Your Sri Lanka trip, sorted.

Sri Lanka has two monsoon patterns, so the best time to travel depends on the region. On the south and south-west coast, December to February is usually the driest and busiest period. May to September is generally wetter and less predictable, while March–April and October–November are shoulder periods. Because our routes focus on the south and the central highlands, we operate mainly from November to April, when conditions are generally more favourable.

Want to travel between May and October? Write to us on WhatsApp and tell us your month. We will tell you honestly what works and what does not. We cannot promise the weather, but we choose the time of year so that you have the best chance of good weather.

Apply here, on the official immigration site: https://www.eta.gov.lk/slvisa/

Use only this official site. Some look-alike sites charge a fee for the same thing. For eligible nationalities, the official ETA is currently free of charge. Rules can change, so check the site on the day you apply.

One more thing to check: your passport should be valid for at least six months after the day you arrive. If it expires later than that, everything is fine. If it does not, renew the passport first, and then apply for the ETA.

After a long flight, the last thing you want is to find a taxi and negotiate the fare. We can arrange an airport transfer in advance.

Tap the green “I need a transfer” button at the top of the page and send us your flight and your hotel. We arrange a driver who meets you at the airport and takes you to your hotel, and we tell you the price before you pay.

The trip itself then starts at your south-coast hotel, so you can rest from the flight first. If you are not sure how to get from the airport to your hotel, write to us on WhatsApp, and we will help you work it out.

There is a known problem in Sri Lanka. You tell a driver one thing, he smiles, nods, and does the opposite. Tourists complain about it a lot.

So we look for drivers who truly speak English and are used to European travellers. You say you need a stop, and he stops. He understands you, is comfortable chatting, and can tell you about the places you pass, which makes the drive part of the trip, not just a way to get there.

You are not left guessing whether you were understood. You say what you want, and it happens.

You choose Economy, Comfort or Premium in the booking form. Once you have paid the booking fee, we send you the places we would pick for each night, with the prices for your dates.

We suggest hotels on your route, at the level you chose. You book them yourself, in your own name, with free cancellation, and you pay the hotel at check-in.

Availability can change quickly, especially in peak season. You book on Booking.com, in your name, with free cancellation, so you can see which rooms are available for your dates when you book.

Our hotel picks come once you’ve paid the booking fee. Tell us which hotels you’ve booked, and we’ll add them to your trip sheet.

Our tour prices are for two guests, without hotels: $560 for 3 days, $780 for 5 days and $1,040 for 7 days.

If you travel alone, you pay the same price, because the car and the driver cost the same whether you’re travelling alone or as a pair. For three guests, the tour price is 50% higher, and you travel in the same car. For four people we send a van, and we give you the exact price for your dates.

If your group is bigger, or you are not sure about the numbers, write to us on WhatsApp with your dates and how many of you there are, and we’ll confirm the exact price. Hotels are always paid separately, at check-in.

We started Sri Lanka SORTED to make private travel around the island simpler and more predictable for international visitors.

Service standards, pricing habits and communication can work differently from what many European travellers are used to, so we take care of the details in advance: the route, the driver, the hotels and the costs we can confirm.

We choose the people we work with carefully and build trips for travellers who want to enjoy Sri Lanka without spending their holiday managing the logistics.

The order is simple. You fill in the booking form and pay the booking fee by card straight away: $99, $149 or $199, depending on the trip. Your receipt comes by email. Once you’ve paid, we assign your driver and write back the same day with his photo and the details of the car.

You also get a receipt from us, and then one message with the places we would pick for your hotels. On Day 1, when your driver meets you, you pay him the rest of the tour price in cash. You pay hotels directly at check-in, and you pay for lunch, dinner and any tips during the trip. Before you travel, we confirm which currency to use when paying the balance to your driver, so there is nothing to work out at the last minute.

Write to us on WhatsApp within those 24 hours and we will refund the booking fee in full.

After 24 hours, the booking fee becomes non-refundable because your driver has reserved those dates for you. You can still move your dates until 14 days before the trip.

Write to us on WhatsApp with your new dates and we will reschedule your booking. It costs nothing until 14 days before the trip.

Two weeks before the trip we confirm everything with you, and from then on the booking is final.

There is nothing extra to arrange or pay for during the trip.

Plenty of drivers in Sri Lanka drive fast and carelessly. Ours do not: we pick drivers who take mountain roads slowly, and every seat has a belt.

We choose experienced drivers who prioritise safe, unhurried driving. You travel in a comfortable air-conditioned car and look at the island instead of the road.

If anything worries you during the trip, message us on WhatsApp and we will work with you and your driver to resolve it.

Travelling with children needs a little more care, and we plan for it in advance.

When you book, tell us how old your children are. We tell your driver in advance and arrange age-appropriate child seats, so the correct seats are ready at pickup. Every car has seat belts in the back seats.

A normal day has about two hours in the car, with stops, and the last day of a trip is longer. If a stop is too much for the children, you can skip it without disrupting the rest of the itinerary.

Tips are not included in the tour price, and there is no fixed or expected amount. If you’re happy with the service, you’re welcome to tip your driver directly.

Many restaurants already add a service charge, so check the bill before adding anything extra.