Holiday season in Sri Lanka - 2023: when is the best time to go?

They say it’s always in season in Sri Lanka. Is it so? Let's figure out when it's best to go, with details by month.

I was on the island of Ceylon 4 times – I was in the beach season in Sri Lanka, and celebrated the New Year, and the May holidays. There's always something to do and a year-round warm climate if you like to be active. However, the country is not always good for lying on the beach and swimming in the sea.

Is it possible to go to Sri Lanka now?

Sri Lanka is now a rare tropical destination where you can fly directly from Russia. It also took 5th place in the number of vacationers from Russia in the first half of this year – the island is ahead of the Maldives and Bali, but inferior to Thailand.

For me, this is a comfortable and hospitable place: many hotels for every taste and budget, The water temperature in the ocean is never cold, the number of cloudy days is minimal (especially relative to my native gray Urals). Prices, as in neighboring India, are low relative to the rest of Asia, and the nature is similar to the Maldives, which are nearby.

Not long ago, there was an energy crisis in Sri Lanka, because of which many are afraid to go to the resorts of Ceylon. I was here shortly after it and I tell you for sure: these events did not affect the vacationers in any way. The only caveat is that if you decide to rent a vehicle, you will fill up with gas using a QR code. But even now few people ask for it. Otherwise, you won’t notice any restrictions.

There are no problems with security either: if you don’t thoughtlessly throw your things anywhere and flagrantly break laws, there won’t be any problems. Often local police even allow you to drive with a Russian driver's license, despite the fact that they are not valid in the country – the main thing is that you wear a helmet.

How to fly to Sri Lanka in 2023?

Flying over Sri Lanka

Both an independent trip to Sri Lanka and a holiday with a tour operator assume that you will have to take care ofthe Sri Lankan visaon your own. Yes, it is needed, but it is easy to get:

Either you fill out a short application on the website and pay $52 per person (with a card from a foreign bank or UnionPay from a non-sanctioned Russian bank). In 15 minutes your visa will be emailed to you. You can stay in the country for up to six months.
Or you can not worry at all and apply for a visa at the airport upon arrival. You'll have to stand in line and pay $8 more (that is, $60).

Sri Lanka and Russia have been connected by direct flights for quite a long time, but there is a gradation by season and departure cities. In autumn, winter and spring, planes depart from Russia and directly to Sri Lanka from Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Samara, Tyumen, Novosibirsk and other cities with a population of over a million. In summer, flights remain only from Moscow and Yekaterinburg.

As for organizing the trip, there is also room to roam:

✔️ Choose a ready-made tour with flights, accommodation and transfer on Travelata
✔️ Or buy separate air tickets to Aviasales and find a hotel or guesthouse on Ostrovka ( if you don’t have a foreign bank card)

Closer to our winter, when the holiday season in Sri Lanka comes into full force, the prices are not at all inspiring – from 90,000 rubles for a direct round-trip flight per person, from 200,000 rubles for a week-long tour for two. A flight with a transfer will help you save money: without hesitation, we took a ticket from Moscow to Colombo with a stop in the UAE for 60,000 rubles (and tours with this method of travel cost from 150,000 rubles for two). In summer, the price tag is sometimes a little lower, but not much.

When is it better to go on holiday to Sri Lanka: high season and rainy season

The most important thing to understand when studying the hot tourist season in Ceylon:
the island is located in the Indian Ocean between two monsoons, which have a direct impact on its weather. One monsoon comes from the northeast and the other from the southwest. They bring rain and storms to different coasts of Sri Lanka in turn: when it is sunny and dry on the northeast coast, it is rainy and cloudy on the southwest coast. And vice versa.

So it turns out that the season in Sri Lanka is always here and there. There is seasonality, but in general you can always find sun and calm sea on the island. Moreover, during the dry season there are good waves for surfing on both coasts.

