Frequently asked questions

Almost certainly yes, and you should arrange it before you fly. Most nationalities need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), applied for online at eta.gov.lk — the only official site. A tourist ETA allows 30 days with double entry and costs USD 35 on the standard service or USD 55 on the express one. A visa on arrival costs USD 60, so applying ahead is both cheaper and safer. Since 25 May 2026 nationals of around forty countries have been eligible for a free 30-day ETA; the list changes, so check your own nationality against the official one rather than any blog. Apply at least a week before you travel — airlines increasingly check at check-in.

Your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond your date of arrival, with at least two blank pages. Immigration will also normally want to see proof of onward travel and, occasionally, your accommodation booking. If your passport is close to expiry, renew before applying for the ETA — the authorisation is tied to the passport number you enter.

Yes. A 30-day ETA can be extended to 90 days, and in some cases further, at the Department of Immigration and Emigration in Battaramulla on the edge of Colombo. Go early in the day with your passport, a photograph and proof of funds, and expect it to take most of a morning. Overstaying carries a fine and is not worth the risk.

Only one is a legal requirement: proof of yellow fever vaccination, and only if you have passed through a country in the yellow fever transmission zone within six days before arriving. Coming directly from Europe, North America or Australia, nothing is compulsory. Separately, health services commonly recommend being up to date on hepatitis A, typhoid, tetanus and diphtheria, with hepatitis B, rabies and Japanese encephalitis considered for longer or more rural trips. That is a conversation for your own doctor or travel clinic six to eight weeks before you fly, not for us.

Broadly yes, and it compares well with most destinations of its size. Violent crime against visitors is uncommon; opportunistic theft and overcharging are the usual complaints. The practical risks on a normal trip are road traffic, the sea, and the sun, in roughly that order. Rip currents on the south and east coasts drown people every year, so swim where locals swim and take a red flag seriously. Check your own government travel advice before you book — the UK FCDO, the US State Department, Smartraveller and Global Affairs Canada all publish current guidance.

Drink bottled or filtered water and avoid ice from unknown sources. Dengue is present year-round and increases after rain, so use repellent morning and evening and cover up at dusk — that is the single most useful precaution most visitors ignore. Sun at eight degrees north is stronger than it feels in the sea breeze. Bring any prescription medicine in its original packaging with a copy of the prescription. Good private hospitals exist in Colombo, Kandy and Galle; comprehensive travel insurance including medical evacuation is not optional.

Yes, and we will ask whether you have it. It should cover medical treatment and repatriation, cancellation, and any activity you intend to do — diving, surfing, motorbiking and trekking above a certain altitude are commonly excluded from standard policies. Sri Lanka has no reciprocal healthcare agreement with the UK, EU, Australia or the US.

It depends entirely on which half of the island you want, because there are two monsoons on opposite coasts. December to March suits the south and west — Galle, Mirissa, Bentota — and the Cultural Triangle. May to September suits the east: Trincomalee, Nilaveli and Arugam Bay, which is the only window the surf there runs. April is the best single month overall, with almost everywhere accessible. October and November are the quietest and cheapest, with rain possible anywhere. There is no bad month, only a wrong half.

Tropical, and more varied than the size of the island suggests. The coasts and lowlands sit around 27 to 32°C year-round with high humidity. The hill country is markedly cooler: Nuwara Eliya at 1,868 metres routinely drops into single figures at night, and mornings at Horton Plains are cold enough to want gloves. Rain in the monsoon usually arrives as a heavy afternoon downpour rather than all-day drizzle, so a wet month rarely means a lost day.

Blue whales off Mirissa on the south coast from November to April, with February to April the calmest sea. Leopards at Yala from February to July, when the dry season concentrates animals around waterholes — note that Yala Block 1 normally closes for around six weeks from the start of September. Elephants gather in their hundreds at Minneriya between July and October. Those three windows do not overlap neatly, which is why we ask what matters most before proposing dates.

A car with a driver is how most visitors travel, and at roughly USD 55 to 80 a day including fuel, split between two to four people, it is the single biggest quality-of-life upgrade available. Trains are cheap, slow and in the hill country genuinely beautiful — the Kandy to Ella line is worth building an itinerary around. Buses go everywhere for almost nothing and are crowded and fast in equal measure. Tuk-tuks handle short hops; agree the fare first or use one of the metered ride apps in Colombo. Domestic flights exist but are rarely worth it on an island this size.

You can, but an International Driving Permit alone is not enough — it has to be endorsed locally, either by the Automobile Association of Sri Lanka or through the Department of Motor Traffic, which runs a counter in the arrivals area at Bandaranaike International Airport. Honestly, most visitors should not. Road behaviour is assertive, overtaking rules are aspirational, and a driver who knows the roads costs less than the stress. If you want independence, hire a tuk-tuk for a few days on the coast rather than a car for a fortnight.

