The Rough Guide to Sri Lanka

The only nonstop scheduled flights from the UK to Sri Lanka are with SriLankan Airlines (

srilankan.com) from London Heathrow; flying time to Colombo is around eleven hours. Emirates (

emirates.com), Qatar Airways (

qatarairways.com), Etihad (

etihadairways.com) and Oman Air (

omanair.com) all offer one-stop flights from Heathrow via their home cities in the Gulf (and are generally much more comfortable than SriLankan flights), while Jet Airways (

jetairways.com) operates one-stop flights via Mumbai. There are also more circuitous routings via various points in Southeast Asia, including Singapore (

singaporeair.com), Kuala Lumpur (

malaysiaairlines.com) and Bangkok (

thaiairways.com).

Travelling from Ireland, you can either make your way to Heathrow and pick up an onward connection there, or fly from Dublin via one of the three Gulf cities that have direct connections with Colombo, currently Dubai (Emirates), Abu Dhabi (Etihad) and Doha (Qatar Airways). Scheduled fares from London to Colombo start at around £500 return year-round.

Flights from the US and Canada

It’s a long journey from North America to Sri Lanka. The flight from North America to Sri Lanka takes around twenty hours minimum, necessitating at least one change of plane. From the east coast, the most straightforward option is to fly to London and then pick up one of the onward connections described above. There are also numerous one-stop routes via the Gulf from New York (Emirates,

emirates.com; Etihad,

etihad.com; Qatar,

qatarairways.com), Boston (Emirates, Qatar), and Washington and Toronto (both Emirates and Etihad).

Travelling from the west coast, the most direct routes go via east or Southeast Asia, stopping in Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bangkok, Shanghai or Guangzhou, all of which have nonstop connections on to Colombo. There are also one-stop services to Colombo via the Gulf from Los Angeles (Emirates, Etihad, Qatar), San Francisco (Emirates) and Seattle (Emirates). Other USA cities with one-stop connections to Sri Lanka via the Gulf include Chicago (Emirates, Etihad, Qatar), Atlanta (Qatar), Dallas (Emirates, Etihad), and Orlando and Fort Lauderdale (both Emirates).

Fares to Colombo start at around $900 from New York, $1000 from Los Angeles, and Can$1400 from Toronto and Vancouver.

Flights from Australia and New Zealand

The only nonstop flight between Australia and Sri Lanka is the service from Melbourne with SriLankan Airlines (

srilankan.com). Otherwise, the most direct routings to Colombo are via Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. There are also a few one-stop options from New Zealand via Melbourne, Singapore, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. The most regular services are with Qantas (

qantas.com) and their budget subsidiary Jetstar (

jetstar.com), who operate flights to Singapore (from Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane) and to Bangkok (from Sydney and Melbourne), from where there are direct connections to Colombo. Fares from Sydney to Colombo with most carriers generally start at around Aus$800, and from Auckland at around NZ$1300.

How do you solve a problem like MRIA?

A few miles outside the southern town of Hambantota, the gleaming Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) is the most conspicuous of all the various vanity projects created during the rule of former president Mahinda Rajapakse. Opened in 2013 at a cost of $210m, MRIA was meant both to provide Sri Lanka with a second international airport and to serve as the major engine driving economic development of Rajapakse’s impoverished home town and surrounding region. In the event it has proved an unmitigated disaster. The few airlines that decided to fly into MRIA rapidly withdrew their services due to lack of demand, and even the national flag carrier SriLankan Airlines cancelled its last remaining flights to the airport the day after Rajapakse’s election defeat in January 2015. The airport’s only scheduled flight at present is a solitary service from Dubai (with FlyDubai, flydubai.com, via Colombo), and according to latest rumours the hangars are now being used to store not planes, but paddy.

SRI LANKA BY BOAT

The ferry service that formerly connected Talaimannar in northern Sri Lanka and Rameswaram in southern India was suspended at the outbreak of the civil war in 1983. Rumours that ferries would be restarted did the rounds constantly following the 2002 ceasefire, although in the end it wasn’t until 2011 that services finally resumed, sailing between Colombo and Tuticorin. Sadly, after the long wait, the new ferry company lasted just six months before collapsing due to commercial difficulties. Rumours of the ferry’s revival continue to surface regularly (most recently in 2017, when the state government of Tamil Nadu attempted to initiate talks on the subject), although judging by past events, it might be quite some time before this particular ship leaves harbour – if it ever does.

Pending the revival of the ferry, short of hitching a ride on a commercial vessel, the only way to get to Sri Lanka by boat is to take one of the increasing number of cruises which now visit the island, docking at Colombo, Galle and Hambantota.