Simply put, the weather in the directions in Sri Lanka looks like this:

Southwest (Hikkaduwa, Weligama, Unawatuna, Galle): a comfortable, rainy and sunny season lasts from November to April. Then comes the rainy season in Sri Lanka with cloudy skies, night showers, intense humidity and dangerous waves.
Northeast(Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Passikuda): everything is exactly the opposite, that is, it is better to go here from May to October.

Another thing is that the west coast is much more popular than the east. The resorts of the latter are located 4–5 hours away from the airport and are more “out-of-the-way.” Although some will say – more authentic, real. In any case, you won't find a specialty latte with hazelnut milk here. Therefore, the “best season for a holiday in Sri Lanka” often means the high season in the southwest.

So find the island on the map, check the table for the expected month of your trip and determine where at that time adequate weather in Sri Lanka.

When is the best time to go on holiday to Sri Lanka:

< td style="width: 7.5%">Jan

Feb

March

Apr

May

June

July

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Northeast

South-
west

Red background – I advise you not to go here

Green background – the best month for a holiday in Sri Lanka on this coast

Yellow background – unclear month, weather from ⬆️ goes to ⬇️ or vice versa

Surf season in Sri Lanka

Whatever coast you are on in a good season, you will find spots everywhere for boarding with any level of experience. You can also swim comfortably in the gentle sea.

In the low season, the beaches in Sri Lanka are unsuitable for swimming! The waves become large, and underwater currents are dangerous even for experienced swimmers. Keep this in mind: if you intend to swim, especially with children, choose a family hotel with a pool. These work in Sri Lanka all year round.

Surfers from November to May feel great on the spots in the southwest (especially in Weligama and Ahangama), and from May, when the waves here become uneven and unsuitable for skiing, they move to Arugam Bay. Here is a real mecca for board lovers (which we never got to in 2023, although we planned to), and international competitions are held during the season.

Now you know when is the best time to surf in Sri Lanka: always. Just, depending on the season, move from Colombo airport to where the dry season is – there are waves and surfers.

Weather and seasons in Sri Lanka by month

In any month of the year, the weather on the Ceylon coast is good: the air temperature does not fall below +27°C, and the sea does not know any other water temperature than +25°C and above. So it's never cold here. But high humidity is almost always present (which means the heat is felt more intensely). Regardless of the season, there is always fruit in Sri Lanka – only the assortment varies at different times of the year.

However, the comfort of being on the beaches varies greatly between months.

January-February

❓Where to go: to southwestern resorts

Sri Lanka is undeniably popular in winter. In January and February, almost the entire island is dry and hot: temperatures up to +33°C, water up to +28°C. There is little rain – this is the best time for excursions. In the center of the island, where it is mountainous and hilly, it is quite cool (about +20…+25 in the city of Ella), and it is a great place to celebrate the New Year. That's what we did a couple of years ago.

In the northeast, in Trincomalee and Batticaloa, it is cooler. An average of 26 degrees with more rainy and cloudy days than popular Unawatuna in the southwest.

Find a tour to Sri Lanka >>

March-April

❓Where to go: to southwestern resorts

In the southwestern resorts, the season is slowly beginning to come to an end: the closer to the end of April, the more often the sky is cloudy and it rains at night. However, it’s still comfortable to relax – it’s still +30 outside and the sea is warm, the waves are small. By the end of April, however, it becomes more stuffy.

At the same time, in March and April, in the north-west the weather is getting better and better: there are a lot of sunny days, almost no rain, the air temperature is close by +30, the beach season is about to begin.

✈️ Sri Lanka is especially interesting in the spring because Russian airlines are starting to sell out tickets – the charter season is also winding down at the same time as the high season in the popular part of the island. Tickets for 15,000-20,000 rubles per person one way from Moscow and the regions (even Novosibirsk) are our real and repeated find at Aviasales in April 2023.

May

Season for holidays in Sri Lanka — 2023: when is the best time to go? />
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❓Where to go: to the east – Trincomalee, Passikuda, Arugam Bay

The worst month for the southwest coast. Because May is the rainiest month. Even the summer months “behave” better than the end of the calendar spring.

