Sri Lanka is a beautiful country, but it is not so easy to get around. In the cities there are taxis as well as three wheelers that provide cheap and quick services 24 hours a day. Like in many other countries fares have to be negotiated in advance because tourists are considered to be rich and so the price for a trip raises automatically. Metered three-wheelers have recently been introduced in Colombo.

Travelling overland takes time because the roads are in a bad condition and a trip of 200 km takes a day. The average speed of a long distance trip can be estimated at about 30- 40 km per hour even if the roads seem to be quite big in the map.

To rent a car for self-drive is no real alternative because there may be traffic rules, but nobody seems to care about them.

A good alternative to public buses that are cheap but slow and very crowded is to hire a private driver with a vehicle. Especially when travelling in a small group (2-6 people) this is the most comfortable and a very reasonable way too.

The system of private drivers is well developed in Sri Lanka. A price is negotiated at the beginning of a trip that consists of a fare for every kilometers and the duration. In the hotels and better guesthouses drivers have their own accommodation and get free food as well as from most of the restaurants on the tour.

To travel with private drivers is quite reasonable too. A tour from Negombo to the Elephant Orphanage, to Kandy and further on to Nuwara Eliya and back to Colombo is about 400 km and costs about EUR 100.

Drivers normally speak English quite well and can show many interesting sites on the way like water falls, stations where the tea is brought by the tea pluckers and several lovely villages. They should know good Sri Lankan restaurants and can recommend interesting places on the way.

Drivers can be hired through local tour companies, on recommendation or directly.