Sri Lanka›From Colombo›Kalpitiya
Colombo to Kalpitiya by bus or road
About 160 km. The private car is fastest at 3.5 h; the bus is cheapest, from ₹140 per person.
Fastest
Private car
Car with driver / PickMe, per vehicle
3.5 h door to door
Cheapest
Bus
Bus to Puttalam + local bus to Kalpitiya
from ₹140 per person
Best value
Bus
Bus to Puttalam + local bus to Kalpitiya
cheapest at mid fares among options within 1.5× the fastest time (or 1 h more on a short ride)
Every option, compared
Door-to-door times (flights include the time at the airports). Fares are typical ranges from the cheapest seat to the premium one.
| Mode | Service | Time | Fare | Runs | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private car | Car with driver / PickMe, per vehicle | 3.5 h | ₹5,450–₹10,050per car (up to 4) | Daily | Rome2Rio ↗ |
| Bus | Bus to Puttalam + local bus to Kalpitiya | 5 h | ₹140–₹550per person | Daily | Rome2Rio ↗ |
- Bus, Bus to Puttalam + local bus to Kalpitiya: Puttalam buses leave Colombo's Pettah stand often; change at Puttalam for Kalpitiya.
Booking links open the route on the country's transport booking site for trains, buses, boats and transfers, and a flight search for flights, dated about two weeks out; change the date there.
What it costs your group, one way
Fares × people; a private car is priced per car, one car per four people.
| Option | 2 people | 4 people |
|---|---|---|
| Private car · Car with driver / PickMe, per vehicle | ₹5,450–₹10,050 | ₹5,450–₹10,050 |
| Bus · Bus to Puttalam + local bus to Kalpitiya | ₹280–₹1,100 | ₹560–₹2,200 |
Once you’re in Kalpitiya
- Best time: May – October
- Typical stay: 2 days
- November: Mixed month: November is outside the recommended season (May – October). Nothing in our data flags November as a problem, but it isn't the season the place is best in.
Related
Plan Colombo and Kalpitiya
A day-by-day plan with this journey, the stays and the rest priced in.