In Unawatuna and Galle, the days are completely cloudy, and there are often showers, and most importantly, it becomes incredibly stuffy. The thermometer shows +30, but it feels like +37 due to the high humidity, and you want to constantly sit under the air conditioner (we did that). Swimming in the sea is risky: the waves are high, the undercurrents are dangerous, and the conditions are completely unsuitable for surfing.

In May, it is better to leave the south to the east, where at this time it is dry, sunny and comfortable for swimming. At this time, surfers move to Arugam Bay – here is a real paradise for professional wave lovers, although the sun is quite nuclear (the temperature during the day does not drop below 30 degrees).

June-July

❓ Where to go: to the east

Sri Lanka whispers in the summer: go on vacation to the northeast! This is the best season for a holiday in Sri Lanka: sunny, dry and not too hot, beautiful clear sea and good surfing. In the west and south – in Unawatuna and other resorts – it rains twenty days out of thirty and the incredible stuffiness continues, and swimming is dangerous.

To show that the east is still not a village forgotten by the Sri Lankan gods, and an adequate coastline with beautiful beaches, here are some examples of cool resort hotels:

5* Uga Escapes Jungle Beach (Trincomalee)
5* Karpaha Sands (Passikuda)
4* Cinnamon Trinco Blu (Trincomalee)

✈️ What happens to tours and air tickets? Direct flights remain only for Moscow. But competition in the form of hot and much closer Turkey and the native Black Sea contributes to the frequent release of last-minute tours to Sri Lanka (80,000-100,000 rubles for two per week) onto the market.

August

❓Where to go: to the east; in principle, it is possible to go southwest

The southwest is making progress: the heat is subsiding a bit, but there are still 20 days of rain and rough seas on the schedule. But it is not at all a fact that there will be 20 days of continuous rain – they usually fall in the evenings. If we put this shortcoming aside, then everything else in the popular resorts of Sri is excellent: housing prices are low, the ocean is free, there are no queues at surf schools – choose the best coach. Locals say that vacationing in this part of the island in August is much better than in September!

In the northeast, things are going well: everything is still sunny, but hotter than usual – the average temperature is +33 degrees . There is no rain, ideal for swimming.

If you are really attracted to an inexpensive tour to Sri Lanka – and only trips to the southwest are inexpensive at this time – choose the resort of Unawatuna. It is advantageously located in a bay, protected from strong waves.

September-October

❓Where to go:in September – to the east, in October – to the southwest

And again the seasons change places: rains come to the northwest (in October they come every second day) and heat. Clouds and general gloominess will not save you from sunburn – be careful. Showers occur in the evenings, with a little rain during the day. Here the wisdom from the locals comes into play: choose a hotel or resort in the bay, and you will be happy in the form of a calm sea. Such places include Unawatuna, for example.

In Weligama and Mirissa, surfers and tourists joyfully arrive at the coast: comfortable sunny weather returns, when it is not stuffy, and the waves become smooth and suitable for boarding. The season starts in September-October! In autumn it becomes comfortable to vacation in Sri Lanka with children.

✈️ Meanwhile, Russian tour operators and airlines continue the parade of generosity for everyone who is able to get to the Moscow airport by jet – on Travelate you can still find relatively inexpensive tours (80,000-120,000 rubles for two for 7-8 nights for a good hotel in the southwest ), to Aviasales – air tickets (40,000 rubles roundtrip on a direct flight).

November-December

❓Where to go: to the usual southwestern resorts of Sri Lanka

In November, my favorite time comes in the south, the best time to travel to Sri Lanka: warm, sunny, beautiful sea, rains once every two weeks. During the day it is hot and beachy, and in the evening it is cool, 23 degrees. Reviews from all tourists at this time are excellent, which is not surprising – Ceylon turns into a paradise.

And in the north-west in November and December there are half months rains. There is nothing special to do there – this is the period when you should not go to Sri Lanka in that direction.

