Sri Lanka was never high on my bucket list — partly because it lacks the white sandy beaches of the Maldives, and partly because it felt like “everyone had already been there.” But with just a 2-hour flight from Mumbai, and since I was already in India for work, it was the perfect chance to add my 54th country to the map. What began as a spontaneous trip turned into an unforgettable Sri Lanka tuk-tuk self-drive road trip. After exploring the island by tuk tuk in 2025, we were so hooked that we returned in 2026 to add two more must-visit spots. In this post, I share our Sri Lanka tuk-tuk itinerary, self-drive tips, and what it’s really like to explore Sri Lanka by tuk tuk.