One of the best parts about traveling to Sri Lanka is it’s a pretty small country and it’s easy to get around. Trains, buses, and cars are just as much of the travel experience here as being in any one location and we loved sampling the many transit offerings.

Train

Train travel is the best and most scenic way to get around Sri Lanka. There are routes connecting Colombo to the beaches along the southwest coast and separate lines connecting Colombo to several of the hill towns like Ella and Kandy.

Train passengers have the option to ride in first, second, or third class. It’s possible to reserve first or second class seats up to a month in advance in person. Most other travelers will recommend first class; the cars are the nicest and have air conditioning. Second class isn’t bad – they have really big open windows and you can reserve a seat. Third class is very crowded and there’s no cap on the number of tickets they’ll sell for these cars so if you’re on a busy route you’re really crammed in there. All three of these classes are so affordable, most people we talked to tried to get the best class possible.

There are also two private companies (Rajadhani and Expo Rail) that attach cars to the main train routes. The tickets are pricier, but they are a good option if the government cars are sold out (which is not uncommon).

We ended up trying several of these options. We took the Rajadhani car from Colombo to Weligama as other reserved tickets were sold out. It cost us 1000 rupees each ($6.65 USD) and was comfortable. The cars are falling apart a bit and look distinctly different than advertised on the website, but if you don’t look at pictures online and have no expectations, this is a great option.

We were able to take the 1st class government car from Ella to Kandy and again from Kandy to Colombo. We had no problem buying a ticket for the ride to Colombo when we arrived in Sri Lanka. It cost us 500 rupees each ($3.33 USD).

The more popular Ella to Kandy route was sold out for all reserved cars so we worked with a British travel agent, Visit Sri Lanka Tours, to book a 1st class ticket for 12 pounds each. It was definitely more expensive than the listed ticket price but it was worth it for us to have a seat on this 7-hour journey. In hindsight, we probably would have been able to get an unreserved 2nd class ticket as Ella was one of the first stops but we didn’t want to risk having to stand for the whole ride.

The train travel was beautiful. The ride from Ella to Kandy in particular is hailed as “the most beautiful train ride in the world” and we have to agree. We alternated between starting out the window from our seats and riding in the open doorway to get a better view of the passing scenery. Riding the trains in Sri Lanka was a really fun adventure.

Bus

To be honest, we were a bit nervous about bus travel in Sri Lanka. The only US State Department warning about traveling in Sri Lanka says to avoid public buses (we think due to possible harassment but it’s not spelled out explicitly). However, the alternative (private car) is so expensive and we heard reports from other travelers that the bus experience was fine, just an “adventure.” We decided to give it a try, knowing we could hop off at any time and grab a cab if we didn’t feel safe. We ended up loving bus travel!

Bus travel is CHEAP. We had to take 3 buses to get from Weligama to Udawalawe and it cost us a total of $3.37 USD for two people! The public buses are mostly old school buses that play Sri Lankan covers of pop music (like Bon Jovi) and have flashing neon lights above the driver. With the windows wide open, you get some really nice views of the passing countryside.

On most of the buses, we were the only tourists which we loved because we felt like we got to experience everyday local life. People will walk through the buses to sell everything from snacks to mathematics practice books (seriously) and we liked watching it all unfold while we were in transit.

John did some research about the towns we’d need to transfer in, but the most helpful way to find the correct bus is to ask the locals. They’ll surely point you in the right direction!

The only tough part about bus travel for us was doing it with our huge suitcases. On one bus, the ticket taker opened a locked compartment outside the back of the bus and had us put our bags in there. We were skeptical at first, but ultimately glad they were safely stowed away and not in the way of other passengers. On another bus, we were able to put them in a little caged area by the driver. On a third bus, we just piled them in the seats with us – that’s definitely not the #1 most comfortable way.

Private Car

We were planning to take the bus from Udawalawe to Ella but ended up meeting a group of 5 other travelers headed the same direction who were planning to take a private car. When they suggested we share a ride with them, we took them up on the offer. It cut our travel time that day in half and when split among 7 people, we only paid $6 USD per person. This was definitely a comfortable way to go and we liked spending the time with some other travelers, but it’s not something we could have afforded for the whole trip on our budget!

Getting around Sri Lanka was cheap, easy, and fun. The travel itself was as much a part of our experience here as actually being in the different towns. Make a trip to Sri Lanka and try it out for yourself ASAP!