Packing can sometimes feel like the be all and end all, but in reality if you have the essentials you’re good to go and you can normally find anything else you need on the road. That said, we like to be prepared (and if you’re reading this, we bet you do too).
We spent 2 months driving a tuk tuk around Sri Lanka, through tropical heat, lush mountains, remote beaches, and dense jungle. After living out of our trusty Osprey backpacks for eight weeks, we’ve put together the ultimate backpacker’s packing list for Sri Lanka. Here’s what to bring… and what to leave behind.
This guide covers everything we actually used, from lightweight clothing and travel gear to items we wish we hadn’t packed. Whether you’re backpacking around Sri Lanka for two weeks or two months, this list is for you.
Read our Sri Lanka Preparation blog next!
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The Important Stuff: Backpacking Sri Lanka Essentials
Travel Insurance For Sri Lanka
We use SafetyWing, which is a travel insurance company specifically designed for nomads. Whether it’s crashed scooters, broken ankles or lost luggage, something is always at risk of going wrong, in fact our friends crashed their tuk tuk, so don’t skimp on this!
Spare Debit, Credit Cards & Cash
Something we always had with us was a Waterproof Important Document Holder, this had an Apple Air Tag in it and the following: passports, international drivers licenses, spare debit card, spare credit card, cash (US dollars) and our UK SIM cards. We then had passport photocopies in our rucksacks and digital copies accessible offline, hopefully ready for a worst case scenario.
🗺️ Your Ultimate Sri Lanka Map
On our way, we created a Google Pinned Map with all the places we visited in Sri Lanka. Grab your Pinned Map today and start planning your adventure!
Climate & Activity Overview
Being a tropical climate there are a few main things you’ll battle on your trip: the heat, rain and high humidity. We’ve prepared a full Sri Lanka Packing List that should help you with everything you need to bring for hiking in the Knuckles Mountain Range, surfing in Weligama and heading off for safari in Wilpattu.
17 Essentials To Pack For Sri Lanka
Filtered Water Bottle
This is the number one item for a reason, it is an absolute lifesaver on all our trips.
- A reusable filtered bottle is absolutely necessary when travelling through Asia
- Cheap when compared to the cost of food poisoning due to bad water (even from the official water dispensers)
Microfibre Towels
For backpacking, a microfibre towel is a great choice. Not only are they quick drying but also sand proof, lightweight and pack away very small.
- Sand-proof
- Lightweight and small
- Fast drying
- Includes a small zip pocket for valuables at the beach
Apple Air Tags
Perfect to locate lost luggage or keep valuables safe.
- Small and lightweight
- Put one in every piece of luggage (including your Important Document Holder)
- Huge peace of mind when you lose your bags as you can immediately check the app
Chest Opening Backpacking With A Day-Pack
The Osprey 55L Farpoint For Men and Fairview For Women are by far the best backpacks to take on your travels in our opinion.
- Chest opening for easy access
- Detachable day pack
- Lightweight and well built
Bag Rain Covers
You’re visiting the tropics, make sure to come prepared! On travel days when moving accommodation you never know what the weather is going to be like.
- Waterproof even in heavy downpours
- Keeps all your belongings dry on travel days
- Volume range 50-75L
- Bonus get one for your day pack too!
The Best Insect Repellent
Don’t do what we did… turn up with non-tropical mosquito spray! This is the spray we used in the jungle and it worked!
- Use a strong spray that smells nice so you’ll apply it everyday
- Better safe than sorry
- We also use Mosquito Wipes as well as the Spray
Reef Safe Sunscreen
In order to minimise your impact on the reefs, we recommend choosing a reef safe sunscreen. Places such as Pigeon Island are recovering reefs, therefore we need to do everything we can to protect them.
- Environmentally friendly
- Water resistant
- 50 SPF
Padlocks
Having your bags padlocked is unfortunately needed on travel days and when leaving your apartments, you’re always better off safe than sorry.
- Protection from petty thefts
- TSA Approved meaning airport security can access it if needed
Leatherman Tool
We took our Leatherman tool to fix anything that inevitably broke and needed fixing while travelling. It was also super useful to have the day-to-day handy tools in one place such as scissors and a bottle opener. Just make sure you put this in your checked in bag!
- Screwdriver
- Scissors
- Pliers
- Can opener
- And so much more!
Important Documents Holder
In order to keep our passport and any important visa papers safe we kept everything in a Waterproof Document Holder which also worked great for spare cards and cash.
- Waterproof
- Space for multiple passports, international drivers licenses etc.
- Room for spare cards, cash and an Apple Air Tag!
Lightweight Rain Jacket
If you know you’ll be travelling in the rainy season, make sure to come prepared! Many people opt for full body ponchos which look ridiculous but keep you and your backpacks dry. We chose to bring lightweight rain jackets that came in handy when we were hiking in the Knuckles Mountain Range.
- Waterproof to keep dry in the frequent jungle downpours
- Sustainable – Made from recycled fabric
- Lightweight for hiking and trekking plus making it perfect for backpacking
Waterproof Phone Case
Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by turtle watching spots and surf spots. Keep your phone safe.
