Strange as it may seem, Sri Lanka was never on my bucket list — mostly because it lacks the white sandy beaches of the Maldives, and partly because “everyone has been there.” But since it’s only a 2-hour flight from Mumbai and I was already in India for work, I decided to add my 54th country to the map. What started as a spontaneous visit turned into an unforgettable Sri Lanka tuk-tuk self-drive road trip. Traveling the island in 2025 got us so hooked that we returned in 2026 to repeat our route and add 2 must-visit spots. In this post, I share our self-drive itinerary, tips, and what it’s really like to explore Sri Lanka by tuk tuk.