What your trip costs
Choose a travel style and the places you will visit. Every price below says where it comes from: a price we checked ourselves, or a guidebook range we could not yet confirm for 2026. Prices moved fast after 2022 and fuel was short in 2026, so treat the result as a guide, not a quote.
One day
| Room, mid-range (boutique hotel)1 room for 2 people | Rs 13,240 to 26,480 (US$40 to US$80)Guidebook range (Rough Guides, 2025), not confirmed for 2026 |
|---|---|
| Rice and curry at a local eating placea local lunch each | Rs 1,300 to 3,200 (US$4 to US$10)Guidebook range (Lonely Planet, January 2025), not confirmed for 2026 |
| Dinner for two, mid-range restaurantdinner, priced for two, for 2 | Rs 5,000 to 7,200 (US$15 to US$22)Guidebook range (Lonely Planet, January 2025), not confirmed for 2026 |
| Car with a driver, per dayone car with a driver | Rs 13,240 to 26,480 (US$40 to US$80)Guidebook range (Rough Guides, 2025), not confirmed for 2026 |
| A day, about | Rs 32,780 to 63,360 (US$99 to US$191) |
Our assumptions: one room for every two people; a local lunch and a restaurant dinner; one car with a driver for the group. Tips, drinks, activities and shopping are not included. Room prices are highest from December to March on the south and west coasts.
Entrance fees and tickets
Per person. Fees set in US dollars are charged in rupees; Central Cultural Fund tickets use the Fund's own rate (334 rupees per dollar), and other dollar prices use the Central Bank rate (331).
- Central Cultural Fund ticket, charged in rupees at the Fund's rate. Valid on the day it is issued. Checked October 2026 · source
- Central Cultural Fund ticket, charged in rupees at the Fund's rate. Checked October 2026 · source
- Central Cultural Fund ticket. Ask at the counter whether it covers the working temples. Checked October 2026 · source
- Collected by the temple, not the Central Cultural Fund. We could not confirm the current price: pay on site. Checked October 2026 · source
- Set in rupees. Includes the temple museums. Checked October 2026 · source
- Tourist-season day fee from the latest official table we could confirm (September 2022). Plus a service charge of 10 dollars per vehicle, a small vehicle fee and taxes. Jeep hire is separate. Checked October 2026 · source
- Same fee band as Yala (official table, September 2022). Plus the per-vehicle service charge and taxes. Jeep hire is separate. Checked October 2026 · source
- In the same top fee band as Yala and Udawalawe (official table, 2022). Plus the per-vehicle service charge and taxes. Checked October 2026 · source
- Same fee band as Yala (official table, August 2022). Plus 10 dollars per vehicle, a 300-rupee jeep fee and taxes. Jeep hire is separate. Checked October 2026 · source
- One Mirissa operator's adult price, October 2026, including government fees. Season about November to April. Checked October 2026 · source
- From Sri Lanka Railways' fare table dated August 2022 (still the published table in October 2026). First class Rs 2,000, third Rs 900. Booking online adds 5%. Checked October 2026 · source
Your trip, about
Rs 528,689 to 956,809 (US$1,597 to US$2,891)
14 days for 2 people, mid-range, plus the fees you ticked, and a SIM. Flights are not included.
Checked October 2026: we verified this price at an official or current source this month. Guidebook range: taken from a published guidebook, with its year; we could not confirm it for 2026.
Exchange rates: Central Bank of Sri Lanka indicative rate, 2 October 2026; Central Cultural Fund's own rate for its tickets, 24 September 2026. Each price links to the guide that explains it, or names its source. See also the route builder and how we research.