Sri Lanka in February sees out the north-east monsoon, which the Department of Meteorology counts as December to February and which mostly affects the north-east of the island (Department of Meteorology). Galle, Colombo and Katugastota, near Kandy, all average less rain in February than in any other month (WMO climate normals). Anuradhapura, in the Cultural Triangle, has rain on only about four days (WMO normals: Anuradhapura). The catch is demand: February brought more visitors than any other month of 2026 up to August (SLTDA).
Key takeaways
- February is the driest month of the year at Galle, Colombo and Katugastota on the 1991 to 2020 averages.
- Nuwara Eliya has its coldest nights of the year in February, and ground frost is common on Horton Plains.
- In 2027, Independence Day is on 4 February and Navam Poya on 20 February, and the Navam Perahera is listed for 19 and 20 February.
- Whales, surf, Sigiriya, Adam’s Peak and wetland birds suit February. Arugam Bay doesn’t.
- Trains into the hills were still suspended in late September 2026, so our route is by road.
Sri Lanka weather in February
The table uses WMO station averages for 1991 to 2020 (WMO climate normals). January is wetter than February at every station, though only by about 2 mm in Colombo. March is wetter again at Colombo, Galle, Katugastota and Bandarawela, while the east coast dries further (WMO climate normals).
| Station (area) | Feb rain (mm) | Rain days (1 mm+) | Feb high / low (°C) | Jan rain (mm) | Mar rain (mm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colombo (west coast) | 77 | 5.1 | 31.6 / 23.6 | 80 | 103 |
| Galle (south-west coast) | 71 | 5.8 | 30.7 / 23.7 | 87 | 90 |
| Hambantota (south-east coast) | 47 | 4.0 | 31.5 / 23.6 | 68 | 47 |
| Anuradhapura (Cultural Triangle) | 60 | 4.3 | 32.2 / 22.2 | 86 | 62 |
| Katugastota (near Kandy) | 78 | 6.1 | 30.2 / 18.7 | 103 | 98 |
| Nuwara Eliya (high hills) | 73 | 6.7 | 21.0 / 10.2 | 116 | 72 |
| Bandarawela (near Ella) | 96 | 10.3 | 24.4 / 14.9 | 153 | 138 |
| Trincomalee (north-east coast) | 96 | 4.7 | 30.1 / 24.3 | 152 | 55 |
| Pottuvil (by Arugam Bay) | 137 | 7.7 | 30.6 / 22.8 | 263 | 61 |
South-west coast: Galle and Colombo at their driest
Galle, the station nearest Weligama, averages 71 mm spread over roughly six wet days, its lowest figures for both in any month (WMO normals: Galle). Colombo’s 77 mm is its lowest monthly total too, and the city reaches at least 30°C on about 27 of February’s 28 days (WMO normals: Colombo). The southern sea is calmest from November to April (Love Sri Lanka). Even so, the current off Weligama is sometimes strong and hard to predict (Wikivoyage), so ask locally before you swim.
Cultural Triangle and Kandy: dry, and warming up
Anuradhapura gets 60 mm on about four days in February, and its average high rises from 30.4°C in January to 32.2°C in February and 34.8°C in March (WMO normals: Anuradhapura). Katugastota, near Kandy, has its driest month of the year: 78 mm on about six days (WMO normals: Katugastota).
Hill country: dry days, frosty nights
Nuwara Eliya has fewer rain days in February than in any other month, about seven, and its average low of 10.2°C is the coldest of the year (WMO normals: Nuwara Eliya). Horton Plains, the highland stop in our guide to birding trips in February, lies at 2,100 to 2,300 m and has its dry season from January to March (Wikipedia). Ground frost is common there in February, and its World’s End cliff drops 870 m (Wikipedia). Around Ella it’s damper: Bandarawela, the closest station, still logs 96 mm over about ten days (WMO normals: Bandarawela).
How busy is Sri Lanka in February?
The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority counted 279,328 arrivals in February 2026, the highest monthly total of 2026 up to August and 16.2% more than in February 2025 (SLTDA). The Gangaramaya Temple says it put its Navam Perahera in February because the month was considered off-season for tourists, and it has held the procession every year since 1979 (Gangaramaya Temple). Its chief incumbent says February arrivals started to rise once the perahera began (Gangaramaya Temple).
February 2027 holidays and the Navam Perahera
February 2027 has two public holidays (Central Bank of Sri Lanka):
- Sri Lanka Independence Day, Thursday 4 February, marks the end of British rule in 1948. The main ceremony, with the President raising the flag, is usually held in Colombo (Wikipedia).
- Navam Full Moon Poya Day, Saturday 20 February. On poya days the sale of alcohol is banned, and so is drinking in public (Wikivoyage).
Mahasivarathri, the Hindu festival of Shiva (Wikipedia), moves from 15 February in 2026 (Central Bank of Sri Lanka) to Saturday 6 March in 2027 (Central Bank of Sri Lanka).
Navam Perahera at Gangaramaya
Gangaramaya, beside Beira Lake, is one of Colombo’s oldest temples, and its Navam Perahera brings out costumed elephants, drummers, dancers and hundreds of monks (Love Sri Lanka). The temple singles out the main tusker carrying the sacred relic casket, flanked by two other tuskers, as a much-anticipated moment (Gangaramaya Temple). Its website lists the 2027 procession for 19 and 20 February, circling Beira Lake (Gangaramaya Temple), but start times weren’t posted when we checked on 29 September 2026. In 2026, police announced traffic restrictions around the route from 6.30pm on 31 January and 1 February (Daily Mirror).
