The main ways to get around Sri Lanka are a car with a driver, trains, buses, tuk-tuks with ride-hailing apps, and domestic flights. A driver suits a tour of several regions, trains suit the coast and the Nanu Oya to Badulla hill section, and buses and tuk-tuks suit short hops and tight budgets.
We checked each fact on 8 November 2026 by desk research, for Australian readers first. Prices are in rupees, with Australian dollars at the Central Bank rate for 6 November 2026, and where official sources disagree we show both.
Key takeaways
- Hill-country trains ran only between Nanu Oya and Badulla, as last reported on 26 October 2026. By 8 November we found no report that the line into Kandy or Gampola to Nanu Oya had reopened.
- The cheapest bus fare has been Rs 34 (about AUD 0.15) since 6 July 2026. An expressway coach from Colombo to Kandy costs Rs 1,230 (about AUD 5.34).
- An Australian licence alone does not let you drive. Smartraveller names an IDP endorsed by the Automobile Association of Sri Lanka or a temporary licence from the Department of Motor Traffic. In February 2026 the police said only that department may issue permits.
Sri Lanka transport compared
| Mode | Best for | Cost, as sources show | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car with driver | A tour of several regions | See our driver cost guide | Your plan, your stops |
| Train | Coast line; Nanu Oya to Badulla | Set by Sri Lanka Railways | Hill line cut, as reported 26 Oct 2026; no Coast line suspension reported |
| Expressway coach | Colombo to Kandy, Galle, Matara | Rs 930 to 1,320 (AUD 4 to 6) | NTC fares from 6 Jul 2026 |
| Normal bus | Short hops on a budget | From Rs 34 (AUD 0.15) | Crowded; advisories warn on safety |
| Tuk-tuk | Trips of a few kilometres | Rs 110 first km, Rs 90 after (one association’s fares) | Agree the fare or use the meter |
| PickMe or Uber | Towns the apps cover | Shown in the app first | Needs a local SIM |
| Self-drive | Confident drivers only | IDP A$55, plus any local permit | Permit rules disputed, see below |
| Domestic flight | Saving a day to the east | Not on the timetable page | Cinnamon Air, daily in winter |
Dollar figures use the Central Bank of Sri Lanka indicative rate of Rs 230.23 to the Australian dollar on 6 November 2026. The bus fares are official. The tuk-tuk figures are the fares one drivers’ association gave on 2 November 2026, not an official tariff.
Hiring a car with a driver
Rough Guides (updated April 2025) says a large proportion of visitors tour Sri Lanka by car and driver. You choose the route and the stops, the bags stay in the boot, and there are no permits to arrange. Smartraveller says travellers with a tour operator are unlikely to be affected by the fuel QR system. Sri Lanka Tourism publishes an official register of authorised tourist drivers, searchable by name or registration number. Day rates are in our guide to driver hire costs.
For the first ride from Bandaranaike airport, fares are in our Colombo airport taxi cost guide. The run down to the south coast has its own page, Colombo airport to Weligama.
Trains in Sri Lanka: what runs in November 2026
Since late October 2026 the hill-country line has been cut in two places, according to news reports. A landslide near Kadigamuwa station led the Department of Railways to stop every train between Rambukkana and Peradeniya and Gampola from midnight on 25 October 2026, Newswire reported. The department gave no reopening date. The next day, Newswire reported that Sri Lanka Railways was running Main Line trains only between Nanu Oya and Badulla, with Gampola to Nanu Oya suspended and Peradeniya to Matale halted. When we searched the news and the railway’s website again on 8 November 2026, we found no report that either section had reopened. On those reports no train reaches Kandy, so Colombo to Kandy is a road trip until a reopening is announced. The Nanu Oya to Badulla section, which passes Ella, was the one still running on 26 October.
We found no suspension of the Coast line to Galle and Matara in those reports or in later news to 8 November 2026. That is not a confirmed timetable, so check at the station before you travel. For booking, classes and timetables, see our Sri Lanka train tickets guide; our Kandy to Ella train guide covers the hill-country ride itself.
Stay inside the carriage once the train is moving. GOV.UK (updated 21 September 2026) says there have been fatal accidents when visitors hung out of open doorways or windows of trains. It also warns of theft and pickpocketing.
Buses in Sri Lanka: SLTB, private and expressway coaches
The state Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) and private owners both run buses, but the National Transport Commission (NTC) sets the fares. From midnight on 6 July 2026, the NTC raised the minimum fare to Rs 34. Semi-luxury buses charge 1.5 times the normal fare, and super-luxury coaches on the expressways follow the luxury scale.
