Monthly weather in Sri Lanka. Climate features. rainy season and dry season. We find out when and on which part of the island it is better to go on vacation.

February

Precipitation is practically absent. Many tourists consider February the most suitable for holidays. During the day it is stably warm - about +29 ... +30 ° С, at night from + 20 ° С to + 23 ° С, the water in the ocean is about + 28 ° С. The most comfortable weather stands in the southwest of Sri Lanka: in Beruwala about + 30 ° C, in Colombo up to + 32 ° C.

Beach in Bentota. Why not paradise? (Photo © booking.com / Rockside Beach Resort)

March

Daytime air temperature +31...+33°С, nighttime +24...+25°С. The water in the ocean is about +29°С. The number of rainy days is increasing, the showers are becoming longer and stronger, there may be thunderstorms. In the southwestern part of the island - Bentota, Negombo, Wadduwa - winds blow at the beginning of the month, sometimes there are short and warm showers.

April

April is the last month before the rainy season and is the hottest. The amount of precipitation almost doubles. The air temperature rises and reaches +34°C during the day, +27°C at night, the water in the ocean is +28...+29°C. You can go on vacation in April to any resort in Sri Lanka, but for a beach holiday at the end of the month, it is better to prefer the resorts of the northeast coast.

May

The monsoons are starting to kick in. Very hot and humid: +32...+34°C during the day, +28°C at night, few sunny days, frequent tropical showers. The southwestern region is flooding. The ocean water becomes cloudy and unsuitable for swimming. In the north-east of the country it is sunny and about +30°С, there is little rain. The island's coolest resort, Nuwara Eliya, reaches maximum temperatures: +27°C during the day, +18°C at night.


Batticaloa - the northeastern resort of Sri Lanka (Photo © booking.com / Naval Beach Villa & Rooms)

June

The rainy season is in full swing, there are few sunny days. Most of the time it rains at night, with cloudy days. It is very damp in the southern part of the island, in the northeast it is drier and more sunny. The water is +28°C, but swimming is difficult because of the strong waves. average temperature air + 31 ° C, although it feels much higher.

July

Monsoons join heavy tropical showers, hot and strong winds do not bring the expected coolness. It is very rainy in the west, sometimes rivers overflow, causing floods. It is hot and sunny on the northeast coast - in Batticaloa and Trincomalee + 35 ° C during the day, in Jaffna + 32 ° C, water in the ocean + 26 ... + 28 ° C.


Rainy season in Sri Lanka (Photo © Denish C / flickr.com / Licensed CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

August

In August, there is less rainfall in Sri Lanka, but the humidity remains high. Cloudy, although sometimes sunny days slip through. The weather in Sri Lanka in August creates acceptable conditions for relaxing on the southwestern coast of the island - in Kandy, Bentota and Galle (about + 30 ° C), but sometimes waves appear. In the northeast, the ocean is calm and warm - up to +29°С, air temperature during the day is +34°С.

Weather in Sri Lanka

September

The weather in Sri Lanka in September has not yet settled down, it is still overcast, a frequent occurrence is zenithal rains. It is stormy in the southwest, although the water is warm. In Galle +28...+30°С during the day, +26°С at night. In Bentota there is a strong wave, and in Unawatuna a lagoon protects from waves. In the northeast, it is warm and there is much less precipitation.

October

It is best to relax in October in Sri Lanka in the east of the country, as the western monsoons are in effect. In Trincomalee and Batticaloa during the day + 33 ° C, at night about + 25 ° C. However, by the end of the month, the weather in the northeast begins to deteriorate - the rainy season is approaching. For a beach holiday in the south of Sri Lanka, only the Unawatuna lagoons are suitable, the ocean is calm and warm up to + 29 ° С. It's hot and rainy in Colombo.


Beach in Trincomalee (Photo © booking.com / Sasvi Cabana)

November

From the second half of the month in Sri Lanka begins a high tourist season. At the end of November, it is already dry and warm in the southwest: the air temperature is +29...+30°С during the day, +26°С at night. The water temperature in the ocean is +27°С. In the northeast it rains, the monsoon exerts its influence.

December

December in Sri Lanka is considered the coolest month. Rains are rare. During the day +28...+30°С, at night +23...+24°С. The ocean is warm - up to +28°C. In the southwest, the beach holiday season is in full swing, in the east it rains, but most often at night. The mountains are cold and humid.


