Just imagine your home office under a palm tree on a sandy beach or a riverside with lush green vegetation or at the top of the mountain with a panoramic surrounding view. If you still wondering about such a destination for your digitally managed work and livelihood, Sri Lanka, the wonder of Asia is being the best choice for you.

That is because Sri Lanka has ranked the second-best destination behind Thailand for digital nomads in 2021 by the influential French travel and tourism operator Club Med. 

However, Sri Lanka is a small island with a size of 65,310 km², the distances between major cities, seasonal hotspots and places of interest are within a few hours of travelling. Therefore, Sri Lanka would be the best destination for Digital Nomads, online entrepreneurs, writers, bloggers and vloggers to spend a few months with their profession while enjoying the unique nature, culture and life of this fantastic island.

Safest destination in Asia 

Sri Lanka is a predominately Buddhist country. Laidback, friendly, helpful Sri Lankan people mannered by the Buddhist culture are very welcoming to the Digital nomads specially Solo female travellers. It is one of the safest countries in Asia for Digital Nomads.

Accommodation Sri Lanka

An excellent range of accommodations for Digital Nomads can be found around the country. It ranges from basic beachside shacks, Homestay, Bungalows, Apartments, Luxury hotels from 1 star to 7 star and elegant Colonial mansions depending on your budget and experience of your interest.  The safety and security levels of all these places are guaranteed. All these places are completed with the latest appliances and commodity services and maintained exquisitely.

Sri Lanka, excellent location for travel rest of Asia

Sri Lanka is located between latitudes 5°55? and 9°51? N and longitudes 79°41? and 81°53? E. Due to its location, just a little southwest of the Bay of Bengal most famous tourist destinations of Maldives, Singapore, Nepal, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Dubai and many more are less than 5 hours away. Therefore, Sri Lanka is the perfect travel platform to travel rest of Asia. Within one and half hours, you can reach the Maldives and within four hours you can reach most of the Indian destinations, Singapore, Thailand, Dubai and many more destinations in Asia.

Sri Lanka Airports

Sri Lanka has 5 International Airports of Bandaranaike International Airport, Mattala Mahinda Rajapaksa International Airport, Ratmalana International Airport, Jaffna International Airport, and Batticaloa International Airport. There are 8 Domestic airports in Ampara, Anuradhapura, Sigiriya, Koggala, Katukurunda, Iranamadu, China Bay and Vavuniya that has passenger services on Commercial Airlines. The water reservoirs or lagoons in main tourist destinations of Arugam Bay, Bentota, Dambulla, Dickwella, Kalpitiya, Kandy, Koggala, Nuwara Eliya, Pasikuda, Trincomalee and Tissamaharama are taken as waterdromes for landing flights.

Sri Lankan Foods

Sri Lanka has a wide range of cuisines that can be suited for any nationality. The traditional Sri Lankan recipes and recipes brought to Sri Lanka over the centuries first by the Indians and then by Arabs, Malays, Portuguese, Dutch and English create this unique fusion of gastronomies. Since the spice originated island there are a plethora of unique traditional cuisine permutations to explore and enjoy in Sri Lanka. The staple food of rice and curry prepared using coconut milk, chillies, curry leaves, cinnamon, garlic, etc. can be obtained from any local café for a few USD.

Language 

You won't face any communication issues in Sri Lanka because most Sri Lankans are familiar with English. Sri Lanka is the most convenient destination for Digital Nomads because they can easily converse in English.

Cost of living in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is one of the cheapest countries in Asia to live in. Depending on your affordability you can have an incredible lifestyle or average lifestyle without enormous expenses. Between USD 50- 75 per day, you can experience a rich lifestyle with food, transportation, sightseeing, accommodation and other costs in Sri Lanka.

Get around Sri Lanka 

Sri Lanka has an extensive road network and bus routes in every nook and corner of the country. The expressway network in the country speeded up the access to main tourist locations immensely. The railway network also covers most places in Sri Lanka. The Intercity Express Trains connecting Colombo with the main cities of Kandy Jaffna, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Galle and Matara provide a rapid and comfortable journey for an affordable price. The railway timetables and booking can be done through www.railway.gov.lk  or www.seat61.com.

You can hire Tuk-Tuks (Three-wheelers) for short distance travelling. Even you can rent a car or scooter bike. But you should have an international driving license. The safest, fastest and smartest way of booking a vehicle is the taxi-hailing apps available in Sri Lanka. You can just download the app and installed it. They have vehicle options of Tuk-Tuks, cars, minivans and luxury vehicles. 

