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Best travel insurance for Sri Lanka - Providers, coverage and more
Whether you’re headed off to explore Sri Lanka’s ancient and sacred sites, hike the countryside or visit the Asian elephants in their natural habitat, it’s important to choose the right travel insurance first. Without it, you’re not protected should the unexpected happen.
In this guide, we’ll look at the best travel insurance options for New Zealanders visiting Sri Lanka in 2025, including what’s typically covered, and what to look out for when choosing a policy. We’ll also introduce you to Wise, a handy tool for when you’re travelling abroad.
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What does travel insurance for Sri Lanka cover?
Travel insurance helps cover the unexpected costs that can come with overseas trips, especially medical emergencies or travel disruptions. A standard comprehensive international policy generally includes cover for:
- Emergency medical and dental care
- Trip cancellation
- Cover for lost or stolen baggage and valuables
- Reimbursement for travel delays
- Personal liability if you accidentally injure someone or damage property
- Rental car excess protection \
Depending on your travel plans in Sri Lanka, you can often customise your policy by adding additional coverage for things like adventure activities and moped riding.
What does travel insurance not cover?
It’s just as important to know what’s not included in your travel insurance, as it is to know what is. Every insurer has a list of exclusions outlined in the policy wording, but here are some common situations where your claim may be declined.
- Pre-existing medical conditions that weren’t declared or approved
- Injuries from risky activities like motorbiking or diving without the right add-on
- Travelling against a doctor’s advice
- Leaving bags or valuables unattended
- Breaking local laws while abroad
- Incidents involving alcohol or drugs
- Reckless or deliberately risky behaviour
- Terrorism or civil war
Things to look out for when choosing a travel insurance for Sri Lanki
When choosing a policy for travel to Sri Lanka, here’s a few things to look out for.
- Is the medical benefit limit high enough for you to be evacuated to somewhere with more sophisticated medical facilities if needed?
- Do you need any add-ons to be covered for the activities you’re planning to do, like hiking, surfing, wildlife safaris or white water rafting?
- Keep an eye on government travel advisories. Most insurers won’t cover you for travel to areas with a ‘do not travel’ warning.
- Consider getting cancellation coverage in case there’s civil unrest that causes you to reconsider your trip.
Best travel insurance for Sri Lanka in New Zealand
Now on to the travel insurance options available to Kiwi’s visiting Sri Lanka.
To start, here's a side-by-side comparison of leading insurance providers with comprehensive travel insurance policies. The sample pricing is based on a one week trip to Sri Lanka for a 30 year old New Zealander.
| Provider | Accidental death cover | Medical expenses | Travel cancellation | Price for 1 week | Add-ons available |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Cross¹ | $50,000 | Unlimited | $2500 before departing $50,000 once you’ve left | $84.13² |
|
| AA³ | $50,000 | Unlimited | Unlimited | $105.00⁴ | None |
| Cover-More⁵ | $25,000 | Unlimited | Cover chosen | $95.00⁶ |
|
| Allianz⁷ | $25,000 | $20 million | As selected | $118.40⁸ |
|
| Tower | $50,000 | Unlimited | Unlimited | 94.00$¹⁰ | None |
| 1Cover¹¹ | None | Unlimited | Chosen limit | $74.02¹² |
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Travel insurance costs can differ based on factors like your age, destination, duration of travel, and any pre-existing health conditions. If you’re planning a family holiday to Sri Lanka, check if a group or family policy is more cost effective than buying individual cover. Some insurers may also offer discounts if you already hold other policies with them, such as health or home insurance.
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Southern Cross Travel Insurance
For international travellers Southern Cross provides two main travel insurance options; International Medical and International Comprehensive.²
The International Medical plan is budget friendly but limited to essential protection, covering emergency healthcare, evacuation, and liability. In comparison, the International Comprehensive policy is more costly but offers broader protection for travel related incidents including:¹
- Emergency medical - Unlimited
- Emergency dental - $2000
- Cancellation during journey - $50,000
- Baggage and personal items - $25,000
- Baggage delay - $1000
- Essential medication - $500
- Personal liability - $1,000,000
- Rental car excess - $10,000
For a one week Sri Lanka trip, a 30 year old traveller with Southern Cross would expect to pay $53.22 for International Medical or $84.13 for International Comprehensive, with an excess of $100.²
AA Travel Insurance
AA provides two levels of insurance cover for single international trips; the Essentials plan and Comprehensive plan.³
The Essentials plan is a cost effective choice that provides protection for core expenses, including medical care, trip cancellations, baggage, funeral costs and personal liability. The benefit limit is lower than the Comprehensive plan with medical expenses capped at $250,000.
For broader protection and higher claim limits it’s best to choose the Comprehensive plan. It’s more expensive, but covers a wider range of travel-related risks.
- Emergency medical - Unlimited
- Emergency dental - $1000 to $3000
- Cancellation of journey paid in full - Unlimited
- Baggage and personal items - $30,000
- Emergency baggage - $1500
- Incidental hospital expenses - $4000
- Personal liability - $2,500,000
- Rental car excess - $6000
A 30 year old going a one week adventure to Sri Lanka would expect to pay around $105 for Comprehensive insurance and $72 for Essentials, each with a $100 excess.⁴
Cover-More Travel Insurance
Cover-More offers three tiers of international travel insurance for New Zealand travellers.⁵ The Basic Plan is an affordable choice with limited coverage, while the Comprehensive Plan steps things up with broader protection and higher payout limits. At the top end is the Comprehensive+ Plan, which provides the highest benefit caps along with extra features for business travellers.