Beach in Hikkaduwa (Photo © iris0327 / flickr.com / Licensed CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Features of the climate of Sri Lanka in different parts of the island

in Ceylon beach holidays are possible all year round. It is only necessary to take into account that the climate of Sri Lanka is slightly different in different parts countries. In the northeast the climate is subequatorial, in the southwest - equatorial.

In Sri Lanka two seasons- rainy season and dry season. The monsoons have a huge impact: from October to March, the northeast monsoon acts, from May to September - the southwest. Monsoons bring rain and storms. In the inter-monsoon period, zenithal rains can be observed - this is when short showers fall in the afternoon (the sun is at its zenith).

Medium air temperature in the daytime +28...+30°С, the water in the ocean warms up to +27°С. The climate in the coastal zone is fresher and more pleasant than in places remote from the ocean - it is hotter there, more humid.

The island is flat, divided by the Central mountain range. in mountainous area mean annual temperature+23°C, in high mountainous places the temperature can be much lower. One of the coldest places on the island is Nuwara Eliya: +16...+18°С during the day and +10°С at night.

Map of Sri Lanka resorts


Full house in the high season in a street cafe in Hikkaduwa (Photo © booking.com / Villa Paradise)

During the rainy season in Sri Lanka, 95% falls annual precipitation. From October to January it rains in the northeast of the island, in summer (May - October) - in the southwest, the likelihood of a tsunami increases, there may be floods due to overflowing rivers.

Despite the fact that during the rainy season in Sri Lanka it is cloudy and damp, low prices tours during this period attract part of the tourists. Even in cloudy weather, you can sunbathe here, and heavy showers occur mainly at night. During the day it can rain 3-4 times for 15-30 minutes. The main disadvantage for vacationers during the rainy season in Sri Lanka is the restless ocean and muddy water.


On the eve of a storm on the beach in Hikkaduwa (Photo © unsplash.com / @maxkuk)

Holiday season in Sri Lanka: when is the best time to go?

From the reviews of tourists, we can conclude that at any time in Sri Lanka there is enough heat and sun, and the water in the Indian Ocean is always warm. For a full-fledged beach holiday, it is better to go to the southwestern part of the island in December-April - it is sunny, dry and there are no winds. But on northeast coast of Sri Lanka the holiday season lasts from May to September. October and November are transitional months with changeable weather.

How to plan a holiday in Sri Lanka:

  1. Look for tours minimum prices on services and It is convenient and reliable.
  2. Check the monthly weather information above.
  3. Look at the month you need.
  4. Find a good hotel based on traveler reviews and location.

Just a few simple steps- and the rest will be great!

Our travel tips:

Intro image source: © Dhammika Heenpella / Images of Sri Lanka / flickr.com / Licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.

Sri Lanka is a tropical country and if you plan to spend a vacation here, you need to be prepared for very changeable weather conditions. According to the majority of tourist sites, the year here is divided into two seasons - dry and rainy. It is believed that the largest number rainfall falls on the island from May to October, when the southwest monsoons formed in the Arabian Sea move on the island. The holiday season is considered to be from November-December to April. But not everything here is so simple. First, the island of Ceylon is large enough in area that completely different weather cyclones could form over its surface. Secondly, the central part of the island is protected by mountains, and if a cyclone approaches the island from one side of the coast, then it is not a fact that it will affect the entire island. Based on such rough calculations (I speak rough, because even weather forecasters cannot predict the weather), it is recommended to relax in the winter months on the southwestern coast of the country, and in the summer months in the north or east.

And in the central high-mountainous part of the island, in general, there is a resort of Nuwara Eliya, which is completely atypical for the tropics. Here in any season of the year almost every day it's raining and the temperature does not rise above 18 degrees. People come here mainly for silence and solitude in the wilderness of tropical thickets. The resort has firmly established the title expensive place holiday favored by the British. Apparently in this place they see their rainy homeland.

But for last years the climate has changed a lot and sometimes at a time when the island should be a solid "wall" of rain, the sun is shining there. And those who escaped from the cold winter days at home in the hope of relaxing in the sun under a palm tree have to look out the window at the dull rain all day.

