Written here, checked here
The things worth knowing before you come
Seasons, transport, costs, and the practical details that make a trip work. Start with the question on your mind. Each guide includes the date it was last checked.
Every number is checked
Fees, permits and drive times come from the source or from doing it ourselves, and each page carries the date it was last verified.
We say the unhelpful thing
Yala is crowded. The observation carriage is a mistake. Pinnawala is not a sanctuary. A guide that recommends everything recommends nothing.
We correct them
The train situation has changed four times since the cyclone. When something moves, the page moves. Tell us if we are behind.
Planning
The best time to visit Sri Lanka
There is no bad month. There is a wrong coast.
Checked
Read the guide
The Sri Lanka ETA, explained properly
Forty nationalities now pay nothing. Everyone still needs one.
Checked
Read the guide
Is Sri Lanka safe?
Yes — and here is the honest list of what does go wrong
Checked
Read the guide
Sri Lanka travel tips: what first-time visitors get wrong
Twenty-eight things we wish every visitor knew before the plane landed at Katunayake.
Checked
Read the guide
Things to do in Sri Lanka
Twenty-two experiences worth planning a trip around, with the month each one actually works in.
Checked
Read the guide
Surfing in Sri Lanka
Two coasts on opposite monsoons, which is why there is a wave here in every month of the year.
Checked
Read the guide
What to pack for Sri Lanka
One sarong, one fleece, sandals that can get wet. The rest is detail.
Checked
Read the guide
Getting there
Getting around
Getting around Sri Lanka
The island is small on a map and slow on the ground
Checked
Read the guide
The Kandy to Ella train
Half of it is running. Here is which half, and what to do about it.
Checked
Read the guide
Colombo to Ella: train, bus or car
There is no through train at the moment. Here is what there is instead.
Checked
Read the guide
The Colombo to Galle train
Two and a half hours beside the Indian Ocean, for a dollar or two
Checked
Read the guide
Ella to Yala, Udawalawe and the south coast
Off the hill in a morning, into a park by lunch, on the beach by dark
Checked
Read the guide
Money
Wildlife
Which Sri Lankan national park to choose
Yala has the leopards. It also has the jeeps.
Checked
Read the guide
Whale watching in Sri Lanka
In February, go to Mirissa. In July, go to Trincomalee.
Checked
Read the guide
Scuba diving in Sri Lanka
Two coasts on opposite seasons, a great many wrecks, and water that is honestly average.
Checked
Read the guide
Practical
SIM cards and eSIMs for Sri Lanka
What the arrivals counter actually charges, which network reaches the hills, and when an eSIM is the wrong answer.
Checked
Read the guide
Sri Lankan food: what to eat and what it costs
The dishes worth going out of your way for, how hot they actually are, and what a plate costs in September 2026.
Checked
Read the guide
Places
Travellers
Backpacking Sri Lanka: the route, the hostels, the mistakes
One loop, one direction, and a two-week version that does not feel like a bus timetable.
Checked
Read the guide
Solo female travel in Sri Lanka
Yes, it is safe. Here is the practical version, from people who live here.
Checked
Read the guide
Sri Lanka family holiday: an honest planning guide
Yes, bring the children. Just not on a four-hour drive, and not up Sigiriya at noon.
Checked
Read the guide
Sri Lanka group tours: private, scheduled or independent
The driver costs the same whether one of you or four of you are in the car.
Checked
Read the guide
A Sri Lanka honeymoon
The month you were given, the route that fits it, and what the whole thing costs
Checked
Read the guide
No obligation
Ask us something these do not cover.
We answer WhatsApp messages from people who are not going to book anything, because that is how a travel company earns the right to be trusted. Ask away.
Prefer email? Write to info@srilankatour.travel.