Riding weather · Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka hill country motorcycle weather by month
On our rules, the best months to ride in the Sri Lanka hill country area are January to March and June.
The driest months are February, March and June; the wettest is October, with about 388 mm of rain over 26 rain days.
Days are warmest in July (average high 25 °C) and nights coldest in January (average low 16 °C).
Month by month
Nuwara Eliya and Ella, at 1,000 to 1,900 m.
- JanGood22°/16°108 mm
- FebGood23°/16°95 mm
- MarGood24°/16°100 mm
- AprMixed25°/17°187 mm
- MayPoor24°/19°287 mm
- JunGood25°/18°98 mm
- JulMixed25°/18°135 mm
- AugMixed24°/18°141 mm
- SeptMixed24°/18°193 mm
- OctPoor23°/17°388 mm
- NovPoor22°/17°383 mm
- DecMixed22°/16°185 mm
Average high/low in °C and monthly rain. How we rate months
- Sri Lanka has two monsoons: the south-west monsoon (about June to October) soaks the west, south and hills, and the north-east monsoon (about December to March) brings rain to the north and east. Source
Show the numbers
| Month | Riding | High | Low | Rain | Rain days | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Good | 22 °C 72 °F | 16 °C 60 °F | 108 mm | 14 | |
| February | Good | 23 °C 73 °F | 16 °C 61 °F | 95 mm | 14 | |
| March | Good | 24 °C 76 °F | 16 °C 62 °F | 100 mm | 14 | |
| April | Mixed | 25 °C 76 °F | 17 °C 63 °F | 187 mm | 19 | wet |
| May | Poor | 24 °C 76 °F | 19 °C 65 °F | 287 mm | 25 | very wet |
| June | Good | 25 °C 76 °F | 18 °C 65 °F | 98 mm | 19 | |
| July | Mixed | 25 °C 76 °F | 18 °C 65 °F | 135 mm | 19 | wet |
| August | Mixed | 24 °C 76 °F | 18 °C 64 °F | 141 mm | 20 | wet |
| September | Mixed | 24 °C 75 °F | 18 °C 64 °F | 193 mm | 21 | wet |
| October | Poor | 23 °C 74 °F | 17 °C 63 °F | 388 mm | 26 | very wet |
| November | Poor | 22 °C 72 °F | 17 °C 62 °F | 383 mm | 26 | very wet |
| December | Mixed | 22 °C 72 °F | 16 °C 62 °F | 185 mm | 20 | wet |
Rain days: days with at least 1 mm. Averages of daily values, 2015 to 2024, for Nuwara Eliya and Ella, corrected to riding elevation. Reanalysis smooths mountains and local showers, so read these as a regional picture rather than a forecast.
Climate data: Open-Meteo / ERA5, 2015 to 2024 (CC BY 4.0).
Guided motorcycle tours in Sri Lanka
Local operators who run tours in Sri Lanka, with dates, bikes and prices. Ask them about the season you have in mind.
See 5 tours in Sri Lanka