Guest post by Sophia from thealwayswanderer.com
Not long ago, we spent an entire month traveling around Sri Lanka and tested nearly every transport option along the way. It was our first time in a South-Asian country, and we had no idea what to expect for getting around.
When we landed in Colombo, we started with a taxi to our hotel. The next morning, after a good night’s sleep, we took another taxi to the train station to head south. The train took us from Colombo to Unawatuna, but the station was far from the center, so we grabbed another taxi to get closer.
For the next two days, we rented a scooter. It was fun for short trips, but carrying our luggage was impossible for the long haul.
So, we tried local buses, which were quite affordable and good for getting around! But as we drove through stunning landscapes, we kept passing beautiful places we couldn’t stop to explore. We felt limited, itching to get off the bus at every sight.
After a few more days and a lot of taxi rides, we started noticing more and more travelers exploring in tuk-tuks – a couple driving through the Sinharaja Forest, and others by the coast at Rekawa Beach. Their sense of freedom with a tuk-tuk had us curious, but we were still a bit hesitant about the Sri Lankan traffic. Then, once we reached Ella, we met another couple who’d been traveling by tuk-tuk and couldn’t stop raving about it. They convinced us to finally give it a go.
We made the leap and booked our own tuk-tuk with tuktukrental.com. Within two days (and a quick driving license update), our tuk-tuk was delivered right to us in Ella.
With the tuk-tuk, we were finally free to explore Sri Lanka on our own terms. We could pack all our belongings, stop wherever we wanted, connect with locals, buy fresh fruit and coconuts at local prices, and, best of all, we got to see wild elephants from the tuk-tuk – an experience we’ll never forget.
After all those trains, buses, scooters, and endless taxis, we realized we should have trusted ourselves and rented a tuk-tuk from the start!
If you’re considering it, check out our full guide about how to rent a tuk tuk in Sri Lanka. where we share our experiences, a price comparison with taxis, to rent your own tuk-tuk rental.
