Driving in Sri Lanka: licence, roads and tolls

A recognition permit from the Automobile Association is required, and a driver comes with the car more often than not.

• An International Driving Permit alone is not enough. It must be endorsed locally by the Automobile Association of Ceylon or the Department of Motor Traffic, which is a same-day formality in Colombo but a formality nonetheless.
• Hiring a car with a driver is the norm and costs little more than the car; it covers the roads, the language and the police.
• Traffic drives on the left, and the expressways - E01 to Galle and Matara, E03 to the airport - are tolled and excellent.
• The rest of the network is slow. Kandy to Ella is 140 km and takes five hours; buses and tuk-tuks overtake into oncoming traffic as a matter of routine.
• Motorbike and tuk-tuk hire needs the same permit, and travel insurance checks it after an accident.