Sri Lanka Destination Guide

Sri Lanka rewards travellers who take their time. The south and west coasts are best visited from December to March, while the east coast has its own dry season from May to September — so there's rarely a bad time to visit the island as a whole.

Don't try to see everything in one trip. The Cultural Triangle, the hill country, and the southern coast each deserve several days, and the drive between them is often as memorable as the destination.

Domestic flights, private drivers, and the scenic (if slow) train network all make getting around straightforward — the harder part is deciding what to leave out.