My Sri Lanka Travel Tips After 2 Week of Backpacking Sri Lanka 

Thank you for visiting Sri Lanka. Our tourists arrivals is increasing very fast. Last year 2.1 million and our population is only 21 million so about 1/10 as much of our population have visited our country. That has contributed a lot to our economy and it will help to increase the facilities in public transport and infrastructure.

I'm a Pakistani, working in Saudi Arabia as travel agent. Visited Sri Lanka last year in Jan 2017 and am planning to visit again in Feb 2019. I didn't try to "SAVE MONEY" so I booked 4 Star hotels , each and everything were SUPER PERFECT & not expensive at all. Sri Lanka is BEST PLACE to visit 👍 Love from Pakistan ❤

I have been tamil nadu recently and visited rameswaram also adam bridge. I have to say that sri Lanka looks pretty clean in comparison with Indian side.

We lost everthing during the war time. But we stand up again by alone so quickly.. Thats the greatness of sri lanka. We wil bring up our sri lanka to the best in south Asia very soon.if you go to sri lanka go with love then you will find everything lovely.....

I have been to Sri Lanka 3 times and I love everything about it. It’s definitely cleaner than it’s south Asian neighbours. Food is great and the scenery is beautiful.

I've been to Sri-Lanka 3 times previously and returning again in July of this year. Sri-Lanka is a untapped gem where it's people are kind, generous and friendly. Haggle with Tuk Tuk drivers because they will overcharge if you let them. But overall you will have a great experience in Sri-Lanka. My favourite hotel is the Hilton Colombo.

Sri Lanka is so beautiful!

Im Sri Lankan and I think this chap gave a fair assessment. He loved the country and was honest about his experience and some of the problems. We can only improve with constructive criticisms.

Rent a small car and travel. You will really enjoy. Visits villages. Never stay in Colombo. If you go to Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa, you will see real nature of Sri Lanka.

One of the best countries to travel. Sri Lanka is safe and amazing 🇱🇰

You could take uber or pick-me services now in Sri Lanka. For anyone thinking of coming here. just get the phone app and you're good to go. But it's more common in western province

Dude 5500 LKR for THISSA To ELLA ? Its a good deal .. !! Even a local don't complaint of things that you mentioned in this video. You just a window shopper!!!

I live in Australia. The comforts and luxury you get in Sri Lankan 5 star hotels are far better than Australian 5 star hotels . And the Sri Lankan buffet / meals in those 5 star hotels are far better than Australian 5 star meals . And the most important thing the price in those 5 star hotels in Sri Lanka lesser than Australian 5 star hotel rates . But the thing is you can’t expect luxury from airBNB hotels . And those public transport are for some of those Sri Lankan people ( financially struggling) who can’t afford their own cars / taxi to go to work etc . Those type of public transport is definitely not for travellers who need comfort and relaxation and to Holliday out. I’m not sure why travellers want to use this type of cheap mode of transport that are meant for people for day to day transport and for those who actually struggle in poverty. Please use taxi or Uber or chauffeur driven cars, which some of them are very comfortable and luxurious and doesn’t have the price tag of developed countries. If you want to travel cheap can use tuk tuk instead for short distances, but have to be cautious with some of the tuk tuk drivers over pricing

Very informational! love it! subbed! Excited to see more upcoming vlogs!

Will be visiting Sri Lanka soon and I appreciate your video, very informative.

For anyone visiting Sri Lanka best advise would be don't go for the cheapest option. That is not the best way to see the gorgeous island. Remember all ur 'expensive' pricing help support many industries that depend on tourism. Spending that little bit extra can be the difference between saving 2 - 3 days in idle travel time. As mentioned in these comments u get what u pay for. Don't sacrifice the chance to see amazing beauty for $1000 bucks extra in ur bank account. Simply not worth it.

Thank you for visiting Sri Lanka..come back soon. Good Health and Happiness to you all.

Thank you so much for sharing good information!! :DThis is very useful for me before I visit Sri Lanka this winter

Good Job. Very informative . Can't understand why there are over 200 dislikes. I think you were honest and positive overall.

Great information as usual, all the important stuff.

Pretty accurate description of Sri Lanka. You guys seamed a lot more patient with the public transportation situation that I did. Also you’re right it could be better organized, but it was far worse than it is now just a few years ago. Although it’s a bit chaotic at the moment, once the country learns to handle its visitors better it will be the best place to visit. My only advice to tourists is that you please respect the local culture. Sri Lankan’s are extremely friendly people and would go out of their way to help you if you show them that you appreciate them. All in all, I enjoyed watching this video!