For most Kiwis heading overseas on holiday, the mid-tier Comprehensive Plan strikes the best balance between price and protection.
- Emergency medical - Unlimited
- Emergency dental - $2000
- Cancellation during journey - As selected
- Luggage and travel documents - $15,000
- Delayed luggage - $1100
- Travel delay - $2000
- Personal liability - $2,500,000
- Rental car excess - $5000
A 30 year old planning a one week trip to Sri Lanka can expect to pay around $80 for Cover-More’s Basic cover, $95 for the Comprehensive option, or $123 for the Comprehensive+ plan, assuming a $100 excess is selected.⁶
Allianz Travel Insurance
Allianz offers two tiers of international travel insurance for single trips; the Basic Plan and the Comprehensive Plan.⁷ Both can be purchased as individual, duo, or family policies.
The Basic option focuses on essentials like emergency medical care, funeral costs, and liability cover, while the Comprehensive Plan extends to a broader range of travel related issues.
- Emergency medical and dental - $20 million
- Funeral expenses - $60,000
- Cancellation during journey - As selected
- Luggage, personal effects and valuables - $10,000
- Luggage and personal effect delay - $1000
- Alternative transport - $5000
- Personal liability - $5,000,000
- Rental car excess - $6000
A 30 year old taking a one week trip to Sri Lanka would pay around $118.40 for the Allianz Comprehensive Single Plan or $90.69 for the Basic Plan, with a $100 excess.⁸
Tower Travel Insurance
Tower provides two insurance plans for one-off trips abroad; Comprehensive and Essentials.⁹
The Essentials plan is cheaper but comes with fewer perks and lower coverage caps than Comprehensive, like a $250,000 limit on overseas medical costs. It also doesn’t cover incidents such as emergency dental treatment or accidental death.
Meanwhile, the Comprehensive Plan gives extensive protection across a variety of travel situations, including medical emergencies, trip cancellations, and delays.
- Emergency medical - Unlimited
- Emergency dental - $1000 to $3000
- Cancellation of journey paid in full - Unlimited
- Personal baggage - $50,000
- Emergency baggage - $1500
- Resumption of travel - $10,000
- Personal liability - $2,500,000
- Rental car excess - $6000
Using Tower, a 30 year old going to Sri Lanka for a week would expect to pay $94 for Comprehensive insurance and $65 for the Basic plan, with a $100 excess.¹⁰
1Cover Travel Insurance
For Kiwis venturing overseas, 1Cover provides Comprehensive or Medical Only travel insurance policies.¹¹
The Medical Only plan includes unlimited coverage for emergency medical expenses, plus benefits for dental, repatriation of remains, and personal liability. To gain protection for other travel related incidents, you’d need to select an add-on or opt for the Comprehensive plan.
Below are some of the key benefits and limits for 1Cover’s Comprehensive travel insurance.
- Emergency medical - Unlimited
- Emergency dental - $1000
- Cancellation during journey - Chosen limit
- Luggage and personal effects - $15,000
- Luggage and personal effects delay - $1000
- Repatriation of remains - $25,000
- Personal liability - $5,000,000
- Rental car excess - Not covered
With 1Cover, a 30 year old taking a one week trip to Sri Lanka would pay around $97.19 for Comprehensive or $74.02 for Medical Only travel insurance, both with a $100 excess selected.¹²
Heading to Sri Lanka? Safeguard yourself from foreign transaction fees with the Wise card
Travelling with peace of mind starts with the right insurance. Once you’ve got your travel insurance for Sri Lanka lined up, it’s time to work out the best way to spend during your trip. Meet the Wise account and card.
Open a Wise account online or in the Wise app, add money in NZD right from your bank account, and exchange NZD to LKR at your desired rate before your trip and spend at exchange at mid-market rate during your trip. That can mean you save significantly compared to using your bank, as you’ll avoid foreign transaction fees and rest assured you’re getting one of the fairest exchange rates out there along with low, transparent fees. You’ll also be able to get a linked Wise card to use for contactless payments, add your card to a wallet like Apple Pay, or make some free ATM withdrawals when you need cash in Sri Lanka.
Take Wise with you to Sri Lanka, and save up to 8x when you spend internationally.
Savings claim based on our rates vs. selected New Zealand banks and other similar providers in Jan 2025. To learn more, please visit https://income-climb.live/nz/compare%3C/a%3E%3C/small%3E%3C/p%3E%3Csmall%3E
Please see Terms of Use and product availability for your region or visit Wise Fees & Pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.
Sources:
- Southern Cross - International Comprehensive
- Southern Cross - Quote
- AA - International Leisure Cover Policy Wording
- AA - Quote
- Cover-More - Policy wording
- Cover-More - Quote
- Allianz - Policy wording
- Allianz - Quote
- Tower - Policy wording
- Tower - Quote
- 1Cover - Policy wording
- 1Cover - Quote
Sources last checked on date: 1 June 2025
*Please see terms of use and product availability for your region or visit Wise fees and pricing for the most up to date pricing and fee information.
This publication is provided for general information purposes and does not constitute legal, tax or other professional advice from Wise Payments Limited or its subsidiaries and its affiliates, and it is not intended as a substitute for obtaining advice from a financial advisor or any other professional.
We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether expressed or implied, that the content in the publication is accurate, complete or up to date.
