Sri Lanka›Month by month

When to go

Sri Lanka, month by month

Where in Sri Lanka is at its best each month, and where to skip. Each verdict comes from the place's stated best season and the closures, weather warnings and festivals Tourisma has for it: in the middle of the season is a great month, its first or last month a good one; a weather warning (monsoon seas, smoke) moves a month down, a closure (a park shut, the boats stopped) moves it down to mixed at most, and a shut place is better avoided.

Sri Lanka in January

Plan January

At their best

Good, at the edge of the season

Mixed: Kalpitiya, Yala National Park.

Better avoided

  • Arugam Bay · North-East Monsoon: East Coast Off Season
  • Pasikudah · North-East Monsoon: East Coast Off Season
  • Trincomalee & Nilaveli · North-East Monsoon: East Coast Off Season; Pigeon Island and Whale Boats Off Season

Can fall this month

  • Duruthu Perahera at Kelaniya (dates shift yearly)
  • Thai Pongal
  • Christmas and New Year peak

Sri Lanka in February

Plan February

At their best

Good, at the edge of the season

Mixed: Kalpitiya.

Better avoided

  • Arugam Bay · North-East Monsoon: East Coast Off Season
  • Pasikudah · North-East Monsoon: East Coast Off Season
  • Trincomalee & Nilaveli · North-East Monsoon: East Coast Off Season; Pigeon Island and Whale Boats Off Season

Sri Lanka in March

Plan March

At their best

Good, at the edge of the season

Mixed: Arugam Bay, Kalpitiya, Pasikudah, Trincomalee & Nilaveli.

Sri Lanka in April

Plan April

At their best

Good, at the edge of the season

Mixed: Arugam Bay, Colombo, Kalpitiya, Pasikudah, Trincomalee & Nilaveli.

Can fall this month

  • Sinhala and Tamil New Year (Aluth Avurudu / Puthandu)

Sri Lanka in May

Plan May

At their best

Good, at the edge of the season

Mixed: Adam's Peak (Sri Pada), Colombo, Ella, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya.

Better avoided

  • Bentota · South-West Monsoon: Rough Seas
  • Galle · South-West Monsoon: Rough Seas
  • Hikkaduwa · South-West Monsoon: Rough Seas
  • Mirissa · South-West Monsoon: Rough Seas; No Whale-Watching Season
  • Negombo · South-West Monsoon: Rough Seas
  • Tangalle · South-West Monsoon: Rough Seas
  • Unawatuna · South-West Monsoon: Rough Seas

Can fall this month

  • Vesak (dates shift yearly)

Sri Lanka in June

Plan June

At their best

Good, at the edge of the season

Mixed: Colombo, Ella, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya.

Better avoided

Can fall this month

  • Vesak (dates shift yearly)
  • Poson at Anuradhapura and Mihintale (dates shift yearly)
  • Kataragama Esala festival and the Pada Yatra (dates shift yearly)

Sri Lanka in July

Plan July

At their best

Good, at the edge of the season

Mixed: Colombo, Ella, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya.

Better avoided

Can fall this month

  • Kandy Esala Perahera (dates shift yearly)
  • Nallur Festival (Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil) (dates shift yearly)
  • Kataragama Esala festival and the Pada Yatra (dates shift yearly)

Sri Lanka in August

Plan August

At their best

Good, at the edge of the season

Mixed: Colombo, Ella, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Yala National Park.

Better avoided

Can fall this month

  • Kandy Esala Perahera (dates shift yearly)
  • Nallur Festival (Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil) (dates shift yearly)
  • Kataragama Esala festival and the Pada Yatra (dates shift yearly)

Sri Lanka in September

Plan September

At their best

Good, at the edge of the season

Mixed: Colombo, Ella, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya.

Better avoided

Can fall this month

  • Nallur Festival (Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil) (dates shift yearly)

Sri Lanka in October

Plan October

At their best

Good, at the edge of the season

Mixed: Anuradhapura, Arugam Bay, Bentota, Colombo, Ella, Galle, Hikkaduwa, Jaffna, Kandy, Mirissa, Negombo, Nuwara Eliya, Pasikudah, Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya & Dambulla, Tangalle, Trincomalee & Nilaveli, Unawatuna, Yala National Park.

Better avoided

Can fall this month

  • Deepavali (dates shift yearly)

Sri Lanka in November

Plan November

At their best

Mixed: Anuradhapura, Bentota, Colombo, Ella, Galle, Hikkaduwa, Jaffna, Kalpitiya, Kandy, Mirissa, Negombo, Nuwara Eliya, Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya & Dambulla, Tangalle, Unawatuna, Yala National Park.

Better avoided

Can fall this month

  • Deepavali (dates shift yearly)

Sri Lanka in December

Plan December

At their best

Good, at the edge of the season

Mixed: Adam's Peak (Sri Pada), Anuradhapura, Ella, Jaffna, Kalpitiya, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya & Dambulla, Yala National Park.

Better avoided

  • Arugam Bay · North-East Monsoon: East Coast Off Season
  • Pasikudah · North-East Monsoon: East Coast Off Season
  • Trincomalee & Nilaveli · North-East Monsoon: East Coast Off Season; Pigeon Island and Whale Boats Off Season

Can fall this month

  • Christmas and New Year peak
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