Is touring Sri Lanka on a bicycle a death wish?
I want to do a 14-day bicycle tour around the coast and hills. Are the main roads safe enough for a cyclist, or will I get run over by a bus?
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4 Answers from travellers
Riding on the main "A" grade highways (like A2 along the coast) is harrowing and not recommended. However, Sri Lanka has a massive, beautifully paved network of "B" and "C" grade secondary roads that wind through paddy fields and villages with almost zero traffic. Map your route exclusively on secondary roads and it is a cyclist's paradise.
If you cycle in the Hill Country (Ella, Hatton), the gradients are punishing, but the drivers are actually much slower and more respectful of cyclists there than on the flat coastal highways.
Secondary roads and 5:30 AM starts. I can work with that. Thank you for the reassurance!
Start riding at 5:30 AM every day. By 10:30 AM, the tropical sun is brutal and you risk heatstroke. The early mornings are cool, quiet, and magical.
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