Sri Lanka’s location just north of the Equator makes for a largely tropical island with some slight variations in temperature based on altitude. However the island is affected regionally by two distinct monsoons, which makes planning a trip around optimum dry season timings quite tricky. In short, you are likely to encounter rain at some point in any Sri Lanka visit which takes in a round the island itinerary, no matter what time of year you travel.
The island experiences a south-western monsoon from May to about September, with this region’s driest months being from December to March/April. The second monsoon affects the north and east of the island from October to January/February, although this is a lighter monsoon than the south-western. The most popular travel months are from November to March, with the later part of this period offering generally drier conditions. However recent weather patterns have seen rains at unseasonal times or volumes.
Temperatures tend to be warm to hot across the lowland areas in all months, with slightly cooler months from November to January. Day time maximums for the lowland areas average from 28 to 33 degrees Celsius/82 to 91 degrees Fahrenheit and can be very humid. The highland towns like Kandy and especially Nuwara Eliya are milder and can be cool at night, and temperatures may drop well below 10 degrees Celsius/ 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Many travellers are surprised by the cold night time temperatures around Nuwara Eliya and elsewhere in the hills so please ensure you have some warm clothes if visiting this area.