What February is good for
Whale watching in February
February sits in the middle of the best months for whale watching in Mirissa, December to April, though no one can guarantee a sighting (Love Sri Lanka). Boats leave by 6am (Love Sri Lanka). Blue whales are solitary and sperm whales often travel in pods, and large pods of spinner dolphins may swim alongside the boat (Love Sri Lanka).
Surf on the south coast
Weligama beach is the gentle place to learn, with a soft sea bed, easy waves and a season from September to the end of May (Love Sri Lanka). Midigama’s reef breaks, including the harder Ram’s Right, run from October to April, and Mirissa’s bigger waves from November to March (Love Sri Lanka).
Sigiriya and the Cultural Triangle
Sigiriya’s rock rises about 180 m, and Love Sri Lanka allows at least 2 to 3 hours to climb it (Love Sri Lanka). When we checked on 29 September 2026, the rock was open from 7am to 5pm (Central Cultural Fund). The Central Cultural Fund’s price list, last updated on 24 September 2026, listed USD 35 for a full foreign ticket to Sigiriya and USD 30 apiece for Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa (Central Cultural Fund). With February highs near 32°C at Anuradhapura, climb at opening time; Pidurangala, the rock next door, is on our list of things to do in Sigiriya.
Adam’s Peak
The Adam’s Peak pilgrimage season is busiest in January and February, and about 20,000 people climb on weekends in season (Sri Pada). With Navam Poya on Saturday 20 February 2027 (Central Bank of Sri Lanka), we’d pick a weekday. The path from Dalhousie is 7 km and takes 2.5 to 4 hours up (Sri Pada). Take warm layers for the wind at the summit, and leave plastic bags behind, since they’re banned on the trek (Sri Pada).
Birds and safaris in the south
Bundala National Park is a wintering ground for migratory water birds, best for winter migrants from October to April, and greater flamingos are the easiest to spot (Love Sri Lanka). Kalametiya, near Hambantota, is best from November to March (Love Sri Lanka). Yala generally gets the most tourists from August to March (Ada Derana); our Safari Excursion is a private early-morning jeep safari there or in Udawalawe, with hotel pickup.
Where February doesn’t work: the east coast
Arugam Bay is out of season. Its surf season runs from April to October, and because the November to March wet season stops surfable waves forming, most hotels and restaurants close for those months (Wikivoyage). Pottuvil, the nearest weather station, still averages 137 mm in February, almost double Galle’s (WMO normals: Pottuvil). Trincomalee gets 96 mm, though on only about five days, and March there is far drier, at 55 mm (WMO normals: Trincomalee). Wikivoyage’s best months for that area are April to September (Wikivoyage), close to the May to September window in our Sri Lanka weather by month guide.
Trains: check before you plan
After Cyclone Ditwah damage, services on the Ella line between Nanu Oya and Badulla resumed on 20 June 2026 (Onlanka). On 28 September 2026 the Railway Department announced that regular services between Colombo Fort, Peradeniya and Gampola would resume on the evening of 2 October (Newswire). Trains from Ella still stopped at Nanu Oya, with nothing on to Kandy, when we checked in late September 2026 (Wikivoyage). That may change by February 2027, so check Sri Lanka Railways first.
A two-week February route by road
This 13-night loop needs no train; our guide to Sri Lanka in January runs a similar loop the other way round. OpenStreetMap drive times assume empty roads, so we’ve rounded up.
| Nights | Stay | Plan | Drive from the last stop |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Weligama or Mirissa | Whale boat, surf, Galle | From the airport, usually 3 to 3.5 hours (OpenStreetMap) |
| 1 | Tissamaharama | Birds at Bundala, or a Yala jeep safari | Usually 2 to 2.5 hours (OpenStreetMap) |
| 2 | Ella | Little Adam’s Peak, Ella Rock | Usually 2 to 2.5 hours (OpenStreetMap) |
| 2 | Nuwara Eliya | Horton Plains at dawn | Usually 1.5 to 2 hours (OpenStreetMap) |
| 1 | Dalhousie | Adam’s Peak in the small hours | Usually 2 to 2.5 hours (OpenStreetMap) |
| 1 | Kandy | Temple of the Tooth, Kandy Lake | Usually 2.5 to 3.5 hours (OpenStreetMap) |
| 3 | Sigiriya | Sigiriya at 7am, Dambulla, Polonnaruwa | Usually 2.5 to 3 hours (OpenStreetMap) |
On day 14 the airport is usually 3.5 to 4 hours from Sigiriya (OpenStreetMap). For the perahera on 19 or 20 February 2027, spend your last night in Colombo instead. Sigiriya to Gangaramaya is usually 3.5 to 4.5 hours (OpenStreetMap), and the airport another 1 to 1.5 hours (OpenStreetMap). Days with our private car and driver end in the evening, since drivers need about ten hours off between driving days.
Questions about Sri Lanka in February
Is February a good time to visit Sri Lanka?
In our view, yes, if you stick to the south-west, the ancient cities and the high hills, where February is among the driest months (WMO climate normals).
Is Sri Lanka busy in February?
Yes. Arrivals in February 2026 were 16.2% up on a year earlier (SLTDA), so book early.
Can you see whales in February?
Yes. It’s within Mirissa’s best months, December to April, though no trip can guarantee a sighting (Love Sri Lanka).
Is Arugam Bay good in February?
Not for surf or beach time. Its season is April to October, and most hotels and restaurants there close from November to March (Wikivoyage). For February waves, stay at Weligama, Midigama or Mirissa (Love Sri Lanka).
Plan February 2027 with us
If you’re coming for the Navam Perahera or Adam’s Peak, fix those dates first. Send us your dates and our Weligama team will plan a private route with a driver-guide around the dry side of the island.
We last checked every figure, date, price and drive time here on 29 September 2026, each against the source linked beside it. Any February can bring a wet spell, and dates and timetables move, so confirm before you book.
