Getting around Sri Lanka
 

Just looking at a trip to Sri Lanka for April. Very early thoughts. There is a lot of info out there.
Can anyone give me a rough idea for the cost of hiring a car and driver? For one day or several days?
And is it necessary to book train trips ahead of time? I would much rather not....
Thanks. There may be more questions...

The cost is varied depend on your requirement, vehicle type, the quality, reputation etc. Normally the price is quoting based on the itinerary but it can be USD 40. - 60 per day approximately. Please note that it is very important that you are travelling with a trustworthy person therefore be careful when you get very cheap deals available online portals.

I highly recommend that you book your car and driver though a reputable travel agent. That way, you've back-up should anything go wrong. If the car you have has mechanical problems or if you don't get along with your driver, the agency will trade your car and/or driver for a different one. It's been many years, but we used Boutique Sri Lanka.

Agree with Kathie that you should book through a reputable agency. We went with Reddot and whilst they were generally pretty hopeless, in many respects as was the first driver they supplied, when our car broke down they were able to supply a replacement relatively quickly.
I think the problema in Sri Lanka is finding a decent agency. When I was organising our trip I tried several agencies (inc Boutique Sri Lanka) and all were pretty useless as responding to enquires and usually needed several emails and calls to elicit any sort of response. If I were to visit again I think I would either try to DIY by public transport / taxis or even use a tour operator in my home country, though that would prove expensive.

Thanks. I was thinking of just getting a car from the hotels as I go along? Bad idea?

On the contrary, it is not a bad idea at all. We only had a driver for around half of our trip for the remaining 2-3 weeks we did exactly that. It worked out pretty well.as I recall our driver dropped us off Tangalle on the south coast and we made our way along via Goyambokka , Mirrisa, Welligama to Galle and then to Negombo for the airport. It would be a lot easier with a driver in the cultural triangle, tea country as it is not just getting from town to town you have to consider but also the individual sites which are quite spread out. Still doable but just needs more organisation and maybe time.

If we were to visit again, I think I would probably source the accomodation first and then contact the hotels to see what contacts they have, costs etc. Not sure if it would work out any cheaper though.

Thanks Crellston. Everything on hold for the moment until this covid19 thing settles down. So my trip will really be an unbooked last-minute visit.