That's what happened to me. Before the trip, my husband and friends chose the season for a long time. Still, it rains a lot of months of the year according to forecasts in Sri Lanka, and the amount of precipitation is also significant. We didn’t want to get wet at all, and we decided to go in December. This month is considered the peak of the season. When we left the airport, we were alerted by the gloomy sky and some strange rain, which is very similar to our autumn one. When we got from the airport to the hotel, the mood completely deteriorated - the waves on the beaches that could be seen from the car window were such that not only was it impossible to swim there, it was surfing there at the time. The beaches were completely deserted. Mood plummeted to zero.

Arriving at the hotel and getting to know some tourists, we learned that they had arrived a month ago, that is, in November (which is also considered the dry season), and for the whole month they saw only two sunny days!!! We have fallen completely. Why then was it necessary to choose a season - not a season, if it doesn't matter anyway.

Of course, we managed to sunbathe on this trip, but several days of rest were spoiled. When guidebooks say that during the rainy season it rains for only 15 minutes and then you can go on excursions, they are clearly exaggerating. In Thailand, by the way, it was the same with us. It started to rain, after 10 minutes the sun came out and you can go swimming. In Sri Lanka, we spent three days in a row in a room outside the window of which it was raining incessantly. It didn't look like a tropical downpour at all. Swimming at this time is strictly prohibited. Since Sri Lanka is not covered by reefs, very large waves form near the coast. Red flags are placed on the beaches to warn of danger. And I didn’t see anyone wanting to swim there in such weather.

Interested in such natural disasters, we decided to talk with the owner of our hotel. We told him how we chose the trip, focusing on the usual division of the rainy seasons in Sri Lanka. And he just laughed at us. He said that the islanders themselves had long ceased to divide the climate into two seasons. They identified four seasons for themselves, two of which are border seasons: April-May and September-December, when the weather is completely unpredictable. It could be anything. And he warned for the future not to particularly trust such forecasts.

As a result, it turned out that we had a rest according to the sensations in the rainy season, and paid the money as for the dry season. I think you can take a chance to come here in the rainy season. It will definitely be cheaper, somewhere by 50%. But with the weather, too, 50/50. The most expensive months are December-February and, as it turns out, not always the most successful. Peak season here for the New Year. Many hotels are booked half a year in advance. If you are planning a trip to winter holidays, then you should think about the room in the summer. Moreover, the price for the same room will be 100-150% more expensive than usual.

Our December vacation, of course, was a bit tarnished, but still we managed to see a lot and love this country. We will return here for sure.

In the Indian Ocean, east of the southern tip of Hindustan, is the island of Sri Lanka, or Ceylon in the old way. It is covered with great fame as a producer of delicious tea and one of the best places for an exotic beach, educational and recreational holiday.

Geography of resorts

The official capital of the island is a suburb of Colombo with an unpronounceable name. Unofficially, it is Colombo- a typical Asian metropolis, where mixed richest history country and modernity. People go to Sri Lanka for a quiet beach holiday to surf, plunge into Buddhist culture and receive treatment from local experts in Ayurveda. Discos, nightclubs, noisy beach parties are a rarity for the island.

There are several resort destinations. Despite geographical position(only 800 km from the equator) and the possibility of year-round recreation, not on all shores of the island is it comfortable to spend holidays at certain times of the year.

Southwest and south of the island

The resorts of the southwest coast have good infrastructure, there are hotels different levels and all kinds of marine entertainment. Most popular beaches:


Two more resort towns are not at all suitable for a beach holiday, but are rather sightseeing. This Halle, Colombo and Negombo.

Southern resorts - Mirissa, Dikwella, Tangalle- small fishing towns with rather frail service, but beautiful beaches. However, you will not have to enjoy swimming in the ocean here because of the strong waves. True, if desired, you can find quiet coves.

Northeast resorts

In the northeast of Sri Lanka, only one city can be called a resort - Trincomalee. It has everything for a comfortable stay, but it is located far from the airport.

Not far from the resort there are several villages with magnificent, but completely unequipped beaches. These are Uppuveli, Nilaveli and Arugam Bay. Here you can rent unpretentious housing and relax with children - white sandy beaches and the calm ocean contributes to this.

Climate and seasons in Sri Lanka

The south of the island is in the equatorial zone, in the north the climate subequatorial. The seasons depend on the monsoons. These strong hot winds do not make the resorts unsuitable for a beach holiday, but greatly reduce its quality. Monsoons come from the northeast from October to March, from the southwest from June to October.