Weather in Sri Lanka  

Due to its location near the equator, Sri Lanka climate has been characterized as tropical. The climate of the country mostly depends on Southwest and Northeast monsoons and topographic features. The Southwest monsoons season from May to September and Northeast monsoons season from December to February It affected the opposite parts of the island. The favoured periods to visit Sri Lanka are:

    Best: December to March, July & August (Mild humid & temperature around 27°C)

    Moderate: April, May, June, September, October (Rainy season but that has changed vastly)

    Overall: Sri Lanka is a 12-month destination with sunshine somewhere in the country

Mobile Internet access

Almost all the accommodation providers in Sri Lanka provides free WI-FI facility for their guest. Most restaurants, coffee shops and beach bars also provide free WI-FI. However, shared WI-FI might be slow. Therefore, as a working Digital Nomad, you should have your own 4G/LTE broadband internet access. The main communication network providers have Tourist Mobile Plan dedicated for Digital Nomads.

Digital Nomads Visa in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is most welcome in Digital Nomads. They can get a Digital Nomads visa at the cost of USD 500 for the first year. The log-term Visa and extended visa criteria will be announced by the immigration and Emigration Department of Sri Lanka very soon.

Top destinations and Co-working places for Digital Nomads in Sri Lanka

Colombo

Though Colombo is the commercial capital of Sri Lanka there are abundant places for Digital Nomads to settle down with their digital devices and work in a calm and peaceful environment. Colombo, the "must-photograph" travel destination of 2019 is the location where travellers most want to take a picture of. There are a lot of colonial architecturally designed buildings, Churches, and Parks in Colombo where you can relax while working. The famous coworking spaces in Colombo are:

WorkStudio coworking spaces

219/1 Stanley Tilakaratne Mawatha, Nugegoda

HUB9 Coworking Space

No 9 Park Gardens, Colombo 00500

Likuid Spaces

5, Charles Pl, Colombo 00300

COCO SPACE

110 Havelock Rd, Colombo 00500

Impressions Spaces Coworking Centre

1st Floor, 366, Colombo - Galle Main Rd, Colombo 00300

Unawatuna

Unawatuna, the beach town in down south with a beautiful wide curving sandy bay fringed with palm trees is a paradise for the Digital Nomads.  A view endorsed by the Discovery Channel, Unawatuna had selected Sri Lanka's best beach and one of the ten best in the world. There are plenty of places on the beachside and the surrounding for coworking. It is a great place for snorkelling, surfing, diving and fishing or snorkelling out to sea by using the traditional catamarans. 

Galle fort area just a few kilometres away from Unawatuna is a colonial hotspot preferred very much by the Digital Nomads. Favourite coworking places around Unawatuna are:

Mellow coworking  

Welhengoda, jayamedura, Galle

Kalatmaka

Cafe Ceylon, Matara road, Kabalana, Ahangama

Hari Hari House

No 62c, Matara Rd, Ahangama

Hiriketiya, Dickwella

Heriketiya beach in Dickwella hidden jam in south coast favourite location for Digital Nomads. The calm and quiet atmosphere in Hiriketiya beach is wonderful for busy working Digital Nomads. It has lovely waves for surfers. Famous place for Digital Nomads is:

Verse Collective

Pehebiya Rd, Dikwella

Tangalle

The intensely blue bays in Tangalle has been considered one of the best beaches to laze and soak up the sun down south of Sri Lanka. Tangalle encompasses the adjoining beach villages Goyambokka and Pallikaduwa on the west and Medaketiya and Medilla on the north have perfect places for Digital Nomads to getting their work done with idyllic beachfront.

Kandy 

The Digital Nomads who are looking for a lot of culture and nature around them with a cool atmosphere, Kandy is the best place. Kandy located in the central parts of the island has surrounded by mountains. "Sri Dalada Maligawa" or Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, the most venerated temple in the whole Buddhist world is housed in the Kandy. There are coffee shops and rooftop restaurants for Digital Nomads in Kandy.

Nuwara Eliya

The lush green surrounding countryside of tea plantation at the central highlands is the best location for Digital Nomads who are looking for a mountainous colonial town with a cooler climate around 14°C.

Ella

Ella is a bustling town in the hill country. It is located at an elevation of 1041m where you can breathe the cleanest air in Sri Lanka. Ella is a paradise for Digital Nomads due to its sleepy nature due to lush green tea plantations and cloud forest reserves.  The coffee shops and restaurant bars are excellent places in Ella for having good company. If you are a writer, blogger or vlogger Ella will provide you with sufficient materials for months.

Negombo

Negombo, the oldest beach resort in Sri Lanka located just a few kilometres away from Bandaranaike International Airport is a gourmet's paradise with seafood in plenty. The coffee shops, pubs and restaurants are favourite places for Digital Nomads in Negombo. Famous coworking place is:

WorkLust - Coworking space

198 St Joseph's St, Negombo.

Arugam Bay 

The Digital Nomads who are fond of surfing Arugam Bay is your first and foremost selection in Sri Lanka from May to October. Coliving and coworking spaces in Arugam Bay are:

The Long Hostel

Panama Road, Arugam Bay 

Hangover Hostels

Sinhapura Rd, Arugam Bay