Sri Lanka is truly one of my favourite countries. The vibes are just on point here: The people are so friendly, it’s super safe, and the food is out of this world. Tourism hasn’t quite blown up just yet, but it’s definitely on its way to becoming a stop on every travel bucket list. If you’re thinking of going, book that ticket! But here are some Sri Lanka travel tips to make the most of your trip.
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Some key Sri Lanka travel tips
You can kinda just show up and wing it tbh. But here are some things I wish I knew before traveling to Sri Lanka that will hopefully help you prepare for your trip.
You still need to carry cash in Sri Lanka
As a general rule of thumb, most places with air conditioning accept card payments. But even some touristy smoothie bowl restaurants only accept cash. It’s a bit regional too. Like in Hiriketiya Beach we got away with using mostly card, but as soon as we got to Sigiriya it was basically cash-only everywhere we went.
The Bank of Ceylon is your go-to for fee-less withdrawals as a tourist! Other ATMs charge 800-1000 per transaction. And if you’re tossing up between Wise vs Revolut, Wise is better for Sri Lanka because you can actually carry Sri Lankan rupees (LKR) in your “wallet.”
And when it comes to cash, for some reason, it’s really hard to break a 5,000 note. People just do not want them and will do anything to avoid them when you pay. Grocery stores and stuff are usually fine, but even tuk tuk drivers (who deal exclusively in cash) and cash-only restaurants will grumble about it.
Rice and curry isn't just a rice and a curry
Perhaps one of the most important Sri Lanka travel tips: ordering the national dish. “Rice and curry” is not just one curry, it’s usually five or six. A plate of rice comes with several small side dishes of curried vegetables, meat, or fruit, and salads, sambols, and papadoms. Your plate becomes a painter’s pallet, and you’re encouraged to eat with your hands.
It’s an experience of mixing and matching — some dishes add freshness, some are tangy, sweet, or spicy (sometimes very spicy). And it couldn’t be easier. You just order “rice and curry” and you get what you get.
You could get rice and curry every night, even from the same place, and still get a slightly different array of dishes every time. The selection depends on what’s in season or what they feel inspired to throw together. Sometimes you even get a local village vegetable you’ve never heard of before (“drumsticks” are not chicken).
It’s honestly the best and I can’t believe Sri Lankan food hasn’t taken the rest of the world by storm. Make sure you do a cooking class at some point during your trip! They’re all over the place and only take a couple of hours — plus you get to eat everything you cook.
Not all trains are created equal
Rail travel in Sri Lanka is pretty easy as the network is well-connected. You can get to most major cities and tourist destinations this way. Unreserved, open-air tickets in second or third class cost very little — sometimes under 1 USD. But if you’re going a long way and/or have your luggage with you, you might want to opt for first class. (Probably still affordable when compared to your home country.)
We got a second class ticket from Colombo to Hiriketiya Beach (Wewerukunnala Station) and there was no space to sit or put our bags anywhere lol. The train took 5 hours and we managed to get a seat about 2 hours into that journey, and shoved our luggage under some seats at the back of the carriage. It was so much fun, but definitely a challenge to stay upright when the train is tossing you around.
On the way back to Colombo, we booked first class and it was an entirely different experience. Don’t expect first-class train travel in Sri Lanka to look anything like the suites on the Orient Express. But you’ll be comfortable enough and it’s worth the extra money IMO.
The train from Ella to Kandy
The train from Ella to Kandy — the blue one one you’ve seen on Instagram — is now so popular as a tourist activity I don’t think we can call it local transport. You can book here, and make sure you do it as early as possible. Like aim for a month in advance. Get Your Guide is a good way to book these tickets because you have free cancellation and don’t have to navigate Sri Lanka’s frustrating train booking websites 🙂
“The Man in Seat 61” is a total legend and has put together all the information to help you nwith trains in Sri Lanka.
You need an eSIM or local SIM
Ok, maybe “need” is a strong word. But Wi-Fi is still really unreliable around Sri Lanka and power cuts are not unusual. For the best chance at staying online, get an eSIM before you arrive or pick up a local SIM at the airport. You can use data when you’re out and about or when the hotel Wi-Fi fails you. You can even hotspot to your laptop or to your friends without eSIMs.
I use the recurring Holafly Plans monthly subscription because I travel long-term and it has unlimited data that works globally. But I’ve also compared many of the best eSIMs for international travel in another post if you need help deciding.
And if you prefer, you can get an old school SIM chip thing to manually put in your phone. Usually I’d say forget this entirely, but there’s one benefit to it in Sri Lanka: a phone number. If you’re just visiting briefly, you don’t really need this. But for some reason ordering anything online requires a Sri Lankan number. In general though everyone uses WhatsApp for any other communication.
