Sri Lanka Travel Guide

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Look at a map and you may be tempted to believe Sri Lanka’s just a chip off the old block called the Indian subcontinent. But, after my own two months in the country, I can tell you it’s anything but. Sri Lanka has a spirit all its own. Located southeast of its larger neighbor, surrounded by warm and wave-rich ocean, this is a land with a story to tell that stretches back at least 3,000 years, one where elephants and peacocks freely roam, Buddhist, Hindu, and Muslim temples abound, and where picturesque tea fields and lapping waves turn journeys, especially aboard the country’s rickety trains, into destinations and experiences in and of themselves. Despite its modest size, Sri Lanka offers those who visit an overwhelming amount of places to see, things to do, foods to try, waves to surf, and so much more. In this Sri Lanka travel guide, I did my best to create a resource for you for your own trip to Sri Lanka, weaving in not only my own advice and experience in each city guide, travel tip, and book rec, but that of the locals and travelers I met along the way.

What’s on this page?

• Guides to Each of Sri Lanka’s Top Destinations

• Fiction & Non-Fiction Book Recommendations For Getting Under the Skin of Sri Lanka and its Culture, History, and Landscapes

• A Guide to Sri Lanka’s Best Surf Spots + Several Surf Camp Recommendations

• General Travel Tips & Recommendations for Sri Lanka (incl. how to extend your visa)

  Keep scrolling to access all of it!

Sri Lanka City Guides

Whereto first? Tap a destination below and get all the juicy insights into where to stay, what to do, and where to find the best local cuisine and culture.

Books to Read Before, During, or After Your Trip to Sri Lanka

One of my favorite ways to get under the skin of a place I travel is to read a few books set there, about there, or by someone who’s from there - all before I ever even step foot in the country. It adds a dimension to my trip that I always appreciate and leaves me with a deeper understanding of the places I go, the people I meet, and the past that often colors it.

Sri Lanka Surf Guide

For those of you in Sri Lanka specifically for the surf, I’ve got you covered with this comprehensive Sri Lanka surf guide.

Sri Lanka Travel Tips & Resources

Entry Requirements & Visa Extensions

As of October 1, 2024, Sri Lanka has implemented a six-month pilot program offering free 30-day tourist visas to travelers from these 35 countries, including the United States and the UK, eliminating the US$50 visa fee tourists are typically required to pay. This is slated to continue through April 2025. If you are from one of the 35 countries, you’ll be issued a free visa upon arrival, but you’ll still need to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) online before traveling to Sri Lanka. You can find that form here. Be sure to print and carry a copy of the ETA approval notice when you travel. But don’t just take my word for it; check your local government’s travel portal for specific entry requirements and tips based on your country of residence.

Once in Sri Lanka, you do have the option to extend your tourist visa by another 60 days at the Department of Immigration and Emigration in Battaramulla (see on map). They’re opened Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 4:30pm, with a break in the middle for lunch. There is apparently an online option for extending your visa as well, but that didn’t work for me when I was in Sri Lanka in April of 2024. They may have fixed that by now, so it’s worth a try to see if you can do it online first. There are also visa agents in country who can do the whole extension process for you and save you a trip back to Colombo, but you’ll need to hand over your passport to them for a few days and likely pay quite a bit more for the service. If you do it yourself in person, I recommend going just as the office opens at 8:30am, as the crowds can and do build as the day goes on. It took me about 2-3 hours from start to finish to get mine done.

What you’ll need for a visa extension is: a completed tourist visa extension application form, 1 passport-sized color photograph (3.5x 4.5 cm), your original passport, proof of financial resources to cover expenses for the extended stay, and proof of return air ticket to your home country or a visa to the next country you’re headed. The cost of the visa extension is US$100 and you can pay by credit card. Tuktukrental.com lays out the whole process beautifully in this blog post if I’ve somehow confused you.

Getting Around Sri Lanka

Trains, tuktuks, taxis, and shared shuttles (like those on Bookaway or 12Go) are the way to go in Sri Lanka, if you aren’t planning on renting a car, scooter, or motorbike that is. Throughout Sri Lanka, you can book taxis, tuktuks, and motorbikes through Uber or a similar app called Pick Me. They both allow you to pay and tip by credit card. Each of the city-specific travel guides linked above on this page covers exactly how to get to and from each city by way of private and public transport, so check those out for a more detailed and relevant step-by-step on transportation in Sri Lanka.

Money

The local currency in Sri Lanka is the Sri Lanka Rupee (LKR). At the time of writing this (January 2025), $1USD is equivalent to roughly 300 rupees. ATMs are widely available throughout the country, so you’ll have no issues accessing cash. Credit cards are also widely accepted in Sri Lanka, with Visa being the most widely accepted.

SIM Cards

If you’re not using an eSIM, like Airalo or Drimsim, you can buy a SIM card when you arrive. The most popular local carriers are Dialog, Mobitel (SLTMobitel), Airtel, and Hutch. I recommend purchasing a card directly at one of their stores, but they’re also available at the airport, large supermarket chains like Keells and Cargills Food City, and at electronics and mobile stores throughout the country. I went with Dialog when I visited, but SLTMobitel tends to be slightly cheaper while Hutch throws in the SIM card for free when you purchase a plan. Expect to pay roughly $3 to $5USD for 30GB of data.

Travel Insurance

Don’t forget to cover yourself medically, especially if you’ll be partaking in the more adventurous activities like surfing, safaris, and hiking while in Sri Lanka. I recommend purchasing your travel insurance through Squaremouth or World Nomads. Both have options for including adventure sports in your coverage.

What To Pack for Sri Lanka

Some of the essential items I wouldn’t travel to Sri Lanka without are:

• Light, breathable, but conservative clothing (it’s hot, but it’s also a very religious country where shoulders and knees are frequently required to be covered)

• A reusable water bottle, or better yet, a water bottle with built-in filtration (I personally love my LifeStraw Go)

• A pair of cheap sandals you don’t mind losing or a pair that are distinctive enough they won’t be mistaken as someone else’s. Too many black Birkenstocks go missing by accident with the frequent removal of shoes to enter buildings, shops, and temples.

• A plug adapter if your chargers aren’t designed for plug types D and G (same as what’s used in the UK)

• Insect repellant, especially if you’ll be traveling during the monsoon season (October to January in the north and east and May to August in the south and west)

Ask me Anything about Sri Lanka!

Still have questions about traveling Sri Lanka? Send me a message at nomapsamber@gmail.com or DM me on Instagram at @nomapsamber.