The NTC’s own expressway fare table gives these one-way fares. Makumbura is the multimodal transport centre at Kottawa, a hub for coaches heading south to Galle and Matara.
| Expressway route | Fare from 6 July 2026 | About AUD |
|---|---|---|
| Colombo to Kandy | Rs 1,230 | 5.34 |
| Makumbura to Galle | Rs 930 | 4.04 |
| Makumbura to Matara | Rs 1,170 | 5.08 |
| Colombo to Matara | Rs 1,320 | 5.73 |
| Galle to Negombo | Rs 1,370 | 5.95 |
| Makumbura to Badulla | Rs 2,700 | 11.73 |
No rise followed the November fuel price increase. On 2 November 2026 the private bus owners’ association said it fell short of the 4 per cent threshold in the fare formula, Newswire reported. If a conductor overcharges, the NTC takes complaints on its 1955 hotline.
Smartraveller reports a high number of road deaths and injuries, “especially on intercity buses”. GOV.UK warns that public buses tend to be fast and poorly kept and seldom give way, which has led to serious accidents. Tourist buses are usually driven more safely, though standards vary.
Tuk-tuks, taxis and the PickMe and Uber apps
A tuk-tuk is a three-wheeled motor taxi, and in Sri Lanka they wait in every town. On 2 November 2026 one drivers’ association gave its fares as Rs 110 for the first kilometre and Rs 90 for each kilometre after (about AUD 0.48 and 0.39). It planned to ask the NTC for Rs 120 and Rs 100, but other associations opposed an immediate rise, Newswire reported.
The Western Province made meters compulsory from 15 January 2022, the Sunday Times reported, and other provinces were to follow. GOV.UK still tells visitors to agree a price before setting off or look for a tuk-tuk whose meter works.
PickMe’s ride page lists tuk-tuks, motorbikes, small cars, cars and vans. Before you confirm, the app shows an estimated fare; at busy times it adds surge pricing. You can pay by cash, card or digital wallet.
On Uber’s site there are city pages for Colombo, Negombo and Beruwala. The Colombo page lists cars, vans, motorbikes and a tuk-tuk option Uber calls “CNG”. According to Smartraveller, ride-share apps work in major cities once you have a local SIM, which our Sri Lanka SIM card guide covers.
Smartraveller warns that women may face unwanted attention and harassment, and asks them to take care in markets, on public buses and in tuk-tuks. If a driver worries you, GOV.UK advises switching to another tuk-tuk or taxi.
Can tourists drive in Sri Lanka? What Australians need
Tourists can drive, with the right papers, but the official sources do not agree on which papers. The Australian Automobile Association and its member clubs, such as RACQ in Queensland, are the only authorised sellers of an International Driving Permit (IDP) to Australian licence holders. It costs A$55 plus postage and follows the 1949 Convention. It lasts 12 months, or until your licence card expires if that comes first. Carry the physical card with it, because the AAA says digital licences are not valid overseas. What else you need in Sri Lanka, and who issues it, is where the advice splits three ways.
- Smartraveller (updated 14 August 2026) says either an IDP endorsed by the Automobile Association of Sri Lanka, or a temporary licence from the Department of Motor Traffic (DMT).
- GOV.UK says you need a 1949 IDP and a “recognition permit” from the Automobile Association of Ceylon. Canada (updated 2 November 2026) names three places for a temporary licence or recognition certificate: the airport permit counter, that association and the DMT office at Werahera.
- On 19 February 2026 the police listed what a foreigner hiring a vehicle may hold: an IDP valid for the vehicle class, a DMT permit or a DMT conversion certificate. They added that no organisation other than the DMT, “including the Automobile Association”, may issue licences or temporary permits to foreigners, Ada Derana reported.
Under its circular 2022/14, the DMT can give a visiting foreigner a temporary licence for five months or the rest of the visa, whichever is shorter. It covers motorcycles and light vehicles. Because the sources conflict, ask your hire company which document it needs, then confirm with the DMT before you drive.
The police warned that foreigners driving without a valid licence will be prosecuted, with a fine of Rs 25,000 to Rs 50,000 (about AUD 109 to 217). They added that five foreigners died in road accidents while driving in 2025. Smartraveller calls driving “hazardous” and standards “poor”, and says travel or vehicle insurance may not cover you without an IDP or Sri Lankan licence.
Domestic flights: Cinnamon Air’s winter timetable
Cinnamon Air is a domestic airline with scheduled flights, and Rough Guides calls it the main operator. Its winter timetable runs from 1 November to 30 April and lists these daily flights from Colombo’s Bandaranaike airport.
| From Colombo airport to | Leaves | Arrives | Stops |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kandy | 10:30 | 11:00 | Direct |
| Castlereagh (Hatton) | 10:30 | 11:00 | Direct |
| Sigiriya | 11:00 | 11:30 | Direct |
| Koggala (for Galle) | 11:00 | 13:15 | Via Sigiriya |
| Hambantota (for Yala) | 11:00 | 12:30 | Via Sigiriya |
| Trincomalee | 14:30 | 15:15 | Direct |
| Batticaloa (for Pasikudah) | 14:30 | 16:00 | Via Trincomalee |
The page shows no fares. Trincomalee’s beach season falls mid-year, as our Trincomalee guide explains, which is outside this timetable.
