The journal
Practical, opinionated writing about travelling in Sri Lanka — mostly the questions people ask us before anything is booked, and the answers that occasionally talk them out of a plan.
Culture5 min read
Deepavali, the festival of lights, is a public holiday in Sri Lanka on Sunday 8 November 2026. It is celebrated from Jaffna to the tea estates of the hill country, and it is easy to travel through. Here is what happens, where, and how to be a good guest.
Beaches6 min read
The south coast is the island's winter coast: calm, dry and at its best from December to April. Here is each month for Bentota, Galle, Mirissa and Tangalle, where the sea is safe to swim, and when the whales, the surf and the turtles arrive.
Beaches5 min read
The east coast is the island's summer coast: dry, calm and quiet when the south-west is wet. Here is each month for Trincomalee, Pasikudah and Arugam Bay, what else the coast offers, and how to fit it into a summer trip.
Culture6 min read
Polonnaruwa is Sri Lanka's medieval capital, an hour from Sigiriya: palaces, temples and four giant Buddhas carved from one granite face. Here is the route that makes sense of it, what the ticket costs, and why the first hour of the day is the one that matters.
Sri Lanka Travel Guide6 min read
Most Sri Lanka trips do not need a day in Colombo. But the city is better than its reputation, and a day spent well, sorted by neighbourhood so you are not crossing town in traffic, makes a good start or end to a trip. Here is how.
Sri Lanka Travel Guide6 min read
Two weeks is the length most people actually want: long enough to slow down, short enough to keep the shape. Here is the fourteen-day route we use, day by day, a summer version for the east coast, and the chapters you can swap to fit what you love.
Beaches5 min read
December is Trincomalee's wet season: heavy rain, rough seas, Pigeon Island closed and the whales months away. The temples and the old fort still reward a visit, but for beaches this month, the south coast is the place. Here is the honest picture.
Wildlife6 min read
Wilpattu is the island's largest national park: forest, grassland and around sixty natural lakes, with a fraction of Yala's jeeps. Here is when to go, which gate to use, how a day in the park runs, and how it compares with Yala.
Sri Lanka Travel Guide6 min read
Galle Fort is a living 17th-century town inside sea walls, free to enter and best seen slowly. Here is a walk round the ramparts, the lanes worth wandering, what costs money and what does not, and why the Fort only makes sense after the day visitors leave.
Travel Tips7 min read
Road is usually the sensible answer, but the train can still be part of a good plan if you treat it as one leg of a hill-country journey rather than the whole solution.
Travel Tips8 min read
A practical guide to weather, things to do, and how many nights to spend in Ella in December, with the trade-offs that matter.
Beaches8 min read
Two very different south coast stays. One is stronger for history, food and atmosphere; the other for easy beach time and resort comfort.
Wildlife6 min read
A practical guide to Sri Lanka’s easiest big-game safari: when to go, how long to stay, what to combine it with, and what not to expect.
Wildlife7 min read
A practical guide to Sri Lanka’s highland plateau: the best time to go, how to reach the park, what the trail involves, and what to skip.
Travel Tips7 min read
A clear route guide for one of Sri Lanka’s most useful short transfers: when to drive, when to stop in Dambulla, and when public transport is worth the effort.
Wildlife8 min read
A practical guide to Sri Lanka’s marine national park off Nilaveli: when to go, what the snorkelling is like, and when it is not worth the detour.
Wildlife7 min read
Both parks can be excellent for elephants, but the better choice changes with the month, the weather and how much crowding you will tolerate.
Travel Tips7 min read
A practical guide to the south coast’s easiest beach transfer: train, car or private driver, what it costs, and when the journey is worth slowing down.
Tea Country8 min read
Two of Sri Lanka’s best-known hill-country stops feel similar on a map but very different on the ground. Here is the honest way to choose between them.
Culture7 min read
A practical guide to Sri Lanka’s most important cave shrine: what you will see, how long to stay, and the smartest way to add it to your route.
Culture6 min read
Kandy is Sri Lanka's last royal capital and home to the Temple of the Tooth. Arrive at the wrong hour and it feels like a busy town; time it right and it is one of the great nights on the island. Here is how to do it well.
Travel Tips5 min read
Galle is the Fort, its streets and dinners inside the walls; Mirissa is the bay, the beach and the whale boats. They are under an hour apart, so most trips can have both. Here is how to split your nights, and why the coast between them is worth a look.
Culture6 min read
The pilgrim season on Sri Pada runs from 23 December 2026 to Vesak in May 2027. Here is the night climb hour by hour, the three routes, the Poya nights when the queues last for hours, and when to leave the mountain for another trip.
Sri Lanka Travel Guide7 min read
Sigiriya is worth every one of its 1,200 steps, if you start early and know what you are looking at. Here is the climb stage by stage, tickets and timing, Sigiriya or Pidurangala, and a word on the elephants of the Cultural Triangle after the loss of Kavantissa.
