Practical
The unglamorous detail that decides whether a trip runs smoothly, kept current and dated.
Buses stop around 6.30pm on most routes. Drive times are roughly double what the map suggests once you leave the motorway. Cyclone season runs November to April and the risk is real in January and February.
Street food is almost free and resorts can swallow any budget. Here is what an honest day actually costs, broken down by traveller type.
SSR airport sits in the south-east, a real drive from most hotels. Here is what a transfer actually costs by coast, and when the bus is realistic.
Warning flags, closed schools and a handful of disrupted days a year. Here is what cyclone season really looks like on the ground, and how to plan around it.
The north is convenient, the west is calm, the east is breezy and the south is dramatic. Picking the wrong coast is the easiest mistake to make.
Tourists can only buy the tourist package now, and it is 1,500 rupees. Here is what that gets you and how to avoid paying more.
Buses are cheap and cover more than people think. They also stop at 6.30pm, which changes everything about your evenings.
There is no bad month, but there is a wrong month for what you want. Cyclone season, water temperature and wind all move separately.
May to June and September to early December. The water is still warm, the humidity has dropped, and you are outside cyclone season.
Not necessarily. Buses cover the coast and the main towns cheaply, but they stop around 6.30pm. If you want the interior or you want to eat late, rent.
Thursday newsletter
A place worth the drive, what it costs this month, and one thing worth knowing before you go. No fluff, no affiliate spam.