Longer than the map suggests. Roads are winding and slow outside the expressways, and 150 kilometres through the hill country can take five hours. As a rough guide: Colombo to Sigiriya four hours, Kandy to Ella six to seven by train, Ella to Yala three, Galle to Colombo two on the expressway. The single most common mistake on a first itinerary is fitting in one place too many.

The Sri Lankan rupee (LKR). Rates move, but expect roughly 300 to 330 rupees to the US dollar in 2026. Bring some cash in a major currency to change on arrival, and use bank ATMs rather than exchange counters for the better rate. It is illegal to take rupees out of the country in any quantity, so spend or change back what is left before you fly.

In hotels, established restaurants and larger shops in Colombo, Kandy, Galle and the main resort areas, yes — Visa and Mastercard widely, American Express less so. Outside those, cash is still king: guesthouses, local restaurants, tuk-tuks, market stalls and park entrance gates frequently take nothing else. ATMs are common in towns but not every machine accepts foreign cards, so do not run down to your last note in a village. Tell your bank you are travelling before you go.

Backpacking, USD 35 to 55 a day. Mid-range with a car and driver, USD 90 to 150. Boutique hotels and private guiding, USD 200 and up. The line people forget is site entry: Sigiriya alone is USD 35, and a two-week cultural and wildlife trip can carry USD 200 to 300 per person in entrance fees before a single safari jeep. Alcohol is disproportionately expensive because of duty.

It is customary rather than obligatory, and modest amounts go a long way. A 10 per cent service charge is often already on restaurant bills; if not, rounding up is normal. For a driver on a multi-day trip, a few dollars a day at the end is usual. Guides at sites, hotel porters and safari trackers all appreciate a small tip. Nobody will be rude if you do not.

Yes, though roaming from Europe or Australia is expensive. A local prepaid SIM is far cheaper and takes ten minutes: Dialog, Mobitel and Hutch all have counters in the arrivals hall at Colombo airport, and tourist packages with generous data typically cost the equivalent of a few pounds for 30 days. Take your passport. Coverage is good along the coasts and main routes and patchy in the hill country and inside national parks. Many newer phones also support eSIM, which you can arrange before you fly. The international dialling code is +94.

The full range, and the middle of it is unusually good value. Family guesthouses and homestays from around USD 25 a night; comfortable hotels with a pool from USD 50 to 100; and at the top, colonial-era tea bungalows, Geoffrey Bawa houses, boutique villas inside Galle Fort and tented safari camps near the parks. Sri Lanka does small characterful properties better than large resorts, and that is usually where we place people.

At temples, cover shoulders and knees, remove shoes and hats, and never pose with your back to a Buddha image for a photograph — that one causes genuine offence and has occasionally caused legal trouble. Visible Buddha tattoos have led to people being refused entry to the country. Use your right hand to give and receive. Public displays of affection are best kept mild. A slight side-to-side head tilt means yes. Ask before photographing people, particularly monks. On the beach, topless sunbathing is not acceptable and nudity is illegal.

Light cotton and linen, and something that covers shoulders and knees for temples. A fleece and long trousers for the hill country, which is genuinely cold at night. Insect repellent, high-factor sun cream and a hat. Shoes you can walk 1,200 steps in and slip off easily at temple entrances. A universal adaptor for Type D and G sockets, 230 volts. A refillable water bottle with a filter saves a great deal of plastic. Modest swimwear for anywhere that is not a beach or hotel pool.

Rice and curry is the national meal: rice with five or six small curries eaten together, coconut-based rather than dairy, and often hotter than Indian food. Vegetarians are exceptionally well served — much Sri Lankan home cooking is vegetarian by default, with dhal, jackfruit, ash plantain, beetroot and cashew curries. Tell us about allergies when you book rather than on the day: coconut is in nearly everything, and Maldive fish appears in dishes that look vegetarian.

Send us an enquiry with your rough dates, how long you have, roughly what you want to spend and what you actually care about seeing. A planner in Colombo replies within one working day with a suggested route. We adjust it as many times as it takes, and only then talk about deposits. A quote costs nothing and carries no obligation.

Private. Every itinerary is built for the people travelling on it, with your own vehicle and driver. You are not joining a fixed departure and you are not sharing a coach with strangers. That also means the route can change on the road if a park gate is closed or you simply like somewhere enough to stay another night.

We do not sell international flights. Booking them yourself is almost always cheaper and gives you more control if plans change, and it keeps your consumer protection with the airline. Tell us your arrival and departure times once you have them and we will build the itinerary around them, including the airport transfers.