- Cheap compared to repairing a damaged phone
- Compact and lightweight
- Touch Screen & Allows you to take clear photos
GoPro
For the more adventurous underwater activities such as Snorkelling In Trincomalee or Surfing in Arugam Bay you’ll want a GoPro.
- Great camera for underwater adventures
- 4K resolution
- Up to 10 meters waterproof
Dry Bag
For day trips on a boat, keep all your stuff dry!
- Great camera for underwater adventures
- 4K resolution
- Up to 10 meters waterproof
Rash Vest & Surfing Gear
Sri Lanka is home to some of the best surfing in Asia. Learn in Weligama, hit the reef in Arugam Bay or join a surf camp for the community.
- Stay protected agaisnt the sun
- Zinc suncream for your face
Travel Adaptor
A universal travel adaptor is a game-changer! We wish we bought one years ago, many of the budget hotels and hostels only provide one plug so to be able to charge multiple devices at a time is great.
- 2 usb charging ports & one main charging port
- 3 different pin types, supporting 150+ countries
Battery Bank
We used our Travel Power Banks every single travel day without fail and having the backup power was necessary in the jungle.
- Can hold up to 4 full chargers
- Used in the jungle where we had no access to power
- Great for travel days when you need to use Google Maps
Leave-in Conditioner
If you plan to surf everyday, or join a surf camp like The Surfer, a leave-in conditioner can be a lifesaver for your hair.
- Keeps your hair healthy
- Avoids sun and sea water damage
- The water in the Philippines caused our hair to fall out!
Packing Cubes
We both use packing cubes for our clothes when backpacking as it helps with organisation which is essential when you have limited space.
- Keep organised in a small space
- Prevent overpacking
- Find items in your bag easily
Bum Bag
One of the best things we brought with us to Sri Lanka was Kate’s bum bag which held all of our passports, visa docs, wallets and boarding passes in a zipped compartment on travel days. With an Apple Air Tag inside, this gave us peace of mind that our valuables were safe.
- Great passport storage for travel days
- Easy access to all of your essentials
- Great when paired with an Apple AirTag
Everything You Need To Pack For Sri Lanka
Important Documents
- Passport
- Debit Card
- Driver’s License
- International Driver’s Permit
- Cash
- Visa (if needed)
- Waterproof Travel Document Holder
- Travel Insurance
- Photocopies of important documents
Toiletries
- Shampoo bar, Body Wash
- Toothbrush & Toothpaste, Floss & TiPis
- Deodorant & maybe a small tester perfume
- Suncream
- Tropical Bug Protection
- Moisturiser and any skin care products
- Nail clippers, small pair of scissors & Tweezers
- Menstrual Cup, Tampons (These can be hard to get hold of so its great to bring a backup)
- Hairbrush & Hair ties
- Mascara, makeup remover & reusable cottons pads (If wanted)
- Razor & shaving foam
- Eye mask & Earplugs – A must if you plan to stay in hostels or want to sleep on the flight
Technology
- Phone
- Battery Bank
- GoPro
- Multi-USB Travel Adaptor
- Charging Cables
- Laptop (if needed)
- Kindle
- Apple Air Tags
- Headphones
Miscellaneous
- Pack of cards
- Dry Bag
- First Aid Kit
- Pen and Paper
- Microfibre Towels
- Toilet Roll
- Sporks
- Leatherman Multi-Tool
- Filtered Water Bottles
- Padlocks
Phone Apps To Download For Sri Lanka
- Google Translate: This really comes in handy when interacting with the locals, you can speak or type into it and translate it to any language instantly, we downloaded the languages of the countries we knew we were visiting. Another super handy feature is the ability to take a photo of a sign and translate it, life saver!
- Currency Converter: really simple and quick, this is an offline app that allows you to type in the foreign currency amount and convert it even without Wi-Fi
- Revolut: As soon as you tap a transaction, it will pop up on the Revolut app. So handy for tracking expenses and double checking you haven’t been ripped off
- Booking.com, Agoda, HostelWorld, Airbnb: These are the apps we use to book places to stay in. Make sure to check them all even if you’ve found the place you’d like to stay as multiple times we’ve found cheaper prices on one app than another for the exact same room.
Things We Regretted Packing For Sri Lanka
Now, there were only a couple of things we regretted packing for Sri Lanka. The first was our snorkel, we didn’t use it enough here to warrant the space, however in the Philippines we used it all the time. Therefore if you’re just heading to Sri Lanka don’t pack a snorkel.
The other thing we don’t recommend packing, (unless you’re a content creator) is a drone. The drone laws in Sri Lanka are complicated and we did once get in trouble for flying, which can result in confiscation of the drone. Luckily, this didn’t happen but if you don’t need it leave it behind!
Summary
We hope this Sri Lanka packing list will be helpful for your trip, what we found more difficult than thinking of what to bring was deciding on what not to bring! We recommend not overpacking your luggage and staying as lightweight as possible, especially if you plan to use the buses and trains as these get super crowded.
We hope you have the best trip to Sri Lanka, there’s so much to see and we can’t wait to hear all about it!
