Best time to visit

Best time to visit Sri Lanka

There is always a dry coast in Sri Lanka. The west/south coast is best December–March; the east coast shines April–September. Year-round travel is possible.

Best monthsDecember–March (west), April–September (east)

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Month-by-month overview

Sri Lanka at a glance

GreatGoodOkayAvoid

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Verdict	great	great	great	good	okay	good	good	good	okay	avoid	avoid	great
Temp (°C)	30° 22°	31° 22°	31° 23°	31° 24°	31° 25°	30° 25°	30° 25°	30° 25°	30° 24°	30° 23°	30° 22°	30° 22°
Rain (mm)	60	55	70	135	250	180	120	110	160	300	280	130
Crowds	high	high	medium	medium	low	low	medium	medium	low	low	low	high
Price	$$$	$$$	$$	$$	$	$	$$	$$	$	$	$	$$$
Notes	Dry on west coast	—	—	Sinhala/Tamil New Year	Southwest monsoon starts	East coast now dry	Kandy Perahera	—	—	Inter-monsoon; heavy rain	Northeast monsoon	Dry season returns on west

Festivals & events

Sinhala & Tamil New Year

Apr

The island celebrates with rituals, games, and traditional sweets.

Kandy Esala Perahera

Jul–Aug

Spectacular ten-day procession with decorated elephants and fire dancers.

Vesak

May

Buddhist festival of lights celebrating Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and death.

Book your Sri Lanka trip for December–March (west), April–September (east)

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