Even a local, the prices you mentioned are really good. 🙄🙄🙄

Thanks so much. Very helpful. Travelling in a month !

Even we stay in a more convenient place when we travel around our country.....so it's very rude of saying negative things regarding the accomadations,food and transportation etc....Bcz if you wanna experience a great journey,you probably stay in star hotels like kingsburry,cinnamon grand,hilton,galadari,taj samudra,galle face hotel,jet wing hotel etc....and use private transportation modes....I kindly request those who read these comments,friends....just search and be aware how my little country looks like and how great people and scenic places and hospitality we've got...cheers bro...invite you all just visit our country once....you'll feel what a wonderful journey you have experienced and it will be remembered in your entire life...cheers....

Guys, surprising to hear such comments about Sri Lanka. It’s a paradise island!

The internet’s still better than Australia’s.

there are many transportation options available such as pick me, uber, etc... even most of locals use them because of safety & reliability. as a Sri Lankan we think its fair prices. Buses are busy during the rush hours (before and after the school / office work) anyway thank you for visiting Sri Lanka 🙏🙏🙏

Bro, *Try to stay in 3,4 or 5 star hotels & use rent a car/ motorbike / hotel transport with a driver * Find food from some good restaurents * Buy your own sim card & activate mobile date (Dialog, Airtel) * Always bring enough money when you travel then you wouldn't be complaining

cheer up man you're on holiday! i have been to Sri Lanka and you gotta just put up with things like having dhal spilt over you on a train or a wild elephant stopping traffic. In fact often it is the more unfortunate events that make for the best stories years later.

Thank you for visiting Sri Lanka 🇱🇰 🤝 ❤❤

Don't use regular tuk tuk in srilanka..if you wanna ride in a tuk tuk just use uber or pivk me. Even we are srilankans sometimes we also get scammed by these tuk tuk drivers.. use public transportation and it will save you few bugs. Hope you liked visiting our county and hope you'll come again. 😁

We all love our country but its not perfect we all know that too. He is just sharing his experience. Without shitting on everything just learn to take take the positive aspect of criticism. Commenting like you just came out of the jungle wont help tourism grow or give our country a good reputation.

I dont think you'll get anything good for cheap prices in any country. If you want good quality service you need to pay more. Most of the free wifi is always slow in sri lanka. And if you realy want seats on a train try booking Exporail , Rajadhani express you'll get a good quality service. Uber is cheaper than other countries. See whether the tuk tuks have meters before getting in so they cant overcharge you and make sure you remind them to turn it on. Use PICKME (pickme is a app like uber) app if for tuk tuk bookings they cant overcharge when you use that.

Thank you for visiting our paradise island!

Sri Lankan men are so good looking

I can not agree that internet is slow. Maybe in jungle, but in most places it was always 4G (if you use local sim card, which cost 10$ for 200 miniutes worldwide, 10GB of broadband).

Kevin McHale is a backpacker? I kid, new subscriber here, thanks for posting. Go Celtics!!!

If you're traveling on road in a city area, Avoid 6.30-7.45 am and 12.30 - 2.30 pm and 5.00 - 7.30 pm. In those times, roads are usually crowded.

Thank you for visiting my country.

Sri Lanka is by FAR the best country to visit in South Asia! If you are a picky first world country tourist that will have an attitude then you will not enjoy it. Even the A/C busses will not be as cool as the busses in USA. Get over it! It’s a 3 rd world country. If you want luxury like that go to Europe. If you are down for a gem 💎 of natural beauty, nice people, delicious food and breathtaking views go there!! I am Mexican and I love, love Sri Lanka.

Hi ,thanks for the video)let me ask what about tap water IS safe for Wash the mouth ir not ? Cause in india not ?

thank you for visiting sri lanka

I am sri lankan all he said is true but the bus service is great. He could have used a A/C bus service or semi luxuary bus service which charge double the price but no crowd gets on. The crowd is limited. I disagree on the complain he maid on the bus service.

Internet isn't that slow in Sri Lanka, But may be in some Airbnb places you stayed, My wifi gets between 20-42mbps.

Hi. Can you tell me what camera you used for this video please? Thanks in advance

My airbnbs in Lisbon (I have 4 flats) offer shampoo, if you ever decide to visit Portugal :-) Thanks for all your tips, I plan to visit Sri Lanka ins 2019.

Welcome..❤

thank you for visiting sri lanka and I apologise as a sri lankan for some difficulties. probably our government should improve the service quality for the foriegn visitors.thanks for this video and hope you visit again our country.

