Sri Lanka

No international destination rewards an Indian passport quite so generously right now. Flights from Chennai reach Colombo in under 90 minutes, the 30-day tourist ETA became entirely free of charge in May 2026, and the rupee-to-rupee arithmetic on the ground feels almost domestic. What you get for it is an island of preposterous variety: surf beaches and leopard safaris, cloud-wrapped tea estates and cave temples, all within a few hours' drive of one another.

The shape of the trip

The southern classic (7 nights): Colombo arrival, then Galle Fort's ramparts and boutique hotels (2 nights), whale watching or surf lessons in Mirissa (2 nights), a leopard safari in Yala (1 night), and the hill-country train up to Ella through the tea gardens (2 nights). This single loop explains why Sri Lanka converts first-time visitors into repeat ones.

The money

A comfortable double room costs ₹3,000–5,500; an excellent seafood dinner, ₹600–900 per head; the famous Kandy–Ella train, under ₹500 even in the reserved observation car. Private drivers — the sensible way to cover the island — run ₹6,000–7,500 per day for the car, split among your group. Where the budget deserves generosity: one night inside or beside Yala for the dawn safari, and one genuinely good tea-estate bungalow.

Getting in and getting around

Apply for the free ETA at the official portal a few days before departure and carry the approval printout. Colombo's airport is actually in Negombo, an hour north of the city — if you land late, sleep in Negombo and start fresh. The intercity trains are an attraction in their own right; book the hill-country legs a few days ahead in season.