Going to rest on an exotic island, you need to remember that its shores are washed by the ocean, so most of the beaches are unsuitable, and sometimes even dangerous for swimming.

As in all tropical countries There are two distinct seasons on the island. dry and wet. The dry season lasts from December to the end of March, the wet season from April to October. It is better to go on vacation to Sri Lanka at the beginning of winter - the temperature is kept within a comfortable 28-30 ° C, the ocean warms up to 27 ° C. This time is considered the high tourist season.

Prices during this period go off scale, and a lot of people gather. For Christmas and New Year locals arrange enchanting performances for guests, and hotels - festive balls and banquets. The dry season is the best time for excursion programs. No suffocating heat and showers.

With the advent of April, the low season begins, people leave, and prices fall. Meanwhile, summer months- not the worst time to relax in Sri Lanka. Showers go mainly at night, only by July, midday short-term rains become more frequent.

What to do on the island in different seasons

The uneven weather and the peculiarities of the beaches force tourists to choose resorts depending on the type of recreation they are interested in. beach holiday possible here all year round and the seasonal rains are not a hindrance to him.

windsurfing season

The most beginner-friendly surf sites are located on the west coast of the island in Bentote And Kaluntare. Beaches Negombi not suitable for swimming due to the proximity of large cities. But mid-level surfers feel great on them.

Gulf beaches and Nilaveli in the northeast and Hikkaduwa in the south are suitable for windsurfers of all levels. The season for surfing on the northeast and east coast lasts from May to October, on the southwest - from November to April.

Diving in Sri Lanka

The best time for diving is from November to March, the sea is clear at this time. The best sites are off the coast in the Negombo area. There, 20 km from the coast passes big ridge dotted with coral gardens. The smallest diving depth is 18 meters.

Near beruwellas And Bentota are the most beautiful reefs. These are unique rock formations in which the most diverse marine life is found. close to the peninsula kalpitiya on the west coast is the largest reef in Sri Lanka - bar reef. There you can see reef sharks and almost all representatives of the local marine fauna.

The best time for fishing

European and Russian tourists love sea fishing in south seas. In Sri Lanka, it is especially good because of the abundance and variety of fish in coastal waters.

However, the fish also obey the vagaries of the weather and sometimes move away from the shore. All resorts have special companies that organize marine entertainment and provide equipment.

Fishing can be ordered in almost all medium and large hotels on the southwest coast, but the service is not cheap.

If finances do not allow you to go to sea, it is possible to go fishing on local rivers or lakes. In the south and southwest, a good catch is provided from October to April, in the northeast - from May to September.

whale watching season

The waters near Sri Lanka are where they hibernate and breed blue whales are the largest marine animals. Here you can also see other breeds - baleen and toothed whales, fin whales, sperm whales - up to 26 species in total.

Most of them accumulate from December to April at Cape Dondra, the extreme southern point of the island.

Off the east coast in the Trincomalee area, whales are observed from June to September. good place also considered Aluthgama in the West. Hundreds of thousands of wildlife lovers and just tourists specially go to Sri Lanka to see the sea giants.

Wellness season

What the weather cannot interfere with is visiting Ayurvedic medicine rooms at specialized hotels. Ayurveda is not only the art of healing, it is ancient philosophy aimed at harmonizing the soul and body. It is this, according to its adherents, that allows you to cure any ailments.

Summer is considered the best time for a health trip to Sri Lanka. Usually the course of treatment lasts up to three weeks.

Holidays in the mountains

The flat island of Sri Lanka is divided by a mountain range. In the mountains there are Buddhist shrines, monasteries and small towns. Alpine resorts - and Kandy. These are cities with a well-developed tourist infrastructure. Every year they receive millions of people - pilgrims and just tourists who are interested in Buddhism, Hinduism and immersed in Eastern spiritual practices.

Kandy and Nuwara Eliya should not be considered as a full-fledged vacation base, they are best visited with one- or two-day excursions.

- the highest mountain resort. It is surrounded by famous tea plantations. Once in this town, you can forget that you are in Asia.

It was built by the British and resembles a European city not only in architecture but also in climate. It is much cooler here than on the coast, and in winter the temperature drops to +10°C. The best time to visit Nuwara Eliya and Kandy is spring and summer.

