Backpacking Sri Lanka: Routes, Budgets and Hostels

Sri Lanka is one of the easiest countries in Asia to backpack. It is small — you can cross it in a day — the transport network is dense and extremely cheap, English is widely spoken, and there is a proper hostel scene in every place you would want to stop.

The classic loop

Two weeks, anti-clockwise from Colombo, with nothing rushed:

1. Negombo (1 night) — near the airport, and a soft landing if you arrive late. Skip it if you land early.
2. Kandy (2 nights) — Temple of the Tooth, the botanic gardens, and the start of the hill line.
3. Ella (3 nights) — via the Kandy–Ella train, the journey everyone comes for. Little Adam's Peak, Nine Arch Bridge, waterfalls.
4. Udawalawe or Yala (1 night) — a morning safari. Udawalawe is the reliable one for elephants.
5. Mirissa / Weligama (3 nights) — south coast beaches, surf lessons at Weligama, whales from Mirissa in season.
6. Galle (2 nights) — the fort, the ramparts, the best food on the coast.
7. Colombo (1 night) — Pettah market, Galle Face Green, and out.

Add a week and the obvious extensions are Sigiriya and Dambulla for the ancient sites, Arugam Bay on the east coast for surf between May and September, and Jaffna in the far north, which very few people bother with and which is culturally the most distinct part of the country.

Which coast, which month

This matters more here than in most countries, because the two monsoons hit opposite coasts at opposite times.

• December to March — south and west coasts, and the cultural triangle. Peak season.
• May to September — east coast. Arugam Bay is at its best; the south is wet.
• The hill country is cool and good year-round, with the clearest views January to March.

Getting around cheaply

• Trains are the best value and the best experience. Third class is fine, second class reserved is worth it on the hill line. Book the Kandy–Ella leg in advance in high season.
• Buses go everywhere, cost almost nothing, and leave constantly. Red buses are government, private ones are faster and louder.
• Tuk-tuks for short hops. Agree the fare first or insist on the meter in Colombo.
• Scooter hire is cheap and widely available. You legally need a Sri Lankan recognition permit on top of an international licence, and police do check — sort it properly rather than risk it.

Hostels

Dorm beds are widely available in Ella, Mirissa, Weligama, Arugam Bay, Kandy, Colombo and Galle. What varies is not really the price, it is the specifics, so look for:

• Dorm size. A 4-bed room is a different holiday from an 18-bed room.
• Female-only dorms, if that matters to you — common but not universal.
• Lockers big enough for a full pack, and whether you need your own padlock.
• A kitchen, which pays for itself if you are staying more than a couple of nights.
• Fan or air-con. On the coast in season, this is the difference between sleeping and not.
• Luggage storage for the day you check out and take a night bus.
• Weekly rates. Almost every hostel will do one if you ask, and almost none advertise it.

Surf towns have "surf hostels" that bundle board hire and lessons — good value if you will actually use them.

Budget, honestly

Prices move too fast to print numbers that stay true, but the shape of a backpacker budget here is stable:

• Accommodation is the cheapest part. A dorm bed costs a fraction of a guesthouse room, and guesthouse rooms are already cheap by regional standards.
• Food is nearly free if you eat where locals eat — rice and curry at a local place, short eats from a bakery, kottu in the evening. Tourist restaurants cost several times more for worse food.
• Transport is trivially cheap on buses and trains, and the single biggest way to blow your budget is hiring private drivers between towns.
• The real costs are the one-off activities: safari jeeps, surf lessons, whale trips, entry to the big archaeological sites. Foreigner ticket prices at Sigiriya and Anuradhapura are substantial — budget for them deliberately.

Practical things worth knowing

• Get a local SIM at the airport. Data is cheap and the coverage is good.
• Carry cash. ATMs are common in towns, rare in villages, and small places do not take cards.
• You need a visa in advance for most nationalities — check the current official system before you fly, since it has changed more than once.
• Buy a padlock before you need one.
• Modest dress away from the beach. Beachwear stays on the beach, and temples need shoulders and knees covered.
• Tap water is not drinking water. Refill from filtered stations where hostels provide them rather than buying cases of plastic.