There are SO many festivals
Sri Lanka has a lot of festivals, so try to align your trip with at least one. Some are country-wide, like Vesak in May or Poson in June, which are both Buddhist celebrations that take place around the full moon.
In other cases, you’ll have to be in the right place at the right time for festivals like Kandy Esala Perahera in July or August. I was in Hiriketiya for Poson and there was a huge parade with tons of cool cultural performances. I literally promise you it’s worth changing your plans a little to experience a Sri Lankan festival.
SriLankan Airlines is super nice
If you have the opportunity to book it on your way to/from Sri Lanka, definitely use the national airline!
We were tossing up between Singapore Airways (globally recognized) and SriLankan Airlines (unknown to me). But went with SriLankan out of curiosity and we’re so happy we did. Everything was great. Like the journey was smooth, plane was comfortable, service was excellent, and even our economy cabin food was delicious.
Our friend also got randomly upgraded to business class when flying from Frankfurt to Colombo and she said it was incredible. I also love the uniforms. The website is maybe one of the worst on the planet, but it’ll all be worth it once you board the plane.
You will be asked to leave reviews for everything
And I mean everything. It doesn’t matter if the business has 5 stars and 1,000 reviews or they just opened last week — you will be prompted to leave a review. Some people say that makes it hard to take reviews seriously or really trust them, but that was never really an issue in my experience. So get ready to boost your “local guide” status on Google Maps with lots of photos and kind words.
Also just know people can also be a little pushy about it. Like, they’ll ask you to do it before you leave the restaurant because you might forget. A PickMe driver physically removed my phone from my hand to give himself five stars which I wanted to find funny. But it actually felt invasive and gave me the ick.
There's never a bad time to go
Sri Lanka is kind of split into northeast and southwest — one is always experiencing monsoon season. So it’s never a bad time to visit Sri Lanka, but where you go will depend a bit on the time of year.
That said, we went to Hiriketiya Beach in the peak “monsoon” season, and it rained maybe three times over the month. But just up the coast at the same time of year, it was prime surf season in Arugam Bay. And in land, in Ella, there was extreme flooding that caused landslides in August. So do check the weather, but in general you will be able to find an area of Sri Lanka to explore no matter the time of year.
For a small country, I found it fascinating how the low/high tourist seasons vary so much.
You have different visa options
Between the tourist visa and the digital nomad visa, you have two pretty good options for visiting Sri Lanka.
Tourist Visa: At the time of writing, visitors from 40 different countries can get their tourist visas for free! This includes people with passports from Canada, US, UK, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Germany, Spain, and many more. I have to assume that’s to encourage tourism during these uncertain times, so it may be back to normal by the time you read this. The 30-day double entry visa usually costs 50 USD.
Tourist visa extension: It’s also easy to extend your tourist visa for another 30 to 270 days. Once you’re in the country, you can apply for the extension online. The process was pretty easy and I got my visa a few days after I paid for the extension. Extensions costs 100 USD to 200 USD depending on the length of the extension.
Digital Nomad Visa: Stay and work (for an overseas company) from Sri Lanka for up to a year. In a world where countries like Indonesia are basically begging influencers to stop moving to Bali, why not go to beautiful Sri Lanka instead? You can get the digital nomad visa once you’re already in the country, and it costs 500 USD.
You can see more about Sri Lanka’s visa fees on the immigration website.
You don't need to dress "modestly," but...
Sri Lanka is very chill when it comes to the way tourists dress. Especially in the beach towns, no one will judge you for wearing shorts and a bikini top around. However, local women in particular are sort of expected to abide by a more modest dress code. I always feel like it’s most respectful to try and follow the same general customs when passing through any country. It’s also more comfortable in terms of avoiding unwanted attention — that’s just the reality of it.
My advice for women is to have at least one pair of long, lightweight pants and a shirt that covers your shoulders and chest. This is essential for visiting temples anyway, and way more comfortable when you’re travelling on local buses and trains or walking through the busy Pettah Market. Even for the beach, just pack a cute beach cover-up. However, no one will yell at you if you decide you absolutely must wear something more “revealing.”
This is probably overly “modest,” but hey I liked the shirt.
Travel essentials for Sri Lanka
📶 eSIM
Stay connected with internet access from Sigiriya to Ahangama to Arugam Bay.
💸 TravelSpend
Track your Sri Lanka budget easily (ft. a colourful doughnut chart with stats).
✈️ Seats.aero
Find and book flights with your points for Aeroplan, Qantas, Delta & more.
💳 Wise or Revolut
Compare the best multicurrency cards for spending in LKR like a local.
Is Sri Lanka expensive to visit?
