Top 5 things to do in Sri Lanka in the rain

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Sri Lanka is an amazing place to visit. It has everything from gorgeous beaches, to misty mountains, unique temples, busy cities and tea plantations. It’s the perfect place for adventure, relaxing and embracing culture but when it rains it can be hard to find things to do.

Due to Sri Lanka being a tropical, the weather forecast cannot always be accurate, and it could be raining in the morning and sunny in the afternoon or vice versa. Sri Lanka has so much to offer even when its raining, there’s lots of other activities which you can do in the rain. Although, it can be frustrating especially if you are on holiday, but here are my top five things which I did in Sri Lanka whilst it rained.

1. Cooking Class

One of the best things to do in Sri Lanka even when the weather is amazing, is a cooking class. The local food in Sri Lanka is unbelievable, I knew the food was going to be amazing, but it really is so good.

The best way to experience the culture is to learn about their food and gain hands on experience where you can learn about the traditional dishes, such as the curries, coconut dhal and kottu. It’s a fantastic way to immerse yourself in the vibrant flavours and culinary heritage of Sri Lanka and hide away from the tropical rain.

Prices for a cooking class will depend on where abouts you are in Sri Lanka, the duration of the class and the ingredients. Usually around 40-50 dollars, but it’s so worth it as you get to eat everything you make alongside having an amazing experience.

Book a Sri Lanka cooking class here.

2. Workout

If you are like me and still like to get a workout in on holiday, then this is the perfect thing to do when it rains. On the south coast of Sri Lanka, there’s so many cool places to workout.

In Ahangama, this was my favourite place, as it’s known the wellness place of Sri Lanka. There was yoga places and a reformer Pilates studio.  I did yoga and Pilates a couple of times when it rained. There is also gyms and yoga studios in most places on the south coast. My partner even did jiu-jitsu in Weligama and Mirissa.

In Mirissa there’s also a cool old style jungle gym.

Depending on where you go and what activity you do will depend on how much it costs. The gyms are around 1500 rupees, yoga depending on where you do it is probably around 7000-8000 rupees, reformer Pilates was expensive it was 15 dollars a class.

3. Massage and treatments

This is my favourite thing to do when it rains, and I can imagine most people will agree. In Asia, the best thing you can do is treat yourself to a massage. As they are so cheap compared to the UK.

In most places in Sri Lanka you will be able to find a massage and treatment place. We had massages in Mirissa and Sigiriya which were both incredible and so cheap. In Sigiriya it was around 8000 rupees at Spa Serendib, and it was 9000 rupees in Mirissa.

On the coast the further you go away from the beach, the cheaper the massages will be. Our driver booked one for us in Sigiriya but always read the google reviews as it’s the best way to check where is best.

4. Cafes

When it rains, the best thing to do is relax in a café with a nice coffee and a good book. All the places we visited in Sri Lanka, all the cafes where incredible.

One of my favourite cafes, as the coffee was so good, was Nomad in Weligama.

Coffee shops are more expensive on the south coast, you will pay around 3-4 dollars for coffee. In land you will pay less at around 2-3 dollars.

Click here to read my two-week Sri Lanka itinerary.

5. Shopping

There is so many cute shops in Sri Lanka, exploring them whilst it rains is perfect. They are so many boutique shops with gorgeous clothes in.

The boutique stores, filled with stunning clothing and unique finds, offer a delightful shopping experience that perfectly complements the cosy character of a rainy day, even some of the markets in some of cities you can explore whilst it’s raining.