Backpacking around a cricket series in Sri Lanka

Galle and Unawatuna have hostels and budget guesthouses, though prices rise and rooms fill during a Test, so book early. Colombo has hostels in the Fort, Kollupitiya and near Galle Face, and Kandy has budget options around the lake.

Dorms are the cheapest option, but private rooms in family guesthouses are often only a little more and come with home-cooked breakfasts.

Ella, Mirissa and Arugam Bay, popular backpacker hubs, have a lively hostel scene for the gaps between matches.

Hostels in Galle and Colombo fill with other cricket fans during a series, which makes it easy to find company for match days, share tuk-tuks to the ground and swap tips on where the cheapest beer is.

The coastal train runs from Colombo Fort to Galle in about two and a half to three hours, along the sea, and is cheap and scenic. Express buses on the Southern Expressway are faster and also cheap. The train from Colombo to Kandy takes about three hours, climbing into the hills.

Buses run almost everywhere, crowded but very cheap. For Pallekele, take a bus or tuk-tuk from Kandy. For day-night matches, plan the late journey home carefully, as buses thin out at night.

Some backpackers share a private driver for longer legs, which can be affordable split four ways.

Second-class train seats can sometimes be reserved in advance, while third class is unreserved and crowded but very cheap. For the coastal line, sit on the right-hand side heading south from Colombo for views of the sea.

The cheapest tickets for international matches in Sri Lanka are usually general admission or the most basic stands, bought through official channels when sales open. Galle also has the free view from the fort ramparts, though distant.

Bring water, a hat and sunscreen, and check what you can take in.

Lankan Stays & Trails mainly plans private trips, but backpackers sometimes book a single driver day for a hard-to-reach leg such as Hambantota or Dambulla.

Rice and curry at a local shop is filling and cheap, especially at lunchtime. Kottu is the classic late-night meal, and short eats from bakeries make an easy breakfast or snack.

Fruit from markets and king coconuts from roadside stalls are cheap and refreshing. Local beer in local bars is much cheaper than in hotels.

A tight budget does not mean missing out on the island's best food. Hoppers from a roadside stall, a plate of rice and curry at a workers' cafe or isso wade on Galle Face Green are among the best meals in the country, and among the cheapest.

The gaps between matches are where backpackers shine. After a Galle Test, head along the coast to Mirissa or Tangalle; after Kandy, take the train to Ella. In a mid-year tour, Arugam Bay's surf season is on.

With a few weeks, a cricket series can become the centre of a much longer journey around the island.