Hi Anyone can state their own opinion.....budget is budget I saved up and visited sri teice ehen I had a good job ...stayed in 5 star eith driver all my trips included eent back in guest jouses also very good ..went to yala but also other eildlife sanctuaries ewhere I could and they were trips of a lifetime...was not much to do at night but was really hot so didnt care wonderful and eould do it all again

Can’t expect good things to come buy if you are on budget. Stop complaining about an amazing country that have a lot to offer if you put some money into it. Go to work and get rich so you can enjoy. I know where you live. I am typing this in the same section of the city we are in. I am watching you. Sweet nightmares!

Sri lanka is awesome country and beautiful country ever i see

Thank you. You could add that certain people prey on insufficiently suspicious holidaymakers by operating scams. Beware! :)

wow!!

Everythings are there lots of place s are there sigiria beaches botanical garden lots

Have to say though that sri lanka has five star luxury if you are willing to pay the price...of course the price will be more if you want great services it is like that in every country...these things you mentioned in the video are issues u face when you go for the cheaper option...we have got some amazing hotels...great transport especially for tourist who are willing the pay the price ..I mean tissa to ella transport price is very cheap in a locals perspective...just because sri lanka is a devoloping nation does not mean everything is cheap...

be careful in street market example king coconut one is only 50 rs...but someone sale to foreigners 150rs

Why did you come to Sri Lanka?????

Backpacking is living in hostels eating cheap food and using public transportation. Thanks for the video

There are Sri Lankan Western Bands that They do English Songs that most of Popular Songs in the Western Music Scene One of the Band Electric Avenua Sri Lanka Can Watch in the You Tube Enjoy this Video and Be Happy in Sri Lanka Have Nice Days to Come.

Thanks

You should check out what happened to Sihanoukville in Cambodia when the chinese built hotels,casinos and other ''cool'' stuff.

Dont expect luxury spending less

Great video and very helpful. We spent 6 days in Sri Lanka, mainly Galle, and enjoyed it. Check out our last video in Galle Sri Lanka and tell s what you think?

As a Sri Lankan, I recommend not to visit popular places in SL, because they are crowded and usually scammers are there. If you really want to visit one of those famous places, go on a weekday. Weekends or holidays are very crowded with locals. But there are so many beautiful places that has not revealed by travelers. Many of them are isolated.

I wonder if any sci-fi/Arthur C. Clarke fans make pilgrimages to his former home in Sri Lanka?

Just to make a clarification there - Buses owned by the government (Red ones) are way faster than the private ones and the cost is the same except for the A/C ones.

i want to investment for my new hotel in sri lanka.plz comment

You are mostly welcome to sri lanka bro..!! Yes, alcohol and cigarettes are expensive i have to admit that but its not good for health though..!! :) However in a small amount of time you can see lots of things in here mainly the climate change, eco difference, larger wild life( yes we are gifted with that) also you missed the gorgeous elephants, also you have to visit nuwa elila, kandy, sigiriya( which is the rock fortress), Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Galle fort ( magnificent site to see) Hikkaduwa, White water rafting in kithulgala, we have tons of water falls ( visit my channel), tones of view points etc..

I like your honesty !

You live in DONGGUAN cuz I see you in some restaurant in here. Betcha know Dynacity. You Yanks like American foods so I recommend Pals, One for the Road, or some bars. There are some pretty lit bars round here to pick up some chicks ya know

Surf paradise unakuruwa beach front room restaurant available sri lanka

Good country

wellcome to srilanka

im sri lankan visit again its beautiful

Don’t expect all facilities in different countries. It depends. If you’re creating a bad picture about a particular country definitely it bad. If you can’t deal with culture weather nature or if you’re disgust so don’t travel. Just stay at home.

great video! :) yes of course>Super cheap bus rides !!!! :) I prefer (red)government buses for a fast ride! :)

You said you hired a car for a trip that took 2 1/2 hours (90 Kilometers) for 35 dollars. And the bus would have cost a fraction of the cost, but that was a really awful comparison for a tourist who in their home country would have paid significantly more for the same journey. As a traveler you have to compare it with what you have back home, if its significantly more than what you would pay back home, then its a scam. For example, If you had taken an Uber for a 2 1/2 hour in the US, it would have cost you at least 75-100 dollars, so 35 dollars is pretty cheap for a private car. You said you went backpacking, but it doesn't look like that to me. There is a huge difference between being a cheap traveler, roughing it as it is with most backpackers (which you didnt do) AND being a cheap/petty person. You are the latter. As a person who has travel to over 50 countries, i don't think i would take any of your recommendations and the only thing i liked about your video is all the people below who provided their input. Ive never been to sri lanka, but have been to other under developed countries and this looks pretty nice in comparison to other places I've been to. Your video just came off as a complaint. I would change your tone on your next video. Take some notes, on how to make a video from this guy next time: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-epmQYVLvnjU.html.

nice video

I HEAR THEM PEACOCKS 😭❤ HOMMMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE I MISS YOUUU

Actually tuktuks and pickme are cheap..I mean I go everywhere in them...buses and trains are verrrry cheap..that is because it is a govt service for most part...

