Best time to visit Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka may be small but its weather can be complicated to navigate as it's hit by the 'Yala' monsoon along the west and southwest coasts and the hill country from April to September; while the less severe 'Maha' monsoon moves across the east coast from November to March. As is usually the case in this part of the world, rainfall plays a big role in your travel plans but there's always sunshine to be found somewhere on the island. Although rainfall can happen across Sri Lanka, each region is at its best after the monsoon has passed. In Winter (November to March), the sunny shores of Weligama are beautiful and whale watching is in full swing, the Hill Country is stunning and Galle comes to life during the Literary Festival in February. Humidity remains a constant throughout the year but gets rather bad in the south in May so you might want to head east to the Cultural Triangle. The best time to go leopard-spotting in Yala National Park is between March and August when the lakes become a major source of water. Sri Lanka's calendar is chock-a-block with festivals, from food to sacred Buddhist celebrations - it's worth planning ahead if you don't want to miss one.