Fruit Paradise Sri Lanka

Tropical fruits in Sri Lanka also have their own seasonality. Bananas, papayas, mangoes and coconuts are harvested all year round on the island. And although these fruits are no longer new to Russians, their taste is strikingly different from those sold in our supermarkets.

Seasonal fruits:


All year round on the table of the Sri Lankans there are breadfruit, especially among poor families. After all, one fetus weighing up to 20 kg can feed a whole family for a week. It is worth trying it not only fresh, but also baked - it really has the taste and smell of bread.

A few more exotic fruits known and loved by us can be eaten all year round. These are watermelons (peak in May-June), pomelo and pomelo (the most delicious fruits are from May to September).

The magic of the island of Sri Lanka captures, making the rest rich and serene. The most important thing is to decide what you expect from him, and choose the right time for the trip.

If the question of when is the best time to relax in Sri Lanka, someone will immediately answer you that best season for a holiday on this island, this is a period from such and such a month to such and such a month, you can be sure that you have a person in front of you who either does not understand the climate of Sri Lanka, or does not want to be interested in your expectations from the rest.
Although Sri Lanka is a relatively small island, it has an extremely diverse climate. Therefore, in different parts of Sri Lanka there may be different weather at the same time. Often, travel agents and other tourism experts say that the best season to visit Sri Lanka is from December to April. But the fact is that this season is the best for those who are going to relax on the western or southern coast of Sri Lanka. In other regions of the island at this time of the year, the weather can be very rainy.
Sri Lanka has two monsoon seasons that last for about half a year. Therefore, at any time of the year, you can find a place with good weather and a place with bad weather in Sri Lanka. The easiest way to explain when it is better to relax in Sri Lanka is to divide the island into several regions ( southwest coast, northeast coast, central and mountainous regions) and talk about the climate in these areas. You can go the other way: take a specific month of the year and talk about the climate at that time of the year in different parts of Sri Lanka. We will go the second way.

Holiday season in Sri Lanka by months

For those who want to know if a particular month is suitable for a trip to Sri Lanka, we offer a short essay on the climate in different regions islands in different months of the year.

January March

This is a great time to travel to Sri Lanka. During these months, sunny and relatively dry weather prevails over most of Sri Lanka. The beaches to the west, south and north are great for swimming. In the central mountainous areas and the Cultural Triangle region receives relatively little rainfall during these months. Only in the east of Sri Lanka, on the coast between Trincomalee and Batticaloa is quite rainy weather.

April

In general, April is considered the hottest month of the year in Sri Lanka. Even the central highlands offer quite warm weather. April is a great month for a beach holiday in the west and south of the island. In the north, at this time, the weather is also quite dry and sunny. We advise you to definitely avoid sun exposure during the hottest hours of the day (from 11:00 to 15:00), even if using sunscreen. Note that April is far from the most best month in Sri Lanka for sightseeing, as you often have to see interesting places on a hot afternoon.

May

The southwest monsoon in May comes to the west and south of Sri Lanka, so frequent short and intense showers are possible in these areas. Despite this, you can still expect many sunny and dry days in these areas, especially in the first half of May. As for the east coast of Sri Lanka, at this time of the year the weather is quite dry, so it's the best time to visit the east coast of the island. The mountainous regions of Sri Lanka become quite rainy in May. In addition, high humidity is set here in May, and there are often fogs.

June July

It's pretty interesting period years in Sri Lanka. Although the southwest monsoon is in full swing, the weather around the beaches of the west and south coasts is usually sunny and dry. While rainfall in this area is higher in June and July than between January and March, it is still quite low compared to other months during the southwest monsoon. In the mountainous regions of Sri Lanka, it can be cold in June and July, especially at night. The situation is quite different in the north and east of the island, as well as in the area of ​​​​the Cultural Triangle, where very dry and clear weather is usually observed. On the east coast of Sri Lanka, during this period of the year, the weather is so dry that rain is always looked forward to here.

August

Despite the fact that the southwest monsoon continues to dominate the southern and western coasts of Sri Lanka, the amount of precipitation here continues to be relatively small. Temperatures remain high on these coasts this month, but if you drive a little further east into highlands, then you can observe a sharp decline temperature by 10-15 degrees. Good weather in August is expected only in the north and east of Sri Lanka. Here this month the weather is very dry and sunny, there are practically no waves on the beaches. True, the eastern and northern coasts are not yet very popular among foreign tourists. This is mainly due to the fact that these regions, due to the long civil war far behind in development from the west and south of Sri Lanka.

