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Click below if you are travelling from: UK Useful Information: Currency
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Due to the overlap with Christmas/New Year Holidays, the flight tickets will tend to be sold-out at an early stage and/or be very expensive. For this reason, please take a moment to read the following information before proceeding to make your travel arrangements. For information about extending your trip to the Maldives, please scroll to the bottom of the page. |
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| UK Travel Information | For people travelling from the UK For the most convenient option, fly with Sri Lankan Airlines www.srilankan.lk This is the only airline offering direct flights to Colombo from the UK and the most convenient for this reason. Good travel agents to contact are:
There are also several airlines flying from London into Colombo; please feel free to find out about these airlines if you do not wish to fly with Sri Lankan Airlines:
Please feel free to contact any other travel agent that you prefer. |
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| Switzerland Travel Information | For people travelling from Switzerland The flights operating out of Switzerland are essentially the same as above. The direct option with Sri Lankan Airlines is from Zurich and the next best option is Emirates via Dubai. The range of fares will be from CHF 1200-1500 including taxes. So far we have obtained rates as follows: Please contact any travel agent of your choice although I usually go to Culture Air Travel, Geneva 022 839 8181 - Ask for Mr. Mohamed Sri Lankan Airlines (From Geneva connecting in Zurich) at CHF 1380
plus taxes Please note that student and youth fares will be around 10%-12% cheaper
than the above rates. |
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| Sweden Travel Information | For people travelling from Sweden Unfortunately, Sri Lanka does not seem to be a very low-budget destination to fly to from Stockholm and the best rate I have found is with Sri Lankan Airlines either via Paris or Zurich for SEK 7350 (+ around 800 SEK tax)
On www.statravel.se, there seemed to be Czech airlines for SEK 6000 which may be worth checking out. www.kilroytravel.se
is rather expensive with Alternatively, fly into London on Ryanair (www.ryanair.com)
or other budget airlines and take advantage of the direct flight from
London to Colombo. |
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| Elsewhere | For others Probably getting into London on a budget
airline beforehand and joining the group flying out is the best option
but please check with local travel agents for the best possible fares.
Flying via a major hub is probably the most economical option! |
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| Currency | To give you an indication of prices, here’s a rough guide to the exchange rates:
(For an up-to-date rate please go to www.xe.com/ucc/full.shtml or www.oanda.com) |
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| Weather | The weather in Colombo at this time will be quite pleasant.
Please ensure however that you bring a lot of sunscreen! The sea stays
around 27°C all year round. (This applies to the Maldives as well)
In the hill country the temperature is a pleasant 16°C in Nuwara Eliya and around 23°C in Kandy. For an up-to-date weather forcast click here
(BBC World
Weather). |
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| Visa | To our knowledge, most European, Japanese, North American and Australian
passport holders are granted a free 30-day visa upon entry to Sri Lanka
and a separate visa is granted for the Maldives. For those of you with
other nationalities, please be sure to check with the local consulate.
For those wishing to make onward travel arrangements to India, strict
visa formalities apply and this should be checked thoroughly before departure.
UK |
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| Vaccinations | For those who have never travelled to a developing country before, we recommend taking some basic vaccinations by asking your GP what would be best. (We have never taken any during our prior visits so don’t really know what you should take!) For those of you who have been travelling in Africa and parts of South America are required to carry proof of yellow fever vaccination. | ||||||||||||
| Miscellaneous | The weather is humid and hot, please ensure you drink lots of water, king coconut also being a very good alternative. Wear a hat if possible at all times outside and be layered with sunscreen. Do not underestimate the cloud cover! Food & Drinks Avoid drinking tap water but ordering fruit juices in hotels will be safe as the water is purified before use. Try to avoid eating from small roadside canteens unless you know for a fact that you can stomach the food and have done so before. Bottled drinks are safe as are tea and coffee served in hotels and respectable looking restaurants. Insects Mosquitoes are a big problem when outside in the evenings and insect repellent is highly recommended. Temples When visiting temples, please ensure that your shoulders and legs are covered. Shoes and hats must be removed upon entry. Tipping Tipping is a very common practice and it is always good to have a wad of LKR 50 notes in the pocket for a tip for porters and bell boys per luggage. To make them smile, give them about LKR 100. Professional guides when visiting historical sites require a more substantial tip of several hundred Rupees. Maldives Travelling to the Maldives from Sri Lanka is quite easy but NOT cheap. Gabo Travels, the local travel agent who we are principally dealing with have quoted a rate of U$200 for a return flight ticket between Colombo & Male (Maldives Airport). There are several flights on a daily basis and we advise you to liaise directly with Gabo Travels regading your trip to the Maldives when sorting out your local tour/travel arrangements for Sri Lanka. For those of you who do not have much time to travel to the Maldives or simply want to enjoy Sri Lanka to the fullest, a beach extension in Sri Lanka itself is a beautiful, satisfying and affordable alternative especially if you enjoy surfing. The season is very good and the seas should not be rough, especially if you head further south of Colombo. Many resorts are available all the way to the south, namely Bentota, Hikkaduwa, Ahungalla, Unawatuna and Galle. (See map) Diving is also available at some places. The food is also MUCH better in Sri Lanka! For further information, please see the page on “Sri
Lanka & The Maldives” |
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