✈️ Closer to the traditional season, tour operators set up charters and arrange tours from many Russian cities – Samara, Tyumen, Novosibirsk, St. Petersburg, Moscow.

What about the whales?

By the way, I am often asked about the whale season in Sri Lanka. They are here, yes, but when is it worth going to see them, which month is better?..

I answer: in the summer go east to Trincomalee or Batticaloa; autumn and winter, and also in early spring – to the western part of the island, to Kalpitiya and Mirissa. From mid-April to June the chance to see whales is minimal, so it is better to look for other excursions during these dates. And at other times you can go whale watching, for example, with these guys – they have excellent reviews (but you need a foreign bank card to book).

My review and tips for Sri Lanka

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I will share with you important points to consider when planning your trip to Sri Lanka:

— Take coral slippers and powerful sunscreen. The first will help you avoid getting scratched on rocks, of which there are many underwater, and the second will protect you from heat stroke, which is possible even on a cloudy day.

—Come with dollars or euros and change them at the airport. I don’t know how it is, but here the best rate is always the best. The World map in Sri Lanka does not work.

— If you come with work gadgets such as an expensive laptop, rent accommodation at least a kilometer from the sea, or keep the air conditioner on more often: Ceylon has very high humidity, and equipment can deteriorate. As a last resort, you can buy a special dry box with moisture-absorbing gel and put the equipment in it overnight.

— If you miss communicating with compatriots who came here to live, like you, look for them in telegram chats with the word “Sri Lanka” based on their interests or in Russian cafes (for example, Om Surf Club in Weligama).

—If you come in the off-season, rent accommodation with air conditioning. ALWAYS. Yes, it will be twice as expensive as an apartment without it, but you will definitely survive in the stuffiness!

— Alcohol, by the way, is allowed in Sri Lanka, but it is not cheap.

Where is it better to stay and book accommodation?

Is it possible to go to Sri Lanka as a tourist and is it comfortable? Of course yes! There are enough good hotels with food and a range of services for every taste. Where to live is up to you: I like Weligama and Unawatuna. I wrote about the first one, housing and other nuances here.

You can also go to the paradise island on your own: in this case, I recommend that you book a guesthouse a few days in advance, and then go on foot and ask locals and foreigners living here who is renting out housing and where. With your feet you can find much more interesting options than on sites from abroad.

Is it possible to go to Sri Lanka without a travel plan?

Certainly. Many people just want to chill on the beach – then they can move to a certain point (for example, Unawatuna) and stay there. You can travel by bus and rented transport along the coast, or you can go to the center of the island to see tea plantations and walk along the cool hills. Here it is definitely worth visiting the town of Ella, visiting the Horton Plains and visiting my favorite Dialyuma waterfall.

When and where is the best place to go to Sri Lanka with children?

I don’t have children, but if I were choosing where to go with them, I would choose, among all the resorts in Sri Lanka, the inhabited Unawatuna in the southwest. Both at the beginning and at the end of the season, there is everything you need for a comfortable family holiday, plus the child will have a place to play and swim in the calm sea with other children.

But the ideal time to fly with children is still around the New Year (prices in Sri Lanka in 2023 during the holidays are steep, as always at all resorts on popular dates), or the period from mid-January to the end of March. At this time, the weather is excellent and, what is important, many mothers with children spend the winter in Ceylon.

In general, I would not go to Sri Lanka with children: there are big problems with children's infrastructure. It is very difficult to find playgrounds, not to mention the fact that in the country, with the exception of the capital, there are no sidewalks at all. Therefore, when considering whether it is worth going, my child and I would choose Thailand, which is more inhabited and adapted for children.

To summarize all of the above: as you can see, in any month in Sri Lanka it is high season on some of the coasts. This is a very convenient country – you just need to choose the right directions once your plane lands in the capital Colombo. Both there and there will be a beautiful sea, good surfing and interesting sights, and most importantly – good weather.

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Holiday season in Sri Lanka – 2023: when is the best time to go?