Sri Lanka’s main attractions are accessible by train. If you consider the journey as an adventure, you’ll have fun enjoying the awesome scenery, and the people you meet.

There have been trains in Sri Lanka for 150 years, and some of the rolling stock is pretty old so don’t expect the efficient luxury of train travel in Europe, North America or Australia.

While steam engines were phased out several decades ago, some of the diesel locomotives and their rickety passenger carriages have been in service for more than 30 years. These run on the same lines as sleek, modern Chinese, Indian or Korean power sets, so you’ll need to do some research to catch the best.

Buying a ticket is simple. Turn up at the station at least 10 minutes before the train is scheduled to depart (or earlier so you can secure a seat if you’re boarding the train at its originating station), join the queue at the ticket office, buy a ticket, then wait patiently for the (often late) train to arrive.

It’s best to board the train at the nearest carriage, and then work your way along the aisle to find a vacant seat. If there is 2^nd class available, buy a ticket for that as it doesn’t cost much more than 3^rd class and the chance of getting a seat is better.

Some trains have seats bookable not more than 10 days in advance through Colombo Fort Railway Station. Privately run luxury, air-conditioned carriages with comfortable seats attached to some trains can be booked on line (www.rajadhani.lk & www.exporail.lk).

There is an efficient on-line railway timetable service run on www.gov.lk which gives train times and fares.

Here is our brief guide to Sri Lanka’s best train trips.

Colombo to Kandy

For a day trip, opt for the Intercity Express (ICE) that leaves Colombo Fort at 07.00 and rattles through lowland plains before climbing to reach the plateau crowning the former Kandyan kingdom at 09.30, a rail journey of 118km. The train leaves for the return trip at 15.00, arriving Colombo at 17.36.

There is also a morning ICE train leaving Kandy at 06.15 reaching Colombo at 08.52 and returning from Colombo at 15.35, reaching Kandy at 18.06. All the ICE trains have an observation saloon as well as a privately maintained, luxury air-conditioned carriage.

Colombo to Badulla

Real rail enthusiasts have a choice of traditional train travel or going to the hill country by the modern Chinese-built power sets that have air-conditioned 1^st class as well as 2^nd & 3^rd class compartments. These smart new trains leave Colombo at 05.55 and 09.45 daily to reach Badulla, a distance by rail of 290km (via Kandy), at 16.06 and 19.23 respectively.

A train with older carriages hauled by a diesel locomotive makes a departure daily from Colombo Fort at 08.30, by-passing Kandy to arrive at Badulla at 17.55. As well as an observation saloon, it also has 2^nd & 3^rd class carriages and air-conditioned luxury, privately maintained carriages. This train leaves Badulla daily at 08.30, reaching Colombo at 18.57.

The hill country rail journey is scenically impressive, with the most dramatic section of plunging valleys and misty mountains viewable as the train climbs to the track’s summit of 1,911m (6,266ft) above sea level at Pattipola (223 rail km from Colombo) on the journey from Nanu Oya to Haputale.

Colombo to Anuradhapura

The Northern Line is being extended to Jaffna and is popular for tourists visiting the ancient city of Anuradhapura. Scenically the journey is not as dramatic as a hill country trip as the train speeds across plains, but it delivers a fascinating insight into rural life.

Fast trains have an air-conditioned observation saloon while the 16.20 departure from Colombo Fort which arrives at Anuradhapura at 20.06 has a privately-operated luxury carriage. That train returns from Anuradhapura at 06.40 arriving Colombo Fort at 10.25.

Colombo to Trincomalee

At present only one train a day (and that’s overnight) runs between Colombo and the prominent East Coast port of Trincomalee, a journey of about 295km by rail. The journey begins as the train follows the Northern Line route to the interior town of Maho and then branches off through forests and plains to the East.

The train has a privately-operated luxury air-conditioned carriage on Thursday, Saturdays and Sundays, with a return from Trinco on Friday, Sunday and Tuesday. It leaves Colombo Fort at 21.00; arrives Trinco at 05.10; and from Trinco at 19.30, reaching Fort at 04.05.

Colombo via Galle to Matara

This is a super trip by rail since the line runs alongside the West Coast beaches from Colombo to Galle, and then along the South Coast to Matara. There are several trains a day but only one (the 06.55 departure from Colombo, arriving Galle at 09.26; returning as the 14.10 departure from Matara and departing 15.30 from Galle) has seats bookable in advance on-line in a private air-conditioned luxury rail car.

