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Our edition · Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka on your own
“Sri Lanka on your own” is the complete ebook that plans your trip from A to Z. Tuk-tuk or driver, the Kandy–Ella train, Yala safaris, the double monsoon: the complete circuit from A to Z.
The guide is currently written in French — an English edition is in the works.
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10 chapters · 11,000+ words · instant download · 14-day guarantee
You're planning your first independent trip
The guide starts from zero and turns every unknown into a simple procedure: rental, first roads, first bookings. The method behind our Namibia guide, applied to Sri Lanka.
You want to avoid the expensive mistakes
Misunderstood insurance, the wrong season, overrated stops, an underestimated budget: the classic traps are well known — and all avoidable when you know where to look.
You don't have 60 hours to cross-check everything
Contradictory forums, dated blogs, sales brochures: we did the sorting and the checking. You get the ordered, actionable digest.
Table of contents
The contents, chapter by chapter
10 chapters that follow the real order of your preparation: decide, book, drive, live the trip.
- 01
Why Sri Lanka on your own
Independence, local style: why you don't rent a car here, the three formulas honestly compared, and the three truths to accept before booking.
Driver, long-term tuk-tuk or bus + train: the truth table · Why self-drive is a bad idea for 90% of travellers · The island's real speeds (35-45 km/h) and what they dictate · How to use this guide depending on your formula
- 02
When to go: the land of two monsoons, month by month
The two-monsoon mechanism explained in four lines, the full month-by-month calendar, and the golden rule: one coast is always dry.
December-March = west and south; May-September = east coast: the rule that decides everything · The complete month by month, calendar traps included (New Year, Perahera, Yala closure) · Our recommendation by priority (classic circuit, budget, elephants, tuk-tuk) · Altitude, the forgotten variable, and when to book what
- 03
Tuk-tuk or driver: renting your freedom without getting fleeced
The chapter that pays for the guide: the Sri Lankan recognition permit, tuk-tuk insurance, the driver contract clause by clause, and each formula's traps.
The local permit that voids everything if you skip it (the international permit is NOT enough) · Tuk-tuk at €12-18/day: zero-excess insurance, deposit, breakdowns and honest limits · Driver at €55-75/day all-in: the 4 clauses to fix in writing before the first kilometre · The commission economy (spice gardens, gem shops) and how to defuse it · The video walk-around inspection, in every case
- 04
Driving in Sri Lanka: the golden rules of the real road
The biggest-goes-first hierarchy, the horn as a language of courtesy, the eight golden rules of the ride and verified journey times.
The real code: bus > truck > you, and why you never contest a right of way · The 8 golden rules (never at night, dogs, monsoon rain, first gear in the hills) · The true-distance table (40 km/h by car, 30 by tuk-tuk) · Breakdown and fender-bender: the right reflexes
- 05
The itineraries: 12, 15 or 21 days, day by day
Three proven clockwise circuits built on real speeds, with distances, a reversed-monsoon variant and the grand tour via Jaffna.
12 days: the essentials (~950 km) · 15 days: the great classic, the ideal tuk-tuk format (~1,100 km) · 21 days: the grand tour with Jaffna and Delft (~1,700 km) · The May-September variant switched to the east coast · The principles that hold a Sri Lankan itinerary together
- 06
Sleeping in Sri Lanka: guesthouses, boutique hotels and the fair price
The family guesthouse as the backbone of the trip, the full 2026 price range, and exactly where to stay at every stage.
The €15-35 double and the rice and curry ordered before 3 pm · Book firm or on the spot: the mixed method that works · The 10-20% discount of direct WhatsApp contact · Our stage-by-stage locations (Sigiriya village, Haputale, Tissa, Galle Fort)
- 07
The hill country train, the complete manual
The only stretch of the country where rail crushes the road: classes, booking at D-30, the truth about the sections and three solutions for your vehicle.
Hatton → Ella is the masterpiece; Kandy → Hatton is what you sacrifice · Why air-conditioned 1st class is the worst carriage · Booking at D-30 to the day, and the plan Bs that work · Tuk-tuk relocation, day-trip return ride: the tested solutions · The two other lines that serve an itinerary (south coast, Jaffna)
- 08
Safaris: leopards, elephants and whales without getting played
The right park, the right jeep, the right hour: the parks truth table, prices broken down and the demands to state the night before.
Yala, Udawalawe, Minneriya, Wilpattu: the full comparison table · Jeep + tickets: €90-120 for two per half day at Yala, itemised · The 3 demands that make 80% of the safari (gate at dawn, engine off, no radio chases) · The August-October Gathering and Mirissa's blue whales · Firm ethics: no elephant rides, no selfie hatcheries
- 09
The complete budget, item by item
Every item priced in 2026 euros, the dollar-priced tickets that sting, and three full profiles for 2 people over 15 days.