Organized tours

Organized guided tours of the island – either with your own car and driver, or as part of a larger tour group – can be arranged through numerous companies both in Sri Lanka and abroad. Tours obviously take virtually all the hassle out of travelling. The downside is that they tend to be much of a muchness and you might also end up in a large group.

Almost all the leading international Sri Lankan tour operators are based in the UK; travellers from North America and Australasia shouldn’t have any problems booking tours through these companies, although you might have to organize your own flights. Setting up a tour with a Colombo-based operator is a very viable alternative to arranging one at home, although they may well not work out any cheaper than their overseas rivals.

tour operators in the uk

Ampersand Travel

020 7819 9770 (UK),

1 312 281 2543 (US),

ampersandtravel.com. Wide selection of upmarket cultural, nature and activity holidays.

CaroLanka

01822 810230,

carolanka.co.uk. Small Sri Lankan specialist offering two general fifteen-day tours, plus customized itineraries.

Insider Tours

07964 375994,

insider-tours.com. Sri Lanka specialist offering customized, ethical tours in conjunction with local organizations.

On the Go Tours

020 7371 1113,

onthegotours.com. Mainstream but inexpensive eight- to fifteen-day group tours.

Red Dot Tours

0870 231 7892,

reddottours.com. Leading Sri Lankan specialists offering holidays based around wildlife, adventure, culture, cricket, golf and more, along with wedding and honeymoon packages. They also offer cheap flights and represent an outstanding selection of properties around the island in most price ranges.

Tell Tale Travel

020 7060 4571 (UK),

1 866 211 5972 (US),

telltaletravel.co.uk. A range of private tours aiming to take you off the beaten track, including itineraries in the east, and photographic tours.

Tikalanka

020 3137 6763,

tikalanka.com. Tailor-made tours by a small Sri Lanka and Maldives specialist.

Wildlife Worldwide

01962 302 086,

wildlifeworldwide.com. Wildlife-oriented trips, including whale- and dolphin-watching tours.

Tour operators in Sri Lanka

Ayu in the Wild

077 248 1100,

ayuinthewild.com. Bespoke holidays designed to get you under the skin of the island, with special tours including Sri Lanka with kids and unusual “slow travel” experiences.

Boutique Sri Lanka

011 269 9213,

boutiquesrilanka.com. Huge portfolio of mid- and top-range properties, including a vast selection of villas, plus itineraries customized to suit your interests, from beaches or Ayurveda to nature, surfing and adventure.

Destination Sri Lanka

077 784 0001,

dsltours.com. Reliably excellent, very competitively priced customized islandwide tours by Nimal de Silva, one of Sri Lanka’s most professional and personable driver-guides, and his team.

Eco Team

070 222 8222,

srilankaecotourism.com. Specialist eco-tourism and activity-holiday operator, offering a vast range of water- and land-based activities at locations islandwide – anything from surfing and caving to photography tours and “nature weddings”.

Firefly

077 353 2933 (Sri Lanka),

020 3290 4969 (UK),

fireflysrilanka.com. Sri Lanka’s only tour agency devoted exclusively to family travel, run by leading local expert (and long-term Galle resident) Emma Boyle and offering tailor-made family tours island-wide. Also rents out essential equipment for families travelling with small children.

Jetwing Eco Holidays

011 238 1201,

jetwingeco.com. Sri Lanka’s leading eco-tourism operator, offering a vast range of wildlife and adventure activities including birdwatching, leopard-spotting, whale-watching, trekking, cycling, whitewater rafting and much more. Nature activities are led by an expert team of guides, including some of Sri Lanka’s top naturalists.

Jetwing Travels

011 462 7739,

jetwingtravels.com. Travel division of Sri Lanka’s largest hotel group, with a range of islandwide tours including trekking, cycling and Ayurveda tours.

Soul Riders Tours

077 734 9878,

soulriderstours.com. Specializes in tours on Royal Enfield motorbikes from their bases in Galle and Kandy, as well as Enfield rentals.

Sri Lanka Driver Tours

011 228 3708,

srilankadrivertours.com. Family-run business, with honest, reliable drivers and a small selection of two- to ten-day tours – or create your own.

Sri Lanka in Style

011 239 6666,

srilankainstyle.com. Luxurious tours with unusual and insightful itineraries (including golf, yoga and family) either customized or off the peg and accommodation in some of Sri Lanka’s most magical villas and boutique hotels.

Getting there

Flights from the UK and Ireland

Flights from the US and Canada

Flights from Australia and New Zealand

Flights from the rest of Asia

Organized tours

tour operators in the uk

Tour operators in Sri Lanka