Sri Lanka is kind of a funny one: prices are either unbelievably low or confusingly high. It really depends on where you go and how committed you are to finding budget-friendly accommodation, restaurants, transport, and activities. That said, Sri Lanka can absolutely be an affordable travel destination.
Sri Lanka food costs
Sri Lankan food can be exceedingly affordable if you stick to family-run restaurants and local dishes. The moment you step into a tourist-y restaurant the prices obviously skyrocket. For example, prices at restaurants in Hiriketiya Beach range drastically:
- Coconut roti for breakfast at Dagi: 300 LKR
- Rice and curry for lunch at Healthy Resources: 1,500 LKR
- Aura Pizza by the beach for dinner: 5,000 LKR
However, if you walk 20 minutes or drive 5 minutes on your scooter over to Dikwella, which is less touristy, you can get a huge rice and curry dinner for 600 LKR. If you want to splash out on a meal and cocktails at the upscale Raa, you can easily spend 20,000 LKR. (We did that but regret nothing.)
Sri Lanka accommodation budget
As usual, hostels and guesthouses are way more affordable than hotels. But you can find some great deals on both. All things considered, Sri Lanka’s accommodation options are very affordable. As a couple that needed solid Wi-Fi and air conditioning, we paid an average of 10,000 LKR per night.
By comparison, hostel dorms (like Parrot Porch in Ahangama) can be as little as 3,000 LKR per night. Some dorms in in Sigiriya were under 2,000 LKR.
On the flip side, the sky’s the limit on what luxury accommodation can cost. For example, a room at the Ella Trail Luxury Villa will run you upwards of 60,000 LKR per night.
We also stayed at a Nomadico coliving in Hiriketiya Beach for a month, which cost 940 EUR for 30 nights.
Read more: Things to Do in Hiriketiya Beach, Sri Lanka
Transport costs in Sri Lanka
As a general statement, transport in Sri Lanka remains very affordable no matter how you look at it. There are three main ways to travel long distances in Sri Lanka:
- Bus: Max 150 LKR per trip. The most affordable but most chaotic option. No timetable, no tickets, no official luggage storage, just positive thoughts and faith in the system. People will help you get to where you’re going, but you may need to transfer buses or stand for long periods when there are no seats.
- Train: Around 600 LKR for a second-class ticket (no seat guaranteed). Or 2,500 LKR for a first class seat (reserved) in the air conditioned train car. Far less chaotic but still budget-friendly.
- Private car: Depends heavily on where you’re going, but the 3-hour drive from Colombo to Hiriketiya Beach cost my friend 80 USD. Affordable compared to rates at home, but certainly not what I’d consider budget-friendly.
Once you’re in any town or city, it’s super affordable to catch tuk tuks, cars, and scooters via PickMe or simply by hailing one. Think 300 LKR for a 10-minute ride. Make sure you haggle a bit — the tuk tuk drivers in Hiriketiya often tried their luck and quoted 800 or even 1,000 for a 5-minute ride up the hill. On PickMe the same ride is about 250.
It's also becoming popular to rent your own tuk tuk
We did this for a few days and had lots of fun, but I’m not sure I think it’s practical as a long-term option. That said, we met a couple who’d been on a self-drive tuk tuk excursion around the whole island for three weeks and loved it.
Renting/driving your own tuk tuk isn’t cheap — you do it for the plot. The daily rate is about 25 USD plus the cost of delivery if you want to pick it up outside of Negombo or Colombo.
We booked ours with tuktukrental.com, which is the main provider on the island.
Cost of activities in Sri Lanka
The price of activities is another thing that has an insanely wide range. Like, I know that’s kind of the case no matter where you go in the world. But the pricing never fully made sense to me even after nearly two months in Sri Lanka lol.
- National Museum in Colombo: Entry ticket for 1,500 LKR per person.
- Cooking class: Ranges from 2,000 LKR to 6,000 LKR per person for one class.
- Surfing: Around 5,000 LKR for a 1 or 2-hour lesson, 1,000 LKR to rent your own board.
- Yoga: You can find classes for 3,000 LKR or even less.
- Slow loris night safari in Sigiriya: The best we could find was 8,000 LKR per person. Tbh it felt expensive for two hours of walking around in the jungle, but it was still cool.
- Hiking Sigiriya Lion Rock: UNESCO World Heritage Site entry is 35 USD.
- Silver ring-making class: 15,000 LKR per ring, including 6 grams of silver and the option to add gemstones for extra rupees.
- Yala National Park safari: All-in with transport, park fees, and a guide, about 20,000 LKR or more.
Naomi Lai
Naomi is a Canadian travel editor and writer with 13 years of international travel across Southeast Asia, Europe, South America, New Zealand, and beyond. She covers everything from budget backpacking to luxury travel — always from personal experience.
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