Transport: €290 by tuk-tuk vs €1,045 with a driver over 15 days · The underestimated cultural tickets: €150-220 per person on a classic circuit · The 3-profile table: ~€1,300 / ~€2,640 / ~€3,650 for two excluding flights · Where to save without impoverishing the trip — and where never to · Money day to day (rupees, cash, tips)
- 10
Health, safety, paperwork and checklists
The chapter to print out: the volatile ETA, dengue (not malaria), the insurance that actually covers your tuk-tuk, and the full checklists.
The ETA on the official site only — and why the policy keeps changing · Daytime dengue, zero malaria (WHO-certified since 2016): the real risk hierarchy · Travel insurance that covers two/three-wheelers... if the local permit is in order · The gear checklist (tuk-tuk kit included) and the final ten-day countdown
Sample pages
Judge for yourself
Chapter 3 — Tuk-tuk or driver
The permit that voids everything else if you skip it
« The international driving permit is NOT enough in Sri Lanka. You also need a Sri Lankan recognition permit, issued by the Department of Motor Traffic on presentation of your national and international licences. Count on €30-40 and a few days' lead time if you do it yourself; the good tuk-tuk rental companies handle it in advance from simple scans — which is an excellent way to sort them. Drive without it and your insurance is void, and you are absolutely at fault at the first scrape. No exception, no "it'll be fine": police checks are real, especially in the touristy south. »
Chapter 4 — Driving in Sri Lanka
The hierarchy, the only real rule
« The real code fits in one sentence: the biggest goes first, always. Bus > truck > 4x4 > car > tuk-tuk > motorbike > bicycle > pedestrian > dog. It's neither chaos nor aggression: it's a predictable system where everyone knows their place and anticipates everyone else's. A bus overtaking towards you will not pull back in: you are the one who squeezes left, onto the shoulder if needed. You never contest a right of way — you have it in theory? The bus takes it anyway. Let go, smile, carry on. The traveller who "stands up for his rights" ends his day in hospital or at the police station. »
Chapter 8 — Safaris
The jeep is 80% of the safari
« The park has the leopards; the driver decides whether you'll see them well or see the other jeeps' dust. Three demands to state the night before: a genuinely early start — being 3rd at Yala's gate at 5:45 or 20th at 6:15 changes the whole safari; engine off at sightings — the best drivers park at waterholes and wait, the bad ones race from one radio call to the next; and no forced approaches. The tip rewards behaviour, not just luck. »
The order form
The complete guide
Guide « Sri Lanka on your own »
Tuk-tuk or driver, the Kandy–Ella train, Yala safaris, the double monsoon: the complete circuit from A to Z
44 €
- 10 chapters, the complete method
- Day-by-day itineraries
- Printable version (PDF via Cmd+P)
- Complete checklists
Secure payment by Stripe · Instant download · 14-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked.
How it works
- You pay on Stripe. Card, one-time payment; your card details never touch our servers.
- You download right away. The link appears on the confirmation page and is also sent by email.
- Not for you? 14-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked: email admin@tech-bharat.com, full refund within 48 working hours.
Start by exploring for free
The shop
Gear for the road
A few items we take on our own self-drive trips, shipped from the supplier's warehouse within 8 to 15 working days — free delivery from €49.
10 L roll-top dry bag
10-litre dry bag with roll-top and buckle closure and a shoulder strap, to keep papers, phone and clothes safe from water and dust.
€27.90
Rain cover for backpacks
Coated nylon rain cover with an elastic edge that slips over your backpack during downpours and folds into a pocket the rest of the time.
€21.90View item
Before you go
Readers' questions
What format does the guide come in?
Right after payment you receive a download link: the full guide in HTML, readable on any device and printable to PDF in one click (Cmd/Ctrl+P), plus the chapters in Markdown to read wherever you like. No proprietary app, no subscription.
Is the guide available in English?
Not yet: the guide is currently written in French, and an English edition is in the works. Prices, routes and checklists are of course language-independent — but if you don't read French, we recommend waiting for the English edition.
Is it up to date for 2026?
Yes: the price ranges, local rules and advice reflect the 2026 situation. The fundamentals — itineraries, driving or transport, logistics — change very little from year to year.
What if the guide isn't for me?
A simple guarantee: 14 days, money back, no questions asked. One email to our support is enough — full refund within 48 hours. We'd far rather refund you than leave a disappointed reader.
How is this different from the free pages?
Our free pages (the Sri Lanka country page, destinations, field notes) give you the panorama. The guide gives you the complete, ordered method: day-by-day itineraries, a line-by-line budget, detailed driving and logistics, and every checklist. It's the digest we wish we'd had before our first trip.