Travel Tips For First-Time Visitors To Sri Lanka

We’ve been there, done that! Planning a trip to Sri Lanka? Let these tips come in handy for you.

Best Season to Visit

Sri Lanka is a fabulous sunshine destination, with temperatures ranging from 27°C in the city and going as low as chilling 10°C in the highlands. The rains are prominent between May and July in the south-west, and December and January in the north-east. The best time to visit the south and west coasts and the central highlands is from January to March. The north-eastern part of the country is fantastic between February and September.

Food

Stick to the local delicacies and you’ll have a treat! Try rice cakes, appa (rice flour pancakes), curries, and kottu (shredded roti mixed with stir-fried vegetables and spices). Apart from being reasonably priced, they taste really good! And while you’re in the neighbourhood, we suggest you try the buffalo milk yogurt paired with the local treacle known as Kithul syrup (essentially palm syrup). The treacle also makes for a good souvenir to take back home for use as a natural sweetener. Not to mention, the yellow king coconut that’s a perfect thirst quencher.

WiFi at Airport

Bandaranaike International Airport provides free WiFi. During departure and transit, you can scan your boarding pass and get the code to connect to the WiFi. When arriving, head to the baggage claim area and get the WiFi password from the Information desk. This is the only spot where free WiFi is available once you’ve cleared immigration and before exiting the airport.

SIM Card

Tourist SIM cards are available at the arrival lounge of the airport. They are more expensive than the regular prepaid packages that are widely available in the city’s retail outlets. However, a local ID or a driving license is necessary to purchase a local SIM; so you will need a local friend for that! Mobitel and Dialog have the widest coverage and super reliable network.

Airport Transfers

🚀 Private car / Taxi – The car service desks at the airport will charge around LKR 3000 – 4000 (USD 19 – 25) for transfers to hotels in Colombo city. Some taxi drivers would also be willing to negotiate costs. Expressway charge is LKR 300.

🚀 Tuk-tuk – A tuk-tuk ride will cost about LKR 2000 – 2500 (USD 16) to the city. Try haggling if you can!

🚀 Bus – There is an air-conditioned public bus service that goes to Colombo Fort Station (187-E3) operated by Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB). The bus stand is located across the street from the arrivals terminal. There are no signs leading to the bus depot, so you may want to ask around for guidance if you have trouble finding it. The bus ticket will cost LKR 125 (USD 0.78), and you may be charged a little extra for your luggage. The bus service runs every 30 minutes with the last one leaving the airport at 8:30 pm.

🚀 From the city, catch a bus from the Colombo Bastian Mawatha Bus Terminal that runs between 6am – 9pm. You may have to ask some locals to find the right bus that goes to the airport.

The new Colombo-Katunayake Expressway makes the airport transfer journey only 45 minutes to an hour long.

Train Travel

For train time table and prices, check out the Sri Lankan Railways website. It is worth noting that no online bookings can be made through this site.
1st class tickets can be reserved through an agency such as Visit Sri Lanka Tours or Tour Master Travel Services.
2nd and 3rd class tickets cannot be reserved and can only be purchased on the day of travel over the ticket counter. You can turn up an hour before departure, buy a ticket from the specific ticket counter designated for your choice of destination, and simply hop on!
It is the 1st class tickets that tend to sell out, not the 2nd and 3rd.

VISA Application

Tourist visa can be easily obtained by applying online on the Sri Lanka ETA website.

🚀 For South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries including India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, the Maldives and Pakistan, the fees are as follows:

• Tourist visa – double entry valid for 30 days stay = USD 20 (online application) / USD 25 (on arrival)
• Tourist visa – single or double entry valid for 90 days stay = USD 20 (online application) / USD 25 (on arrival)
• Transit visa – single entry valid for 2 days = Free (can be availed only if transit exceeds 8 hours)

🚀 For all other countries, the fees are as follows:

• Tourist visa – double entry valid for 30 days stay = USD 35 (online application) / USD 40 (on arrival)
• Tourist visa – single or double entry valid for 90 days stay = USD 35 (online application) / USD 40 (on arrival)
• Transit visa – single entry valid for 2 days = Free (can be availed only if transit exceeds 8 hours)

Read More: Check out our 5 day itinerary for some interesting explorations in Sri Lanka