Last update: May 2024
The ongoing economic crisis, which led to Sri Lanka’s bankruptcy in 2022, has caused substantial price increases across various sectors compared to our last visit in 2019. Accommodation, transportation, and food costs have all risen significantly. Despite these challenges, traveling in Sri Lanka remains an affordable option, with numerous opportunities for backpacking and budget-friendly experiences. While the country may have lost some competitive edge when compared to popular destinations like Thailand, Vietnam, or even Cambodia, Sri Lanka continues to stand out as a unique and diverse travel destination worth exploring with its cultural triangle, tea plantations, beaches and many wildlife spots. Drawing from our experiences during our trips to Sri Lanka in 2019 and 2024, we have compiled the following travel tips to assist you in planning an enjoyable backpacking in Sri Lanka.
? BACKPACKING SRI LANKA | GET YOUR VISA ONLINE
Citizens of Singapore, The Republic of Maldives and The Republic of Seychelles and citizens from Czech Republic are exempt for tourist visa up to a period of 6 months.
With the online visa you just need to present your passport at the immigration officer as you are already on the system. Please double check that your passport is valid for at least 6 months upon entry to Sri Lanka. Be careful as third-party websites exist and will come up first on Google (yes they do pay google ads…). They will charge you much more than USD 50 for a tourist visa! Be sure you order your visa on the Official Sri Lanka eVisa website, the only authorized website Government of Sri Lanka. The evisa website is operated by IVS-GBS & VFS Global Group.
| Visa Type | Visa Fee * |
|---|---|
| 30-day single entry | USD 40 |
| 6 months double entry (60 days stay limit) | USD 75 |
| 1 year multiple entry (90 days stay limit) | USD 200 |
| 2 years multiple entry (180 days stay limit) | USD 300 |
| 5 years multiple entry (180 days stay limit) | USD 500 |
| 10 years multiple entry (180 days stay limit) | USD 1000 |
* 10 or 18.50 USD service fee are charged on top of the visa fees
Sri Lanka visa fees history
?SRI LANKA SIM CARD | BUY A LOCAL SIM CARD
During your trip in Sri Lanka, you will found out that the wifi at hotels and guesthouses is not always reliable. for this reason, it is best to buy a local sim card and a data plan as soon as you arrive at Colombo airport. It will also allow to be connected while you are travelling.
You will found several phone companies after the immigration and before the exit doors. Few companies exist in Sri Lanka but we recommend Dialog, we found the coverage to be good in most places we went. You can also also use their app to monitor your consumption. I would recommend to take the Prepaid Tourist Plan.
Data packages historical data
? SRI LANKA BACKPACKING BUDGET | DITCH THE HOTELS, EMBRACE HOMESTAYS
Homestays in Sri Lanka offer pretty good value with single room prices in 2024 ranging from USD 10 to 20 per night, depending on the location. While breakfast is generally not included, the owners can often prepare traditional Sri Lankan breakfasts and meals for you at a cost lower than most restaurants. Not only do homestays provide affordable accommodation, but the owners can also assist you in planning your travels around the island.
You can find a wide selection of homestays listed on popular booking platforms like Booking.com or Agoda. Sometimes, using the mobile app can unlock additional discounts. Many homestays do not require a credit card for booking, allowing you to pay cash upon arrival at the guesthouse or homestay
? SRI LANKA BACKPACKING BUDGET
When visiting Sri Lanka, be ready to spend a big part of your travel money on where you stay and what you eat. Accommodation and food costs had the highest increase between 2019 and 2024. Even though it’s not too expensive to get around the country, the cost of doing activities and seeing attractions is quite high even if their cost did not increase much since 2019. So make sure you save a good amount of your travel budget for your hotel, food, and any sightseeing or experiences you want to do.
? ATTRACTIONS AND ACTIVITIES
Among the attractions in Sri Lanka, activities and sightseeing are most costly options. You can see the table below with prices of three famous sites in Sri Lanka. Owing to the depreciation of the Sri Lankan rupee against the US dollar (with 1 USD equating 180 LKR in 2019 and 300 in 2024), the prices quoted in LKR have effectively doubled. Overall, over 5 years, the increase of price has been reasonable. Lion’s rock in Sigiriya, an UNESCO site, is especially expensive.
| Attraction | 2019 price (LKR) | 2024 price (LKR) |
|---|---|---|
| Botanical Garden Peradeniya (Kandy) | 1500 (USD 8.5) | 3000 LKR (USD 10) |
| Pidurangala rock Sigiriya | 500 (USD 3) | 1000 (USD 3.5) |
| Lion’s rock Sigiriya | USD 30 | USD 36 |
? TAXES AND SERVICE CHARGE ON FOOD AND DRINKS
Compared to 2019, there has been a significant change regarding taxes and service charges at restaurants in 2024. Many establishments now include service charges and taxes on top of the listed food and drink prices. This additional amount can be quite substantial, reaching as high as 25.5% . Some restaurants opt for a more modest 10% service charge. Being aware of these added fees is crucial to avoid surprises when planning for your budget !.