Fuel rationing and other things that slow travel
The National Fuel Pass is Sri Lanka’s QR-code fuel ration, and it came back at 6am on 15 March 2026, Newsfirst reported. The weekly quotas announced were 15 litres for cars and three-wheelers and 40 litres for vans. Tourism businesses may draw double the standard quota, the Deputy Minister of Tourism said in March, according to the Daily Mirror.
Smartraveller’s advice still described the system on 8 November 2026, and Canada said on 2 November that fuel for personal vehicles is limited. So check before you hire: Smartraveller says to make sure a hired vehicle is registered and has a valid QR code.
Weather and protests slow travel as well. Smartraveller says flooding and landslides happen in the monsoons (the north-east from December to March, the south-west from May to October). It adds that demonstrations can disrupt traffic and public transport. It also warns of minefields in the north and in some eastern areas, so keep to main roads there. Every dated change is listed on our Sri Lanka travel updates page.
How long the main roads take
We ran each leg through the OpenStreetMap car router on 8 November 2026, so these are router estimates. For the plan time we add 30 per cent to the router time, or 50 per cent on legs to or from Kandy or Ella, then round up to the half hour. That is our planning rule for traffic and stops, not a measured time.
| Leg | Distance | Router time | Plan time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airport to Colombo | 33 km | 29 min | 1 h |
| Airport to Kandy | 113 km | 2 h | 3 h |
| Airport to Sigiriya | 144 km | 2 h 37 min | 3.5 h |
| Airport to Galle | 153 km | 2 h 2 min | 3 h |
| Colombo to Kandy | 116 km | 2 h 15 min | 3.5 h |
| Kandy to Sigiriya | 89 km | 1 h 48 min | 3 h |
| Kandy to Ella | 133 km | 2 h 39 min | 4 h |
| Ella to Tissamaharama | 89 km | 1 h 42 min | 3 h |
| Tissamaharama to Mirissa | 117 km | 1 h 50 min | 2.5 h |
| Sigiriya to Trincomalee | 104 km | 2 h 3 min | 3 h |
| Ella to Arugam Bay | 135 km | 2 h 32 min | 4 h |
Which way to travel suits your trip
For a first fortnight across Sigiriya, Kandy, the tea hills and a beach, a car with a driver covers the road legs. A train ride from Nanu Oya to Badulla can still fit into a day, with the driver meeting you at the far station.
A slower budget trip down the west and south coasts can rely on public transport. The expressway coaches and the Coast line (no suspension reported to 8 November 2026) link Colombo, Galle and Matara, and tuk-tuks or PickMe cover the last few kilometres. If time is short, a plane helps: Cinnamon Air’s direct flight from the airport to Sigiriya takes 30 minutes on its timetable, against a plan time of 3.5 hours by road.
Lonely Planet (updated 25 August 2025) reports that buses lack wheelchair access and very few trains have it. For wheelchair users, it says, private cars and vans work best.
If you would like a car and driver for your route, you can send us your dates and plans.
Questions about getting around Sri Lanka
What’s the best way to travel around Sri Lanka?
On a first trip across several regions, a car with a driver handles the road legs, and a train ride and tuk-tuks fill the gaps. Along the coast, a budget traveller can manage with buses, apps and the Coast line, which had no reported suspension when we checked on 8 November 2026.
Is Uber available in Sri Lanka?
Yes. Uber has city pages for Colombo, Negombo and Beruwala, and its Colombo page lists a tuk-tuk option. PickMe, the local app, also shows a fare estimate before you book.
Can I drive in Sri Lanka with an Australian licence?
Not on its own. Smartraveller says you need an IDP endorsed by the Automobile Association of Sri Lanka or a temporary DMT licence. Australians buy the IDP from the AAA and its clubs for A$55. In February 2026, however, the police said only the DMT may issue permits to foreigners, so confirm with the DMT and your hire company first.
Are trains running in the hill country?
On the latest reports, only between Nanu Oya and Badulla (Newswire, 26 October 2026). By 8 November 2026 we found no report that Gampola to Nanu Oya, or any line into Kandy, had reopened.
How much does a tuk-tuk cost per kilometre?
There is no official national tariff we could find. On 2 November 2026 one drivers’ association gave its fares as Rs 110 for the first kilometre and Rs 90 after that. GOV.UK advises agreeing the price first or finding a working meter, while an app shows the fare before you book.
Top photo: Colombo Fort railway station, 1 April 2015. Photo: Alexey Komarov, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