Travel Tips5 min read
Arugam Bay is seven to eight hours from Colombo by road, too far for one comfortable day. Here are the three road routes, where to stop overnight, the summer flight to Batticaloa, and the order that makes the east coast easy.
Travel Tips5 min read
Ella to Yala is two and a half to three and a half hours downhill from the hills into the dry zone, with one of the island's finest rock carvings halfway. Here is how to do the drive, and three ways to plan the day around a game drive.
Travel Tips6 min read
Pack for heat, a cold night in the hills, temple visits and rain, and almost nothing else. Here is the list we give our own guests, by region and by month, plus the tattoo, drone and plastic rules most packing lists leave out.
Travel Tips6 min read
The person in the front seat shapes the whole trip. Here is the difference between a driver and a chauffeur-guide, what the price should include, the questions to ask before you book, and how to avoid the commission stops.
Travel Tips6 min read
The island looks small on a map and is slow on the ground. Here is how each way of getting around actually works in 2026: the driver, the trains that are running, the domestic flights, the buses, the tuk-tuks and the rules for driving yourself.
Beaches5 min read
Both are at their best from May to September, and they are nothing alike. Trincomalee is calm water and a reef offshore; Arugam Bay is a surf village with a wildlife park behind it. Here is how to choose.
Travel Tips6 min read
Sri Lanka is one of the easiest long-haul family trips in Asia, if the days are short and the bases few. Here is what children love, what to leave out by age, the season for every school holiday, and the health advice that matters this year.
Travel Tips5 min read
Late December is Sri Lanka's busiest fortnight: the south coast is at its best and fullest, the hills are clearing and prices peak. Here is where to spend it, what sells out first, and the costs nobody mentions.
Culture6 min read
Sri Lanka's Tamil north feels like a different country: temples, palmyra roads, island ferries and the island's most distinctive food. Here is how to reach it, when to go, and a three-day plan that works.
Beaches5 min read
December is the heart of Arugam Bay's off-season: monsoon rain, rough seas, closed cafés and no surf season. Here is what still works if you go, where to surf instead, and when the bay is at its best.
Travel Tips6 min read
The Knuckles is the wildest corner of the hill country: 34 peaks, cloud forest and villages at the end of the road, under three hours from Kandy. It rewards an early start, a good guide and the right month.
Travel Tips5 min read
From December to February, the north-east monsoon soaks the north and east and leaves the south-west, the western hills and, by January, most of the island dry. Here is how to read it, and how to plan around it.
Wildlife5 min read
Yala is about five hours from Colombo by road, or 40 minutes by air to Weerawila in winter. But the park sits on the way between the hills and the south coast, and that is where it works best.
Sri Lanka Travel Guide6 min read
July belongs to the east coast, the north and the dry zone. It is also festival season, just not always the festival people expect. Here is how to plan around both.
Sri Lanka Travel Guide6 min read
Ten days is enough for a very good first trip, as long as it covers four regions rather than seven. Here is the day-by-day shape we use, the east-coast version for summer, and the places we would drop.
Sri Lanka Travel Guide6 min read
August splits the island neatly: the west and south can be wet, while the east coast, Jaffna and parts of the cultural triangle stay more dependable.
Beaches6 min read
December is when Galle's season begins: the rain eases, the sea calms and the Fort fills up. The first fortnight is quieter and a little damp, the last ten days are the busiest of the year. Here is how to choose.
Travel Tips6 min read
Mirissa is under three hours from Colombo on the expressway, which makes it one of the easiest transfers on the island. The planning that matters is when you go, and where you sleep before the whale boat leaves.
Sri Lanka Travel Guide6 min read
September is one of the island's most underrated months: the east coast is still at its best, the elephants gather at Minneriya and the crowds have gone home. The trick is staying away from the south-west.
Travel Tips5 min read
Kandy is the easiest of the long transfers, three or four hours by road. The train is back on the most scenic stretch but ends at Peradeniya for now, and a 30-minute daily flight returns in November.
Travel Tips5 min read
Trincomalee is six or seven hours from Colombo by road, a night on the train, or 45 minutes by air on a daily scheduled flight. Here is which to choose, and why the best answer is usually to stop on the way.
Travel Tips6 min read
June is workable if you route the trip well: the east coast usually improves, the southwest turns wetter, and the hill country stays useful for scenery and tea estates.
Tea Country7 min read
December is when the hills turn from wet to dry. The first half is cloudy and quiet, the second clearer, colder and full, and the Adam's Peak season opens on 23 December.
Sri Lanka Travel Guide6 min read
May splits the island down the middle. The east coast, the north and the dry zone are at their best while the south-west hands over to the monsoon. Here is how to plan around it.
Travel Tips6 min read
There is no through train from Colombo to Ella this year, but the best stretch of the line is running. Here is how we combine the road and the rail, which way to drive, and what the alternatives cost you.