Geared more towards backpackers

I love this video! I'll be going back to Sri Lanka in May. May I ask which airline you flew to get there?

Just came from a two weeks holiday from SL. A police officer stopped our privately hired car and requested for a ride share. It was a very uncomfortable feeling. Our tour driver couldn’t say no. Just watch out for these unexpected things. Other than that superb place to visit

7:51 alchohol is easy to find but expensive because lots of poor families stuggle from alcoholism so it is discouraged. Coffee is hard to find because we are more tea people than coffee. There is good cafes in Colombo outside of Colombo not much. Internet slow,public transportation is crowded and sucks yess cuz we are still developing economy we have our struggles. Please have a smile and enjoy because in 10 years things will.become more expensive. Cheers

Mate us backpackers don't spend $30 a night on hotels!

hi man i want to vist sri lanka any advice am very scare

Beautiful forests like willpatthu and sripaadha forest is now cutting down by ministers of srilankan govenment. Most people in srilanka love nature , but not the govenment . They sell valuable nature spots. How can they increases tourism like this. :(

Slow internet? Were you trying to access the free WiFi spots at the stations? Since you are looking just for cheap options I wouldn't be surprised! 😂😂😂

Nice

Just left my third time my husband sri lankan

2.08 Elephants u missed elephants. The biggest land animal 🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘😤😤😤😤😤

good

Sri Lanka has a lot more to offer. It is a paradise. This video does not show the breathtaking views of its golden beaches, tea estates etc. And my gosh,, talk about Sri Lankan food.

Busses will not charge random charges. There is a tarrif.

Itchy Feet, as many of the other commenters have stated, you get what you pay for. Sri Lanka is a beautiful and friendly country, but it is a developing nation. Many locals rely on tourism to increase their livelihood due to the significantly rising cost of life in the country. The currency conversion is roughly Rs180 to 1 USD. While I agree that some of the 5 star hotels are expensive, excellent quality food, mobile wifi and transportation options can be purchased for a fraction of the price it would cost in a more developed country in the west - or even other parts of Asia. By scrimping and trying to see the country 'on the cheap' as you are, you are not contributing to the Sri Lankan economy or its people! In fact you are contributing less than a local Sri Lankan tourist, living in Sri Lanka would do! Tourists like you are not helping the country and in fact , you are perpetuating a new type of economic pillage. You are haggling and trying to get the most out of poor people who are trying to make ends meet to feed their children and parents. I have spoken with many little 'kade' (small restaurant owners), and tuk tuk drivers, many of whom say that tourists such as yourself act as if you were poorer than they are! While bargaining is fine, there is a limit to how aggressive you should be. I have heard stories of western tourists haggling over the price of a bread bun! (Something that no local would ever dream of doing!)Just as we consumers in the west pay more for ethically sourced clothes and food, we should be more ethical about our tourism choices when abroad. ( and don't argue that you are buying direct from the source- you may be- but at a much cheaper price and less profit for that source who's livelihood depends on this! I'm not saying you should not backpack in Sri Lanka. By all means, please do. The locals are kind and are cultured to be polite and helpful to all, more so , those they perceive as disadvantaged. They will welcome you whether you are a prince or a pauper. Please don't abuse that generosity of spirit that is inherent in the Sri Lankan culture. Please also remember that you can have a wonderful time here at a significantly cheaper price than many other countries if you stay in 3 star hotels and take upgraded local transportation options. Please don't complain and post videos about not getting a 5 star experience on a less than basic budget! PS. with regards to your concerns about the stray dogs, being a buddhist country , they don't euthanize the dogs. You are more than welcome to make an online donation to one of the many Sri Lankan animal welfare charities that are trying to give these animals a decent home.

Sri Lanka is NOT built for budget tourism ,they are expecting wealthy tourists with all those star hotels around the country , but it is high time that they focus on budget tourists as well

Beautiful colours! You should check out my landscape aerial videos when you get chance.

I also found the people of Sri Lanka not so honest with tourists. They regard them there for the taking.

You not waching elephent 🤔 . Thats a big big mistack .

I live there