Reading the map, not the road
Sri Lanka looks small. It is 430km end to end, but average speeds outside the expressways are 35 to 40 km/h. Kandy to Ella is 130km and takes four hours. Plan by hours, not kilometres.
Booking the wrong coast
See our month-by-month guide. Arriving in Mirissa in July or Trincomalee in December means rough seas and rain that no itinerary can fix.
Trying to see everything in seven days
Eight days covers four regions comfortably. Ten days covers five. Anything more compressed turns a holiday into a series of car journeys punctuated by photographs.
Skipping the east
Trincomalee and Pasikuda have the clearest water on the island and a fraction of the visitors. If you travel between May and September, the east is not a compromise, it is the main event.
Under-dressing at temples
Shoulders and knees covered, shoes off, and never turn your back to a Buddha image for a photograph. Posing in front of one, or with a Buddha tattoo visible, has led to deportations.
Booking elephant rides
Riding, bathing and chained-elephant orphanages are welfare problems, not attractions. Udawalawe and Minneriya show you wild herds instead, and the Elephant Transit Home releases what it rehabilitates.
Changing money at the airport
Airport rates are poor. Use an ATM in arrivals for a small amount and change the rest at a bank or through your hotel. Cards are widely accepted in cities and rarely in villages.
Not carrying small notes
Tuk-tuks, temple donations, roadside king coconut and toilets all want change. Break your 5,000 rupee notes early.
Not asking the driver
Your chauffeur-guide has driven this route hundreds of times, eats at the best roadside places, and knows which viewpoint is worth the detour today. The single most useful sentence on any Sri Lankan tour is: what would you do?