Beaches6 min read
November is the start of Arugam Bay's off-season. The point goes quiet, much of the town closes and the east coast gets its rain. Here is the honest picture, and where to surf instead.
Beaches7 min read
A straight answer on weather, beaches, swimming, and where Trincomalee fits into a November Sri Lanka trip—so you can decide quickly and plan well.
Travel Tips7 min read
October and November bring nearly a third of the year's rain, falling almost anywhere and mostly in the afternoon. Here is what that means on the ground, how to read the warnings, and how we plan around it.
Wildlife8 min read
A straight comparison of Sri Lanka’s two most popular southern safaris, so you can choose the right park for leopards, elephants, time and comfort.
Travel Tips8 min read
Choosing between Sigiriya and Dambulla comes down to pace, location and the kind of trip you want. Here is the practical difference, without the hype.
Wildlife8 min read
The short answer: plan Mirissa for November to April, but the calmest seas and most reliable sightings are usually later in the season. Here is the honest version.
Beaches7 min read
A practical guide to beach conditions, weather trade-offs and who should choose Bentota in December, plus when to book and when to look elsewhere.
Sri Lanka Travel Guide6 min read
March keeps most of February's weather, adds the clearest mornings of the year in the hills, and only gets crowded in its last week. For a first trip, it is hard to beat.
Travel Tips6 min read
Nuwara Eliya is the one hill station where the famous train is the wrong way in, at least for now. Here is how we would get you up there, and which road to take.
Sri Lanka Travel Guide7 min read
April gives you the south coast at the end of its season, the hills before the rain and the island's biggest holiday in the middle. Plan around the New Year week and it is one of the best months to come.
Travel Tips6 min read
The Yal Devi is back on the northern line, there is no scheduled flight, and the drive is better in two halves. Here is how we would get you north.
Sri Lanka Travel Guide9 min read
The island is small on the map and slow on the road. Here is how to plan a trip around that, rather than against it.
Travel Tips4 min read
This is the one long transfer on the island where every option works. The question is whether you want the fastest road, the sea outside the window, or Bawa's garden on the way.
Travel Tips4 min read
Most people start at the airport, not in Colombo, and that changes the answer. A car is right for almost everyone; here is why, and what the alternatives cost you in time.
Travel Tips6 min read
The official site works, foreign cards are accepted and the window is 30 days. The hard part this year is the hill line, which runs in pieces.
Sri Lanka Travel Guide7 min read
October is shoulder season, not a washout. Start inland, plan the mornings and keep the coast flexible, and it is one of the island's quieter, greener months.
Wellness9 min read
Sri Lanka has a genuine Ayurvedic tradition and a large industry built on top of it. Here is how to tell the two apart, and how to fit real treatment into a real trip.
Sri Lanka Travel Guide4 min read
February is one of Sri Lanka's most reliable months: dry on the south and west coasts, clear in the hills and the ancient cities, and the start of the best wildlife season. Here is where to go and what to book first.
Sri Lanka Travel Guide5 min read
January is one of the easiest months to plan in Sri Lanka, as long as you pick the right side of the island. Here is where the weather works, what sells out first, and a route that does not zig-zag.
Beaches4 min read
October is the end of Trincomalee's best season. Here is what still works, what to skip, and how to plan around the first showers of the north-east monsoon.
Sri Lanka Travel Guide5 min read
November sits between seasons in Sri Lanka. Start inland, keep the coast flexible and plan around the afternoon rain, and it can be one of the best-value months of the year.
Sri Lanka Travel Guide5 min read
December is one of the best months for the south and west coasts, and one of the busiest. Here is how to pick the right side of the island and book the parts that sell out.
Travel Tips9 min read
October is the turn of the season in the north. Here is what that means in practice for weather, temples, food, the islands and the train, with a simple two-night plan.
Beaches5 min read
October is the tail end of Arugam Bay's surf season. Here is the honest version: when in the month to go, which breaks still work, and what to do when the sea will not cooperate.
Travel Tips4 min read
Since 25 May 2026, travellers from 40 countries get a free 30-day tourist ETA. Here is who qualifies, how to apply on the official site, and the mistakes that cause problems at the airport.
Honeymoon3 min read
The most common mistake in a Sri Lankan honeymoon is trying to see the whole island. The fix is uncomfortable to accept and obvious in hindsight.
Wellness3 min read
Sri Lanka has a genuine Ayurvedic tradition and a large industry built on top of it. Telling them apart before you book is worth more than any amount of research afterwards.
Wildlife3 min read
Yala holds the densest leopard population recorded anywhere, and the highest chance of spending your morning in a queue of jeeps. The difference is almost entirely timing.
Tea Country3 min read
It is the most photographed railway journey in Asia and it is genuinely worth doing. Here is what the photographs leave out.
When you are ready
Every article here comes out of a trip we designed. Tell us roughly when you want to travel and what matters to you.
