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Anuradhapura in April
Great month: April is in the middle of the recommended season (January – September). Sinhala and Tamil New Year (Aluth Avurudu / Puthandu) can fall this month.
The season runs to the end of September, 5 months away.
2 days in Anuradhapura in April · from ₹12,929 for two
Stay, food & local travel; getting there extra
What’s on in April
Timing a trip around these changes what you pay and what you can book.
Sinhala and Tamil New Year (Aluth Avurudu / Puthandu)2027: 13–14 Apr
The national new year, at the auspicious times astrologers set: families go home, many shops, restaurants and buses stop for two or three days around 13-14 April, and trains and buses before and after are packed. Nuwara Eliya has its season of races and shows round it.
What it costs
For two sharing a room; 2 days on the ground, getting there not included.
Budget
₹12,929 for two
- Room a night₹2,010
- Food a day, each₹1,118
- Main sight entry, each₹2,370
Mid-range
₹24,083 for two
- Room a night₹4,590
- Food a day, each₹2,580
- Main sight entry, each₹2,370
Luxury
₹48,080 for two
- Room a night₹10,050
- Food a day, each₹6,020
- Main sight entry, each₹2,370
Totals cover the room (taxes included), food, local transport, entry and a 10% buffer: the figures the planner opens on. These are typical rates; Tourisma has no month-by-month rates for Sri Lanka yet, so they don't move with the month.
Getting there
Fly into Jaffna (JAF), 156 km away
Then: Train · 3h (Intercity train to Jaffna (Northern Line))
Flights from India: from 1 city, one way from ₹7,000
Fly into Colombo (CMB), 165 km away
Then: Train · 4h 30m (Intercity train to Anuradhapura (Northern Line))
Flights from India: from 10 cities, one way from ₹9,000
Routes compared
Entry rules
E-visa before you fly for up to 30 days
- Before you fly, apply for the tourist ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) at eta.gov.lk. It is free for Indian passport holders since 25 May 2026, but still required: airlines check it at boarding. Approval usually comes by email; carry the approval.
- At immigration in Colombo or Jaffna, show your passport, the ETA approval and your return ticket. The visa is valid for 30 days from your first arrival and allows a second entry within those 30 days.
- To stay longer than 30 days, apply for an extension at the Department of Immigration and Emigration in Battaramulla (Colombo) before the 30 days end; a fee applies.
Carry: Passport valid for at least 6 months from the day you arrive, with a blank page; ETA approval (email or printout); Confirmed return or onward ticket; Hotel bookings for the stay; Enough money for the stay (a card or cash).
The ETA is free for Indians only since 25 May 2026, under a scheme for 40 countries, after several changes since 2023. It is still compulsory, and on-arrival visas may no longer be sold, so apply on eta.gov.lk before you fly. Use only the .gov.lk sites (eta.gov.lk; the immigration department's own online arrival card is free and optional): look-alike sites charge for the free ETA and sell "arrival cards".
Checked 2026-10; confirm with the embassy before you fly.
Elsewhere in Sri Lanka in April
Also in season this month.
- Jaffna · great month
- Polonnaruwa · great month
- Sigiriya & Dambulla · great month
- Udawalawe · great month
- Yala National Park · great month
- Adam's Peak (Sri Pada) · good month
- Bentota · good month
- Ella · good month
Nearby in The Cultural Triangle:
Want this as a real plan?
Anuradhapura in April, day by day, priced for your group.