Sri Lanka Itineraries

The best time to visit Sri Lanka is between December and mid-April, however, it’s important to be aware of the monsoon seasons and local microclimates that can impact your holiday. Generally Sri Lanka is a great destination year-round but it depends on which areas of Sri Lanka you decide to visit. The east coast is best visited between May–September, as well as seeing elephants in Minneriya. For whale-watching in the south and east, December – September is ideal. Read more about the best time to travel to Sri Lanka here.

The time in Sri Lanka is 5.5 hours ahead of the UK (GMT+5:30) during the winter and 4.5 hours ahead in the summer (GMT+4:30). There is no daylight savings in Sri Lanka, so they stay on the same time year round.

Most flights to Sri Lanka are indirect (to Colombo) and take around 13-16 hours, depending on the length of your layover. Whilst there are direct flights, these are extremely limited and can be much more expensive, so indirect is generally what to expect for your Sri Lanka holiday.

If you have a British passport you will need a visa to visit Sri Lanka. You can apply for a ‘Electronic Travel Authorisation’ (ETA) online which allows you to stay in Sri Lanka for up to 30 days. If you wish to stay longer than 30 days, you will need to contact the Immigration department. For the most up to date information, make sure you check the gov.uk foreign travel advice page.

Sri Lanka has two official languages: Sinhala and Tamil. Sinhala is spoken by the majority of people, while Tamil is mainly used by the Tamil minority in the north and east of the country. English is widely spoken as a second language and you will find most people in the cities and within the tourism industry speak English.

The capital of Sri Lanka is Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte, often called Kotte. Located near Colombo, Kotte serves as the country’s political centre and home to the national parliament. Colombo, where you will start your journey, is often mistakenly referred to as the capital, as its the country’s economical and cultural hub.