Getting Around Sri Lanka

​As I mentioned Sri Lanka really is Travel101. There are many options of how you get around the island, some ridiculously cheap and some a little dearer. You want a bouncy a bus you got it, you want to be chauffer driven, well you got that too. So, the options are…

The Train

We are certainly not talking bullet trains here! However, without a shadow of a doubt my favourite mode of transport. This slow sedate way of cruising through the countryside is simply magic. Most of the trains I have been on offer only 2nd or 3rd class and that’s fine by me. The windows are open the fans are whirling and you feel that you have been transported to a different era. Even when I have had to stand I have found it magical. Couple of tips on the trains…
Get your tickets the day before.

• If you see it’s standing room only be the last on! You get a spot by the door.
• If someone offers to help you get a seat on the train accept the offer! They will literally leap on the train as it’s pulling in. This was only necessary at Colombo Fort.

---

The Bus

Once you’ve done a Sri Lankan bus trip you’ll find it becomes a nice little conversation starter! The trip will become a badge of honour that you can wear proudly stating that you are a real traveller! I have chatted to people who have become wide eyed in amazement when I have told them that I travelled to a certain destination by bus. The buses as you will soon find out once you arrive in the country are crazy. 

​There are the red government buses and then there are the primarily blue private ones, which if I was to be told were possessed I’d not my head in a way which communicated that I understood. The buses will sometimes have a high powered screeching sound, they blow horns that are part of a symphony,  they have drivers who struggle with a steering wheel that is wider than their reach and of course they travel and overtake at break neck speeds. Having said all that I still love getting on a bus. They are entertaining and other passengers particularly the school children will stare at you with a look of what the hell are you doing here which I love. Music will often be blaring and some will even have a TV screen playing musical movies or some sort of talent show. I’m still unsure as to whether it’s there for entertainment or to keep your mind off what is happening on the road! I had one bus trip on the south coast where the volume and base were turned up so much the windows rattled like a dodgy nightclub you’d frequent in your younger years! Couple of tips on the buses...

• For an intercity trip I visit the bus station the day before to make sure I get the departure times.
• I get there early to make sure I get my desired spot on the bus.
• I like to sit right behind the back door on the back row, this normally blocks my view ahead which is a good thing I assure you.
• The buses are super cheap so make sure you have small denomination notes on you.
• On some buses you may get charged for your bags.
• I have found the middle of the day to be a quieter time to travel, however, that could be coincidence!

 
Finally, the buses tend to be so bouncy that if you’re wearing a fitbit it will do wonders for your averages. On one trip from Mullaitivu to Trincomalee I literally added 20,000 steps to my days total!


​

---