When to visit Sri Lanka

The four seasons, properly

Most guides describe two monsoons. The Department of Meteorology recognises four seasons, and the two extra ones are where the common advice goes wrong: October and November are the wettest weeks over much of the island, yet are frequently sold as shoulder season.

First inter-monsoon, March to April

Light winds, hot afternoons, and thunderstorms that usually clear by evening. A good window almost everywhere, and the only time the whole island is broadly in season at once.

Southwest monsoon, May to September

Wind off the Indian Ocean brings rain to the west coast, the south coast and the western slopes of the hill country. This is the season for the east: Trincomalee, Pasikuda and Arugam Bay are at their best while Galle is wet.

Second inter-monsoon, October to November

The genuinely difficult period. Rain is widespread rather than regional, and this is when tropical cyclones in the Bay of Bengal occasionally reach the island. If your dates are fixed here, expect to work around the weather rather than escape it.

Northeast monsoon, December to February

Wind off the Bay of Bengal brings rain to the north, the east and the Cultural Triangle. Meanwhile the west and south coasts and the hill country enter their best months, which is why this is peak season for most visitors.

Where to go in September

Southwest monsoon. Winds from the southwest, off the Indian Ocean.

• The north: at its best. Jaffna, the islands.
• The east coast: at its best. Trincomalee, Pasikuda, Arugam Bay.
• The Cultural Triangle: at its best. Sigiriya, Dambulla, Polonnaruwa, Anuradhapura.
• The hill country: wet. Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Ella.
• The west coast: wet. Colombo, Negombo, Bentota.
• The south coast: wet. Galle, Mirissa, Tangalle.