Ratgeber
Travelling alone in Sri Lanka as a woman
Sri Lanka can be travelled alone as a woman if route, accommodation and transport are well planned. The short distances and the train rides through the highlands make it pleasant. Swiss Vibes is a Swiss travel agency offering video consultations and puts together routes with a driver or small group.
Von Swiss Vibes Women Only, Stand
Schritt für Schritt
- Check FDFA (EDA) and FOPH (BAG) advice
- Choose the travel season according to the coast
- Limit the route to three or four places
- Book a driver for longer stretches
- Choose accommodation with good reviews
- Match clothing and behaviour
Checkliste
- FDFA (EDA) travel advice checked
- Entry requirements clarified
- FOPH (BAG) health advice checked
- Loose clothing packed
- Sun and mosquito protection
- Transfers booked
- Offline map downloaded
- Insurance confirmed
Sri Lanka is compact and varied: tea hills, temples, coast. Many women travel alone or in small groups. With a good plan, the island can be experienced in a relaxed way.
An island with short distances and long journey times
Sri Lanka is smaller than it looks on the map. But the roads are winding and often busy, and even a short stretch can take surprisingly long. So allow generous times. A popular route links Kandy, the tea country, a national park and a stretch of coast.
Plan a few bases with several nights in each place, instead of moving on every day. That leaves time for temples, tea plantations, beach and breaks, and you experience the island instead of driving through it. You also get to know villages that round trips otherwise pass by.
A driver with a car combines transport, orientation and conversations about the country. For solo travellers this is a tried-and-tested solution, because you do not have to worry about traffic and routes.
Travel season and choice of coast
The monsoon seasons differ by coast. From December to March the south-west is pleasant, from April to September the east coast. If you want to combine both, choose one region per trip.
The highlands around the tea plantations are cooler all year and often misty. Pack a light jacket and sturdy shoes, because evenings and mornings can be fresh. In the transitional months short showers are possible, but they are part of the landscape and easy to plan around.
Check the travel season together with a consultation before booking. Good planning takes account of weather, public holidays and festival periods, which can fill hotels and train connections.
Train rides and the highlands
The train ride through the tea country is among the island's best-known experiences. Reserved seats are limited and should be booked early. The journey is quite doable for solo travellers and offers contact with fellow passengers.
In the highlands you meet friendly, often reserved people. Tea plantations offer tours where you see pickers at work and learn more about their lives.
Pack warm clothing for the evenings. The climate in the mountains surprises many who had imagined tropical heat, and mist can briefly veil viewpoints. If you are looking for company, you will quickly get into conversation on the train with locals and other travellers.
Clothing, behaviour and temples
In temples, shoulders and knees are covered and shoes stay outside. Light, loose clothing in cotton or linen suits best and is comfortable in heat and humidity. A light scarf is practical because it covers shoulders, protects from the sun and can be stowed away again quickly.
Outside temples too, modest clothing is comfortable and reduces attention. On the beach, swimwear is customary in hotel areas, and a cloth to put on makes the way back easier. Restraint also helps in conversation: greeting people kindly but not accepting every invitation is a sound rule of thumb.
Buddha statues call for respect: do not turn your back on them for photos and do not touch them. Ask politely for permission before photographing people.
Health and safety
Check the current status with the FDFA and the FOPH on travel advice, vaccinations and mosquito protection. Discuss individual questions with your doctor, ideally a few weeks before departure.
Drink only bottled or filtered water and, at street kitchens, look for freshly prepared food. Insect repellent for the evening belongs in the rucksack, as does sun protection. For safaris and excursions, it is best to choose providers recommended by your accommodation and agree prices in writing beforehand.
Travel insurance with repatriation is sensible. Save the insurer's emergency number and the address of your accommodation in the local language on your phone.
Ayurveda and relaxation
If you want relaxation alongside culture, you will find Ayurveda stays and yoga in Sri Lanka. Both combine well with a round trip and bring calm to an eventful route. A yoga retreat or a quiet beach stay also suits as the end of a varied round trip.
Plan the rest days at the end of the trip, when you are tired. That way you come home rested and the impressions can settle. You should discuss treatments beforehand with your doctor. Ask about group size and programme before you book.
In the [planning call](/m/women-only/planen) by video call, we clarify how much culture and how much calm you would like, and put together route, driver and accommodation accordingly.
