When to Visit Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka has sunshine on some part of the island pretty much year round, however, if you’re like most people and plan to head to the beaches in the south, the driest months are certainly between December and March.
Deciding the best time to go to Sri Lanka really depends on your trip objectives and where you want to visit. Although Sri Lanka is a relatively small island, it somehow manages to see two distinct monsoon seasons with some ‘shoulder’ months between the two seasons
Galle, Unawatuna, Mirissa, Weligama, and Hikkaduwa are driest and receive the most visitors between December and March. October and November are often the wettest months. Temperatures rise month over month in intensity until April or May brings rain and less heat.
If visiting between May and October, you’ll need to go to the northern or eastern sides of the island to find sunshine. Jafna and Trincomalee, while less popular, are good places to visit when the southwestern monsoon is causing rain around Galle.
The months of April and November fall between the two monsoon seasons and weather can go either way. Mixed sunshine and rain often occurs across the island during months between seasons.
Kandy, Hill Country, and the Interior
Sri Lanka’s interior and cultural capital of Kandy stay a brilliant green for a reason: they receive rain from two separate monsoons.
Kandy often receives the most rain in October and November. The driest months are usually January, February, and March. While the hottest month in Kandy is April, temperatures are usually far more mild and pleasant than those found outside of hill country.
Receiving sunshine for your trek to Adam’s Peak is simply a matter of luck and wind direction. The winds can keep rain out of the region, or switch to bring in showers from whichever side of the island that happens to have the monsoon.
Heat and Humidity
Temperatures and unbearable humidity usually peak — especially in Colombo — around April and May, just before the wet season comes to cool everything down.
You’ll barely notice the humidity while enjoying the constant sea breeze on beaches, but you’ll certainly notice the instant that you leave sight of sand.
A walk to the road or inland away from the coast is a good reminder that you’re in a very tropical country with plenty of steamy jungle!