Touring - Biking in Sri Lanka

Anyone got any experience of biking tours in Sri Lanka ?
Would love to here your stories.
I'm thinking of a trip there later this year.

oh .. I travel in INDIA now. I think 2 week after, I will goto Sri Lanka.

I heard that Sri Lanka is very beautiful country.

I've lived there for 10 years. I would'nt ride with tires less than 32c wide, the side roads are usually terrible though the last time I was there was in 1998, mebbe they have fixed the roads some.

I've never heard of bike touring in Sri Lanka, which might be a challenge, cause no one would even consider it. The Poverty level there is pretty high (and have probably increased because of the tsunami), and theres alot of beggars in the streets. I'd suggest go there as a regular tourist first and asses the condition before attempting to do it on your bike...

I'm thinking very seriously of going biking there a few weeks from now. I've been working on flights, which is complicated and expensive from N. America. I've read several favorable accounts online from cyclists who have toured there in recent years. I read only one somewhat unfavorable comment. His only complaint was road quality. The cyclists who liked it said some roads were good, some bad. Everyone seems to agree that it's a beautiful island with friendly people and many interesting & varied sights. The hassle factor sounds minimal compared to India.

As for recent skirmishes between the Sinhalese & Tamil Tigers, virtually everyone agrees that the vast majority of the island is very safe for travel, including all of the better known areas of tourist interest. Problems have been restricted to the far north and east coast, and neither side has ever targeted tourists.

I've lived there for 10 years. I would'nt ride with tires less than 32c wide, the side roads are usually terrible though the last time I was there was in 1998, mebbe they have fixed the roads some.

I've never heard of bike touring in Sri Lanka, which might be a challenge, cause no one would even consider it. The Poverty level there is pretty high (and have probably increased because of the tsunami), and theres alot of beggars in the streets. I'd suggest go there as a regular tourist first and asses the condition before attempting to do it on your bike...

umm.. I'm travel near Chiannai. Now i'm tring to find cheap flight ticket to Colombo.

I think there will be no problem travel with bicycle.
After travel 1 month, I will tell again.

I've only been biking here in Sri Lanka for a few days, but thought I'd give a few impressions:

Absolutely gorgeous country, and wonderful, good-natured people. A substantial number speak some english, often fluently, which makes getting around easy. Prices are dirt-cheap for guesthouses and restaurants, though national parks and most museums charge non-locals first world prices.

The roads: Well, some are decent, and many are abysmal. I'm riding a Bike Friday. I put some wide tires on before I left. Good thing. Some of the "paved" roads I've been on here make the rough roads of Costa Rica look like freshly poured concrete.

It's a hilly, and in places, mountainous country. Fortunately, there is a half-decent train network, and many of the trains take bicycles, though not all. The cost to take my bike was nearly double what my own ticket was, but since both totaled about US$1 (for a 90 minute trip), it's hard to complain.

Superb food. Eating here is an absolute pleasure, assuming you like spicy food, as I do.

I'll try and post a full report when I return home.

I've only been biking here in Sri Lanka for a few days, but thought I'd give a few impressions:

Absolutely gorgeous country, and wonderful, good-natured people. A substantial number speak some english, often fluently, which makes getting around easy. Prices are dirt-cheap for guesthouses and restaurants, though national parks and most museums charge non-locals first world prices.

The roads: Well, some are decent, and many are abysmal. I'm riding a Bike Friday. I put some wide tires on before I left. Good thing. Some of the "paved" roads I've been on here make the rough roads of Costa Rica look like freshly poured concrete.

It's a hilly, and in places, mountainous country. Fortunately, there is a half-decent train network, and many of the trains take bicycles, though not all. The cost to take my bike was nearly double what my own ticket was, but since both totaled about US$1 (for a 90 minute trip), it's hard to complain.

Superb food. Eating here is an absolute pleasure, assuming you like spicy food, as I do.

I'll try and post a full report when I return home.


Yep that's Sri Lanka Aight! Haven't been there in Eight years...

edit: enjoy the fruit while you're there. They got almost everything that's good...