September

In fact, in September, the real rainy season begins on the west coast. blue skies And sunlight become rare, the amount of precipitation increases, especially towards the end of September. Except heavy rains, in the west and south of Sri Lanka in September there is often a strong wind. This wind brings with it high waves. So September is not suitable for a beach holiday in the west and south of Sri Lanka. But on the east coast of the island is pretty good weather. True, by the end of September, the amount of precipitation here usually increases.

October November

October and November are considered the rainiest months of the year in Sri Lanka. This applies to the entire island. In the west and south, the monsoon "survives" recent months, but at the same time it brings maximum precipitation, and in the north and east of Sri Lanka, the northeast monsoon begins to manifest itself. The situation with the weather in November looks especially interesting, when in the west and south the amount of precipitation decreases sharply during the month, and in the north and east it sharply increases.

December

December - good month for a trip to Sri Lanka. On the western and southern coasts, the amount of precipitation is already noticeably lower than in October-November, and the amount sundial significantly increased compared to these months. The highlands and Kandy region turn very green in December due to the heavy rains they received during the monsoon season. In the north and east of Sri Lanka in December comes the real rainy season with heavy rainfall and often overcast weather.

Monthly rainy season in Sri Lanka

As you already understood, the amount of rainfall in Sri Lanka varies from month to month and from region to region. So the rainy season is in different places Sri Lanka may be in different time. It is generally accepted that the rainy season coincides with the monsoon season, but in fact, even during the monsoon season, there can be a period with little rainfall.
Below are data on the average rainfall in the east of Sri Lanka (near the city of Trincomalee) and in the west of Sri Lanka (near the resort of Bentota).

Monthly rainfall in Sri Lanka (Bentota)
In January - 81 mm
In February - 56 mm
In March - 97 mm
In April - 119 mm
In May - 217 mm
In June - 205 mm
In July - 223 m
In August - 312 mm
In September - 324 mm
In October - 384 mm
In November - 306 mm
In December - 112 mm

Monthly rainfall in Sri Lanka (Trincomalee)
In January - 198 mm
In February - 212 mm
In March - 145 mm
In April - 197 mm
In May - 111 mm
In June - 32 mm
In July - 21 mm
In August - 27 mm
In September - 84 mm
In October - 123 mm
In November - 268 mm
In December - 354 mm

Sri Lanka in winter: weather, rest

Winter in Sri Lanka is considered high season. Although this applies only to the western and southern coasts of the island, it must be remembered that it is on these coasts that most foreign tourists come.
The weather in Sri Lanka in winter is quite pleasant. Although the northeast monsoon season is observed at this time of the year, it has a strong influence mainly on the eastern and northern regions of the island.
In general, the weather in Sri Lanka in winter is quite good, it is dry and sunny. That's just a holiday in Sri Lanka in winter will cost you more than in summer. The fact is that the cost of living in hotels this season is the highest. Moreover, many airlines raise the cost of air tickets to Sri Lanka.
Winter is great for a tour of the Cultural Triangle (Anuradhapura, Sigiriya, Dambulla, etc.). In addition, important holidays and festivals are held during this period.

Sri Lanka in summer: rest, weather

Summer in Sri Lanka is during the Yala monsoon or southwest monsoon. The weather in most of Sri Lanka is quite rainy, especially in the southwestern part of the island, for example, in Galle and Colombo. This is the low season for the western and southern coasts of Sri Lanka. Although the weather is sunny and dry in the east of the island at this time of the year, this area is not as popular among tourists as the western and southern coasts. If you originally wanted to go to Arugam Bay, Passecoudah or Trincomalee, then summer is perfect time years for such a trip.
It should also be noted that, despite the rainy weather in the west and south of Sri Lanka in summer and autumn, in some cases it makes sense to go on vacation to these regions. The fact is that in the summer and autumn, many hotels in the west and south of Sri Lanka greatly reduce the prices of accommodation, so you can save a lot of money, especially if you plan to go to an expensive all-inclusive hotel. For example, the cost of staying in the same hotel can be $300 per night in January-March and only $120 per night in May-September. It is easy to calculate how much you will save on accommodation, for example, for 10 days of rest.

