Sri Lanka, planned around the monsoon that actually matters
Sri Lanka has two monsoons, on opposite sides of the island, at opposite times of year. There is no month when the whole country is dry. Which coast you can use is decided by when you fly, and every tailor made Sri Lanka trip below is built backwards from that one fact.
Plan my Sri Lanka trip Read the complete guide
- Best time to go
- December to March for the south and west, May to September for the east and north
- How many days
- 12 to 14
- Entry
- An ETA obtained online before you fly
- Getting around
- Private car and a licensed chauffeur guide, plus two or three train legs
Twelve days is the number that works. Ten covers the cultural triangle, the hills and one beach. Three weeks reaches the north and the east, which almost nobody sees.
Why plan Sri Lanka with us
We are in the region. Sri Lanka is run from our own Delhi office, which covers India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bhutan. That office holds the relationships with the ground team in Colombo, the estate bungalows in the hills and the park operators in the south.
A named specialist, not a queue. Your named Sri Lanka specialist owns your file from the first email to the day you land home, with our Head of Consulting, Mai Est, behind them.
The first proposal is free and it is not a template. You see the actual hotels, the real driving hours, which train leg we would book, and why the days are in that order.
We will tell you the unwelcome thing. That your August dates rule out the south coast. That block 1 at Yala has more jeeps in it than anywhere else on the island. That nobody can promise you a leopard. Our reviews sit at 4.9 from 93 travellers largely because of it.
A WhatsApp group while you travel. Your consultant and our local representatives, open from take-off until you are home.
The short answers
| Question | Short answer | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Best time to go | December to March for the south and west, May to September for the east and north | October and November are the wettest weeks almost everywhere. |
| How many days | 12 to 14 | Ten works for one loop. Under eight and you spend the trip in the car. |
| Entry | An ETA obtained online before you fly | Most nationalities need one. We confirm the current rule for your passport before we quote. |
| Getting around | Private car and a licensed chauffeur guide, plus two or three train legs | Small island, slow roads. Ask for driving hours, not distances. |
| Typical budget | $105 to $540 per person per day | Land only, excluding international flights. |
The full breakdown is in our complete guide →
Eight ways to travel Sri Lanka
Every route below is one we actually build, published day by day. Start from one and we will rebuild it around you.
- Classic Sri Lanka, 12 days: cultural triangle, Kandy, the tea hills, the south coast
- Sri Lanka with children, 12 days: short drives, a pool a day, elephants without the circus
- Trekking Sri Lanka, 13 days: the Knuckles, Adam’s Peak, Horton Plains, Ella
- Romantic Sri Lanka, 11 days: five hotels, a tea estate bungalow, a beach at the end
- Sri Lanka by food and culture, 13 days: rice and curry, the Pettah, a Galle kitchen
- Boutique Sri Lanka, 12 days: Bawa architecture, planter bungalows, nothing before nine
- The east coast and Jaffna, 14 days: the answer for June to September
- Deep Sri Lanka, 21 days: Wilpattu, the ancient cities, the hills, two coasts
Sri Lanka in the magazine
Sri Lanka’s two monsoons, explained · How much does two weeks in Sri Lanka cost? · The Kandy to Ella train: how to actually get a seat · Yala or Wilpattu, and your real odds on a leopard · The Sri Lanka ETA, without the resellers · Climbing Sigiriya without the queue
Sri Lanka itineraries
Every one of these is a starting point, not a fixed departure. We change the length, the pace and the hotels to fit you.
Classic Sri Lanka: 12 days
The route almost every first visit should take, in the season it is built for. It runs north to south with no backtracking: the…
Sri Lanka with children: 12 days that work for everyone
Sri Lanka is one of the easiest countries in Asia to travel with children. The food is mild if you want it to be,…
Trekking Sri Lanka: 13 days on foot in the hills
Sri Lanka is not thought of as a walking country and it should be. Between about 3,000 and 7,400 feet there is a compact…
Romantic Sri Lanka: 11 days for two
A honeymoon here fails for one reason: too many hotels. The island tempts you into seven stops in eleven nights, and you spend the…
Sri Lanka by food and culture: 13 days
Sri Lankan food is one of the least understood cuisines in Asia, and the reason is that most visitors eat it in hotels. The…
Boutique Sri Lanka: 12 unhurried days
For travellers who judge a trip by the rooms and the rhythm. Sri Lanka is unusually good at this, for a reason that is…
The east coast and Jaffna: 14 days
This is the itinerary for the months everyone else tells you not to come. From roughly May to September the southwest monsoon sits on…
Deep Sri Lanka: 21 days
Three weeks is where Sri Lanka stops being a loop of five famous places and becomes a country. It buys you the quiet national…
What is in every Sri Lanka trip we build
- A day-by-day document with real driving hours, not just place names
- A private air-conditioned car and a licensed English-speaking chauffeur guide
- Reserved seats on the hill country train, bought the morning they release
- Site guides on the days the context changes what you see, and not on the days it does not
- Park entries, jeeps and trackers booked directly rather than through a hotel desk
- Your dates checked against poya days, park closures and festival crowds
- Our Delhi office and local representatives on WhatsApp for the whole trip
Planning Sri Lanka, in detail
Yala or Wilpattu, and your real odds on a leopard
Sri Lanka's wildlife is genuinely world class and the way it is sold frequently is not. So before the comparison, the sentence…
What we would skip in Sri Lanka, and what we book instead
This article costs us bookings and we publish it anyway, because the alternative is selling you a day you will resent.
What to eat in Sri Lanka, and where
Sri Lankan food is the most underrated cooking in South Asia, and the reason most visitors miss it is simple: they eat…
Sri Lanka for the first time: what we would tell you first
Sri Lanka is the easiest country in South Asia to travel in and the one most often planned badly, and the two…
The hill country on foot: which walks are worth the day
Sri Lanka's hill country is the best walking in the country and one of the more overlooked walking regions in Asia. Tea…
The best two-week route through Sri Lanka
There is a standard Sri Lanka circuit and it is standard because it works: the cultural triangle, Kandy, the tea hills, a…
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to visit Sri Lanka?
Do we need a visa?
Can you guarantee a leopard at Yala?
Can we combine Sri Lanka with somewhere else?
Is Sri Lanka good with children?
Tell us roughly what you want. We will tell you honestly what works.
A named consultant in Tel Aviv, our own people on the ground, and a written plan you can argue with before you commit to anything.