Sri Lanka travel guide
Best time to visit from the UK, weather, festivals, flights from London and FCDO travel advice.
Ancient rock fortresses, tea hills and leopards
Don't miss
- Sigiriya
- Kandy to Ella train
- Yala National Park
Best time to visit Sri Lanka from the UK
Best value: Apr, Jul, Sep, Nov. Dec–Apr for the south and west; May–Sep for the east coast. Busiest and priciest: Dec–Mar, Aug.
Each bar is the average temperature in Colombo for that month, and its colour shows the season for visitors: best value (good weather, fewer crowds and lower prices), busiest and priciest, or quiet (off-peak, sometimes because the weather is poorer).
- Our pick: April and SeptemberThe warmest of the best-value months (26–28°C), with fewer crowds than peak season.
- Peak season: Dec–Mar, AugUsually 25–27°C. The busiest time, so book flights and rooms early and expect higher prices.
- Quiet season: May–Jun, OctAround 26–27°C. The cheapest and least crowded time, though often because of rain or heat.
- Warmest: April (28°C) · coolest: January (25°C)Temperatures barely change through the year, so the season matters more than the weather.
Temperatures as a table
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25.4 | 26.2 | 27.4 | 27.6 | 27.3 | 26.6 | 26.1 | 26.1 | 26.2 | 26.2 | 26.1 | 25.6 |
Festivals and events
- Kandy Esala Perahera Jul–Aug · Kandy
- Vesak May · Nationwide
- Sinhala and Tamil New Year Apr · Nationwide
Festival dates move from year to year: check before you book.
Getting there from the UK
- Flight time
- About 11h 15m
- Distance
- 8,735 km
- Main airport
- CMB
Flight times are straight-line estimates for a direct flight from Heathrow; journeys with a change take longer.
Practical info and travel guidance
- VisaApply online before you goElectronic Travel Authorization (ETA)
- HealthcareNo free healthcareYou pay for treatment, so travel insurance with medical cover is essential.
- LGBT+ travellersSame-sex relations are illegal or prosecutedRead the FCDO LGBT+ advice before you go.
- Women travellersFCDO warns of sexual assault or harassmentTake extra care at night and with drinks.
For British passport holders, summarised from the FCDO's advice for Sri Lanka, checked October 2026. FCDO page last updated 21 September 2026. Rules change: read the official FCDO travel advice for Sri Lanka before you book and again before you go.
Open Sri Lanka on the map Log it as visited, drop pins for the places you went, or plan it as your next trip.