On a backpacker budget
Sri Lanka is a small island
and a cheap one
Dense buses, the best train ride in Asia, hostels in every town worth stopping in, and a coast-to-hill-country loop you can do in two weeks. Here's everything you need.
Everything on a budget
The four things a backpacker actually books.
Hostels in Sri Lanka
Dorm beds and budget private rooms.
Miracle City Inn Hostel
Kollupitiya (Colombo 03)
Price on request
Beatroot Hostels
Mirissa
Price on request
Y.M.C.A.
Colombo
Price on request
Curry Leaf Hostel
Galle
Price on request
Hostel Upside Ella
Ella
Price on request
Kabalana Surf Club
Unawatuna
Price on request
Railway Hostel
Mirissa
Price on request
Dream Ville
Ella
Price on request
Where backpackers go
The stops on the standard loop, and a few off it.
Read before you go
Routes, transport, food and the history behind what you'll be looking at.
travel · 4 min read
Backpacking Sri Lanka: Routes, Budgets and Hostels
Small island, cheap buses, good hostels and a two-week loop that covers beaches, hill country and ancient cities. How to travel Sri Lanka on a backpacker budget.
travel · 3 min read
Getting Around Sri Lanka by Train, Bus and Tuk-tuk
The train is the reason to travel slowly here, the bus goes everywhere for almost nothing, and the tuk-tuk covers the rest. How the island's transport actually works.
travel · 2 min read
The Best Time to Visit Sri Lanka: Two Monsoons, Explained
Sri Lanka has no single dry season. Two opposing monsoons hit opposite coasts at opposite times — which means somewhere on the island is always in season.
travel · 3 min read
Sri Lankan Food: What to Order and Where
Rice and curry is a dozen dishes, not one. Hoppers, kottu, sambols, and the difference between Sri Lankan and Indian food — a guide to eating well on the island.
travel · 2 min read
Surfing in Sri Lanka: Seasons and Where to Go
Warm water year-round and two surf seasons on opposite coasts. Where to learn, where to progress, and when each break is working.
travel · 3 min read
A Short History of Sri Lanka
Two and a half thousand years of recorded history on an island you can drive across in a day — irrigation kingdoms, three European empires, and a country still writing its own story.