So how does one get around the little island nation of Sri Lanka? We spent 30 days exploring this little country and took everything from tuk-tuks to trains to get around. The transportation in Sri Lanka comes in many shapes and sizes, but don’t worry, we are going to break down each one for you. We are going to let you know how much we paid to help you plan your budget, avoid over-paying (we got ripped off a couple times), and give you some tips. We will also let you know how long it took us to get from place to place to help you plan accordingly. Okay, let’s get started!
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NOTE: This post contains prices for transportation we paid during our time in Sri Lanka in October 2018. These prices will probably have changed since then. Use these prices as a guide to give you a ballpark figure to help you plan your budget when visiting Sri Lanka.
Currency
First we have to talk about the currency. In Sri Lanka they use the Sri Lankan Rupee – LKR. For 1 USD you will get about 170 LKR. Note, this is when we were there back in October of 2018.
Trains
Taking the trains in Sri Lanka was for us the funnest way to get around. Not only do you just get to sit back and enjoy the ride, but you also have some epic scenery to take in while in transit. We wrote about taking the train from Ella to Kandy as one of our top 22 activities to do in Sri Lanka. The views of the tea plantations were spectacular; read about it here! We also took the train from Galle to Colombo to get back to the airport.
- Ella to Kandy: 600 LKR per person and it took about 8 hours to reach Ella
TIP: We went directly to the train station and bought our tickets in advance for 2nd class Reserved. This meant that we had an assigned seat. Also, make sure to sit on the right side of the train for views of the tea plantations!
- Galle to Colombo: 180 LKR per person and took about 2 hours
- Colombo to Negombo: 80 LKR per person and took about 1 1/2 hours
NOTE: We took the train from Galle to Colombo, exited the train station, walked outside to buy our ticket from Colombo to Negombo, and caught the train from the same station. Easy peasy!
Buses
Buses are one of our favorite transportation methods in every city we’ve been so far. They are easy to catch, cheap, and you get to experience the local way of transit. We took the bus many times before, and in Sri Lanka it was no different. Most buses will have a fare collector with a ticket machine that issues the correct fare depending on your final destination. This reassured us that we weren’t constantly paying tourist fares to move around the country. Don’t get nervous, you just place your bigger bag in the back or under the bus, and keep your smaller bag with you. This is how we travel on buses and have yet to have any issues.
- Matara to Ella: 305 LKR per person and took about 4 1/2 hours; Bus #31 from the bus terminal. We took a tuk-tuk from Mirissa to Matara to catch the bus. Read below.
- Kandy to Dambulla: 200 LKR per person in a small A/C Minibus and took about 2 hours. We could have taken a public bus for 80 LKR, but opted to have A/C.
- Dambulla to Sigiriya: 41 LKR per person and took about 45 min. This was by far the most crowded bus ever! The driver reached in my window to yell at the locals to move forward so more people could squeeze on.
- Sigiriya to Trincomalee: 180 LKR and took about 3 hours. The bus stopped at little restaurant for a bathroom break for those coming from Colombo. TIP: we took the bus from Sigiriya back to Dambulla bus station, but should have gotten off the bus near the intersection of the Colombo and Kandy roads. The Trincomalee bus does not stop at the bus station, so we had to walk back to the road side bus stop which is just north of the clock tower roundabout.
- Trincomalee to Akkaraipattu: 150 LKR per person and took about about 4 hours. NOTE: we were in transit from Trincomalee to Arugam Bay, but this is the city where you will transfer buses to Pottuvil, then take a tuk-tuk into Arugam Bay.
- Akkaraipattu to Pottuvil: 80 LKR and took about 1 1/2 hours to reach Pottuvil. TIP: When we exited the bus, immediately a tuk-tuk driver said the bus was crowded and there was no room, but when we entered the bus there was only 9 people on it. Be careful to not get fooled by a tuk-tuk driver- they will lie to you!
- Arugam Bay to Matara: 650 LKR per person included our big travel bags, which they said were extra. NOTE: Pretty sure we were ripped off since this was by far the most expensive bus ride, but it seems they were charging all the tourists more stating this wasn’t a public bus. This is part of the reason for this post so you don’t make the same mistakes as us!
- Matara to Unawatuna: 50 LKR per person and took about an hour. We got off the bus from Arugam Bay to Matara and walked around the bus stop and asked where we caught the bus to Unawatuna from a Station Attendant. When in doubt, just ask. We found the Sri Lankan people to be very happy to help in any situation.
- Unawatuna to Galle Bus Station: 20 LKR per person and it took about 25 min. We literally caught bus down the street from our hotel. Our hotel pointed to the bus stop, and that was it. We waited on the street and caught the bus to the bus station. NOTE: We were catching the train from Galle to Colombo, and the bus station is right next to the train station.
Tuk-tuks
You might be wondering what a tuk-tuk is; they are little 3-wheeled covered motorcycles. They are everywhere in Sri Lanka! Whether you have your hotel organize one, or wave one down on the street, they are super easy to catch, super cheap and are fun to jet around the city in. With having two big bags each and also two smaller bags, tuk-tuks can get a little cramped, but not a big deal for shorter distances. Below we list where we took tuk-tuks to and from to help you with negotiating the price!
- Mirissa to Matara: total cost was 600 LKR and took about 30 minutes; we had our host organize this tuk-tuk
- Pottuvil to Arugam Bay: 150 LKR to take a tuk-tuk into Arugam Bay from the bus station.
Private Car
This is something that does not happen very often for us, but every now and then you just need to get somewhere quickly, comfortably, and have peace of mind while in transit. We originally were planning on taking the train from Colombo down to Mirissa. When our driver picked us up in the morning to take us to the train station he offered to drive us directly to our hotel in Mirissa. We were hesitant with his price, but with a little bit of haggling, we opted for some luxury transit!
- Colombo to Mirissa: 7,000 LKR and total travel time was about 2 hours from airport to our Mirissa hotel. The driver even was even ticketed because he drove with his hazards on while on the highway to get us to our destination quicker!
Hopefully we helped you out when it comes to getting around Sri Lanka. We wish you a joyous trip full of adventure. If you have any questions or need help planning your transportation in Sri Lanka, shoot us an email and we will do our best to help you out. Safe travels!
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