? SRI LANKA BACKPACKERS | TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SRI LANKA RAILWAY SYSTEM
With more than 1500 km of railway is a very convenient, cheap and scenic transportation to go from one point to another. However, trains do not cover all the island like as for example there is no direct railway link between Ella and Matara.
Sri Lanka train map
Even if it is a slow mode of transport, travelling by train in Sri Lanka can be an enjoyable experience. Certain routes like Kandy- Ella have become immensely popular among tourists and reservations are highly recommended. You can check timetables and fares on the website of Sri Lanka Railways or here. We did not tried to online booking but you can buy your ticket at the station one or two days before.
? SRI LANKA TRAVEL TIPS| TUK TUK, BUS OR CAR?
Tuk-Tuks (also called three-wheelers) are very popular in Sri Lanka for short but also long distance journeys. The difficulty for a traveller arriving in a city for the first time, is to know the standard fare or a journey and of course if you get a tuk tuk in a touristic city you have a lot of chance to overpay.
As soon as you have your sri lanka sim card installed in your smartphone, you can download the app called PickMe, a taxi hailing app with which you book tuk tuk, nano and a whole range of cars, even vans. Although you can install pickme from your home country, drivers always call to confirm the ride, so it will be an issue once you are in Sri Lanka. PickMe and Uber have similar rates but we had some issues with Uber with drivers calling or messaging wanted to negotiate a rate.
During our trip we found the following rates:
These numbers are a good baseline for you to estimate fares knowing the distance to cover to be sure you do not overpay especially if you hail a tuk-tuk from a street.
Buses are the cheapest way to go around the island with extensive connectivity across Sri Lanka, including to smaller towns and cities where trains may not reach. However it is good to know also that traveling by bus in Sri Lanka is generally considered safe, but road accidents are common. Bus journeys can be very bumpy and uncomfortable due to the rough roads and heavy crowds. Additionally, most buses rely on small fans for ventilation rather than air conditioning systems.
Traveling by private car is significantly more expensive, with rates ranging from 120 to 140 Sri Lankan rupees per kilometer. However, if you are a group of more than two travelers, hiring a car in Sri Lanka can still be a viable and cost-effective option.
Bus fares per kilometer are very affordable, and unlike train fares, they are consistent regardless of the destination’s distance from the point of origin.
?️ SRI LANKA TRAVEL TIPS | STAY AWAY FROM THE CROWDS
It is not difficult in Sri Lanka to stay away from the crowd. It is worth it, not only for activities and scenic spots but also for food. Food prices in the center of Ella and Fort Galle are much expensive than in other less touristic town. Try to find a place a bit away from the main street or ask your hotel or homestay what are their meal options.
? SRI LANKA TRAVEL TIPS | SRI LANKA TOURISM STATISTICS 2024
Source: www.sltda.gov.lk
For Q1 2024, Europe dominated as a top visitors to Sri Lanka, accounting for a significant portion of the 784,651 total arrivals during this period. Russia led the way (14 % of total arrivals) followed by United Kingdom and other countries like Germany and France. India remains the top visiting country visiting Sri Lanka during the first 4 months of 2024 with 16% of the total visitors.
When looking at month-to-month figures, March saw the peak with over 209,000 arrivals, Arrivals dropped over 28% in April versus March, suggesting vacationers aimed to travel earlier in the year. January represented the lowest figure of the four months. From a regional perspective, North America (U.S. and Canada) represented only 40,278 of the arrivals with is just above 5% of the total.
2024 Q1 numbers reveal a promising 78% increase in global tourist arrivals compared to the same period in 2023. Using 2018’s pre-pandemic levels as a benchmark, the data indicates Sri Lanka’s tourism recovery is faring particularly well so far, with arrival numbers representing 88% of what the island nation previously experienced.