Using this train it’s possible to make a day trip of 62km by rail to Bentota (for the beach) or 116km to Galle (for the irresistible charm of the old walled Fort). It’s an easy and enjoyable trip, even though you’ll have to get up early.

Sri Lanka is an island approximately 65,525 square kilometres (that’s 25,299 square miles) in area, with a multitude of sights to see. Here we give some tips on how best to travel around Sri Lanka by air, rail and road.

1.Air

Sri Lanka has two international airports, the long-established Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) at Katunayake (32km north of Colombo) and the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport, opened in March 2013, some 263km southeast of Colombo.

This new airport makes access to the central highlands and the attractions of the south much easier than from Colombo, being just 53km by road to Yala National Park and 94km to Nuwara Eliya. So if you are heading south on arrival at Colombo, to save time it makes sense to take a flight to Mattala. Sri Lanka’s national airline, SriLankan, has daily flights linking the two airports. (www.srilankan.aero)

There are also some private companies operating domestic air services with both scheduled and charter flights. Cinnamon Air operates a combined wheel and float plane from BIA and Water’s Edge (13km from the centre of Colombo) that enables landing either on water or land. The company has flights to Kandy, Sigiriya (in the Cultural Triangle near Habarana), Trincomalee and Batticaloa on the east coast, and the southern airport of Koggala (10km east of Galle). It also operates charters to land on the lagoon for the west coast resorts at Bentota (64km south of Colombo).

Two companies, Helitours operated by the Sri Lankan Air Force (http://www.helitours.lk) and FitsAir (http://www.fitsair.com) operate scheduled flights from Colombo’s domestic airport at Ratmalana (12km south from the city centre) to Palaly at Jaffna (396km north of Colombo).

It is also possible to charter helicopters to travel around Sri Lanka and for photo shoots. Helitours and Simplifly (http://www.simplifly.com) provide this service.

2. Rail

Sri Lanka’s rail network is extensive and covers the main areas with a new link to Jaffna (393km by rail from Colombo) and the ancient cities of Anuradhapura (203km) and Polonnaruwa (257km) in the North, Trincomalee (295km) and Batticaloa (347km) in the East, the beaches of Beruwala (56km), Bentota (62km), Hikkaduwa (97km) in the West, Galle (115km) and Matara (158km)in the South and the hill country destinations of Kandy (116km), Nanu Oya (205km) for Nuwara Eliya, Ella (269km) and on to Badulla (290km).

The main station for departures in Colombo is Colombo Fort, although some trains start and finish at Maradana station (2km distant).

For travelling independently by public transport, trains provide the most enjoyable means of getting around. Buying a ticket is simple. You turn up at the station at least ten minutes before the train is scheduled to depart (or earlier so you can secure a seat if you are boarding at its originating station), queue at the correct ticket counter, pay cash and collect a ticket, one-way only. Reserved accommodation, booked no more than ten days in advance, is available on some trains.

The rail system is undergoing gradual modernisation and some trains from Colombo serving Kandy (which also has a twice daily Intercity Express train service linking the two cities), Badulla, Anuradhapura, Galle and Matara, now offer the luxury of air-conditioned travel in privately-owned coaches (www.exporail.com and www.rajadhani.com). Tickets can be bought online using a credit card, but the print-out has to be authorised by a railway agency or at the departing station before travel.

There is an efficient on-line timetable service available on www.gov.lk. This gives train times and days of operation between all stations and the fares. For more details to see Exploring Sri Lanka By Train on this blog.

3. Road 

There is an extensive bus network (both government-run and privately-operated) serving practically every town and village in the country, even those without modern roads.

There are several types of buses (see: the blog on Tips for Travelling Around Sri Lanka). These include the “local” buses that ply from country villages to the main towns, and long distance air-conditioned luxury buses.

If you are thinking of travelling by bus, be warned that the system lacks the comfort and disciplined driving habits of bus services in Western countries.

The main tour operators run dedicated, air-conditioned, modern luxury coaches that are utilised to transfer their guests between airport and hotels. They also operate round the island tours to fixed destinations in the comfortable coaches, and this is a hassle-free way of seeing Sri Lanka.

Independent travel is also possible by arranging a tour by vehicle through the tour operator’s desk at your hotel, or by hiring a chauffeur-driven car or mini-van privately. Self-drive car hire is also possible. For more details see the blog on “Tips For Travelling.”