel — "heel of the ham" — because Ceylon's outline reminded them of a smoked ham, with the fort sitting at its heel; they rebuilt it substantially in 1680.
The British later used it as a prison and an infectious-diseases hospital, and in 1971 it briefly held well-known political detainees. Today the Sri Lanka Navy runs the fort as a small heritage hotel reached by a short boat transfer — one of the more unusual places to stay (or simply visit) in the north.
Good to know
- Viewed beautifully from the Karainagar–Kayts shorelines; visits/stays are arranged through the navy-run resort
- Pairs with Casuarina Beach for an easy island afternoon
- The boat transfer is short but tide-and-weather dependent
- Book ahead if you'd like dinner or a night inside the walls