Sri Lanka: Prep for 21-Day Tour

Mar 2025 |

Why Sri Lanka?

I traveled to Sri Lanka twice, in 1999 and 2018, gaining a massive appreciation of the place - it's truly a paradise. In March, I finished my second season as a dive pro in Koh Chang, Thailand, and was brewing my next ride. A Brazilian dude diving with me had recently done a 1-month ride around Sri Lanka and had great things to say. This was music to my ears, so case closed, I was going to Sri Lanka.

Bike Rental

I did a Google search and came across multiple bike rental shops. I narrowed it down to Sri Lanka Bike Rent and another, read up on their offerings and customer reviews, and connected via WhatsApp. Each had similar 150cc models, $10-16/day. Ultimately I chose Sri Lanka Bike Rent, due to their clear and easy-to-use website (the other only had a Facebook page). I booked an Aprilia SR 150 scooter, as I'm ok on a scooter (I do draw the line at monkey bikes).

Insurance

I use World Nomads - excruciatingly expensive, but I won't leave home without a top-quality plan.

Getting to Sri Lanka

I flew in from Bangkok, a one-way flight with Sri Lankan Airlines, for about $120. Technically, you must book an outbound flight for the e-visa application and show it at immigration on arrival. But I have pretty much given up on buying return tickets, now purchase one-way tix (mainly due to the brutal change fees, also because I like to keep my forward plans flexible; if I get paranoid about not having a flight out I use Onward Ticket or similar services to buy a pseudo official ticket with a 6 digit code. When filling in my Sri Lanka e-visa online it asked for arrival/departure flight numbers - so I just added an Air Asia flight I found online "AK2345" or whatever. Anyways, on arrival - as almost always - the immigration officer didn't ask for proof of onward travel.

Getting to Sri Lanka Bike Rental

After a relaxing 3-hour flight I arrived at Colombo airport. To my amazement, I was first off the bus from the plane, then got whisked right to the counter at immigration, followed by my bag being first on the carousel - extraordinary! I planned to go directly from the airport to collect the bike, a 15-minute trip. But it then took me 1 hour to get a cab out of the airport (and I got over-charged, of course). I mentioned to Sri Lanka Bike Rental that it would be cool if they offered a customer handover or pick-up service at the airport (or hotel) - but only got a blank stare in return. Anyway, I collected the bike, all was good.

Route

I didn't do alot of preliminary planning. I had a general idea of what places I wanted to visit, starting either south along the coast to Galle or nearby, or north-east via Sigiriya - and then just take from there. The weather was also a consideration; Sri Lanka has different monsoon seasons, and now it's rainy in the south and west. Sri Lanka Bike Rent has some suggested itineraries, and I decided to go from Negombo to Trincomalee, with my first stop in Sigiriya. It is a small country, and most rides are 3 hours or so.

Gear

I planned to carry the same SportDirect 70L bag I have now used for 2 years, with a minimalist set of essentials. Look for a summary report at the end of my trip.