Sri Lanka's rail network was built in the 19th century by the British colonial administration. Little has changed from that time and the rail lines have not been upgraded much since. As a result, trains are generally slow and delays are common. Timetables are more or less approximate however fares are cheap.

We do not encourage our clients to use trains as the main mode of transportation, however we promote limited short journeys mainly for the scenic value and the experience.

The three main lines are the Coast line, the Hill country line and the Northern line.
The northern line from Colombo to Anuradhapura and Vavuniya used to go all the way to Jaffna, and with the end of the war against the Tamil Tigers this will re-open soon. In addition, the northern line has two branch lines serving Batticalao via Polonaruwa and Trincolmalee. Tickets could not be booked in advance for these routs.

The southern line goes along the south coast of the island via Galle and Matara. Tickets could not be booked in advance for these routes either.



The most scenic rout is the route from Colombo up to Badulla, through the main hill country towns such as Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Hatton, Haputale, Bandarawela and Ella.
We only pre-book train rides for sections of this hill-country rout, mainly as an interesting and scenic excursion. This is the only route where tickets could be reserved early (10 days in advance) for the 1st class observation car.

Train rides on this hill country rout could be incorporated in to a holiday package but tickets are strictly subject to availability. There is high demand for the 1st class observation carriage tickets especially during the peak periods of December/ January and also the school holiday periods of April and August.

We will not book train journeys alone for any client, tickets will only be booked as a part of the holiday package.