Beach season in Sri Lanka

If it’s not very difficult to deal with the weather in Sri Lanka, then with the beach season everything turns out to be much more difficult. The fact is, in this case, you need to proceed not even from which region you decide to go to, but from which particular beach you are going to relax on. Still, for a good beach holiday in Sri Lanka, you need not only suitable weather, but also relatively calm water in the ocean.
It often happens that even during high season in a certain area of ​​Sri Lanka, there are high waves on a particular beach (for example, on Hikkaduwa beach). It also happens that during low season in a certain area of ​​the island on a particular beach there are no high waves (for example, on the beach in Arugam Bay). So beach season in Sri Lanka it happens at different times on different beaches. You need to first choose the beaches that are most suitable for you, and only then look at what conditions they offer for swimming during your vacation.

In Ceylon, 2 distinct periods are pronounced: wet and dry. Almost 90% of the precipitation here falls in summer time, from May to October. The rest of the time it is almost always dry here and there are wonderful weather. If you are interested in when it is better to go to Sri Lanka, we can say that the period from November to the end of April will be optimal. Regardless of the weather, the island is always warm: about 28-30 ° C. The water warms up to an average of +26 ° C. The exception is mountainous areas, where it is relatively cool in winter and the temperature can be +10 ° C.

The most important thing to know about the local weather is the monsoons.

From May to the end of October, the time of the southwest monsoon comes, which brings rain to the tropical island, strong winds and storm. Because of this, it will not be very pleasant to relax in resorts such as Hikkaduwa, Mirissa, Unawatuna, etc. But from November to April, the best time to travel to Sri Lanka in 2019 comes.

From May to September it is more comfortable on the northeastern coast of the island (Bay of Bengal). But from September to April it is very windy here.

Resorts centered on the east side, such as Trincomalee or Pasikuda, offer guests good weather from March to August.

Winter trips

In winter, many guests rest here, staying at resorts located on the south or west coast. Because of this, tours to Sri Lanka on New Year are the most popular. Naturally, it is in this season that the highest prices for vouchers are observed.

On the popular coasts in winter, the air warms up to +28 o C during the day and up to +24 o C at night. Sightseeing and beach holidays are great at this time. Here you can spend a magical St. Valentine with a loved one under the rustle of palm trees or a tropical version of February 23 in the company of good friends.

If you decide to go on excursions to the center of the tropical island, keep in mind that in January and February the weather there is changeable. And in mountainous areas it is even cool, especially at night.

Hospitable Spring

The most favorable time to visit the island in the spring is March. This month, almost everywhere is equally good, so if you are planning your vacation during March 8, this is a great solution. In the first two months of spring, it is comfortable to ride in the mountainous regions of the country. But in the period May holidays it is better to go to the eastern resorts, for example, in Trincomalee. The air temperature in spring is around +26 o C.

rainy summer

The rainy season in Sri Lanka traditionally comes in summer period. But the quality of rest is largely affected not by precipitation, which most often falls at night, but by the humidity created due to them. At the same time, the air in the summer can warm up above +32 ° C. The ocean often rages at this time, however, such waves are only a joy for surfers. But again, it all depends on the chosen location.

June is the best time to visit eastern part islands, as in the west or south the monsoons create unsafe conditions for swimming. In July, on these shores, the weather worsens even more, but in the east and north, on the contrary, it is favorable. Many trips and tourist reviews in July are devoted to the so-called "cultural triangle" (the area bounded by the three ancient capitals - Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Kandy).

In August, an interesting situation sets in: rainy and turbulent weather, although it continues, this picture changes in better side and gives tourists a chance to have a relatively calm holiday. Sunny weather with minimal precipitation sets in on almost all coasts of the island.

In summer, tours are low cost and allow you to travel cheaper. Despite the rainy season, here on the island, in the summer, there are many colorful religious holidays celebrated on a grand scale.

Autumn whims

In September, it is comfortable to be mainly on the east coast, while in other places it rains and hurricanes occur. In October and early November, the weather deteriorates almost throughout Ceylon. If you are interested in when to go on vacation to Sri Lanka in the autumn, then best time is the end of November. late autumn on the southern and western coast of the island, the long-awaited favorable weather begins to set.

If desired, from now on, you can plan a combined trip Sri Lanka - Maldives. It is from the end of November there, as in Ceylon, that the best holiday season begins.