Sri Lanka logistics – hopefully helpful to some…

-Background – used the TK Europe-IST-HKG J deal offered last year. From Hong Kong, looked at options for countries I had not visited before. Sri Lanka became #101 and India #102.

-Obtained Sri Lankan ETA in about 4 hours - very easy. (USA)

-I found a decent J price on UL, BKK-CMB and booked it. J was great as it had expedited security and emigration out of BKK and expedited immigration and customs (almost) into CMB. I mention ‘almost’ because my bag came out first, and I was headed out the door. Many officials were chatting amongst themselves. Passengers were walking by. One of the officials asked my what flight I had been on. ‘BKK’. Everyone from BKK was stopped, turned around, and made to place all bags through the scanner. I was first, not a big deal. But certainly a lack of awareness by the group of officials.

-UL uses the Miracle lounge in the F wing of BKK. It was a miracle that a seat was available – a very small lounge.

-UL cabin service was very good. Nice to have a hot towel and a drink at both the beginning of the flight as well as the end of the flight.

-Experienced my first (almost) touch and go landing. Plane was over the CMB runway and suddenly pulled up and accelerated. About 10 minutes later, the Captain apologized and advised there was an unforeseen ATC issue.

-Originally, I planned two weeks in Sri Lanka, but through my itinerary research, I learned many of the famous train routes remained out of service due to damage from last fall’s cyclone. I then decided on a week.

-There is something for everyone in Sri Lanka – beaches, culture, history, nature, etc. I tried many itineraries. At the end of the day, I did the ‘Cultural Triangle’ – Anuradhapura (overnight), Polonnaruwa on the way to Sigiriya (two nights), Kandy (one night), and finally Negombo (nearest area to CMB).

-I chose Negombo over Colombo for my last night because it gave me an additional 90 minutes of sleep.

-I used my Schwab debit card for cash (although cards are widely accepted); the only exception was my ride Kandy-related activities and the homestay in Sigiriya. As far as I have seen, there were not any ATM fees, DCC options, etc.

-I started my trip from CMB with a ride arranged through 12Go as I was very successful with booking India train tickets via 12Go as recommended by Seat61. I paid a 50% premium for an ‘express’ ride from CMB to Anuradhapura – approximately 2 hours vs 4 hours. I eventually figured out that 2 hours was impossible and I’m still fighting with 12Go over a partial refund. 12Go states that it has no control and makes no guarantees about the services it represents.

-Unrelated to the above impossible route, map out routes using Google or Maps, plan on a 50% increase in time vs. what the map may state. Google and Maps consider perfect conditions. That is not reality. For example, Google has about 3 hours Sigiriya to Kandy - it was actually almost 5 - traffic, bad roads, a witnessed accident where a car went off the road, and hitting an animal (unavoidable). For Kandy to Negombo, was 4.5 vs. 3, even using the express road.

-Keep an eye on the driver. The Kandy to Negombo driver was clearly tired (midday). I actually made him stop and stretch.

-Should you rent a car, keep all of the above in mind, but also a full tank of petrol and water. Petrol stations are few and far between.

-While I’m not an archeological expert, I believe that the ancient cities within the Cultural Triangle are Sri Lanka’s version of Angkor Wat or Machu Pichu; cities that were rediscovered, excavated, with restoration continuing. I think a guide is helpful in some cases. On the other hand, there were Westerners touring Polonnaruwa on bicycles.

-The highlights of near Sigiriya include Sigiriya Rock and Hurulu Eco Park. I likely could have done both on my own. Sigiriya Rock was within walking distance of my lodging (although the guide did insert me in front of likely 100 others waiting to climb to the top). Hurulu Eco Park is the closest I’ve come to a safari. I was wondering how free the animals were – and the animals are free – elephants, water buffalo, peacocks – all going about their business.

-Plan to remove shoes, and cover knees (everyone), and females cover shoulders also for many of the sites.

-I used Lakpura to make tour and driving arrangements for the trip up to Kandy (all paid by card). The rep provided reasonable prices. That said, check with your lodging to see what other pricing is available. With the exception of the Kandy lodging, all were disappointed, politely, that I didn’t give them a shot for activities. Like many other parts of the world, tourism seems to have many layers – everyone is making a buck and who really knows that a good deal is.

-Keeping in mind that I should give a lodging a chance to provide tours and transportation, I gave the Kandy property a chance for a Kandy tour and transportation to Negombo. The manager (?) did so, but I paid both providers in cash and tipped the manager about 10% for the trouble.

-Kandy was really the only tour that included commercial establishments. I made it clear to the guide/tuk-tuk operator, that it was OK to stop, but I wouldn’t buy anything.

-The tuk-tuk in Kandy was at least negotiable. I used Uber from the hotel into the real downtown. When it was time to go back up the hill, I asked a tuk-tuk driver, and he quoted me over twice what Uber was. I split the difference with him although he wasn’t happy.

-I used Booking for lodging. My criteria are: not interior rooms, AC, wifi, rating of 9+, non-smoking, private bathroom, within a � mile of the center of town, and in the case of this trip breakfast. In terms of location, I failed for the Anuradhapura and Kandy properties – just different definitions of center of town. Fortunately, both had Uber available.

-Dinners were all OK – lodging in Anuradhapura, walking distance to Sigiriya town, wood fired pizza in both Kandy and Negombo.

-Pre-booked a taxi to CMB airport. 25 minute ride at 0600 on Saturday morning.

-Flew AI to DEL. Lots of security – bags scanned entering the airport. Check-in. Another security check prior to emigration. There is a business class priority here also, but while there was a sign stating as such (as well as crew, diplomats, etc.), the minder was not letting me through even though my ticket was quite clear. After about 30 seconds, someone else came over and told him to let me through, of which he was not pleased.

-AI uses Araliya lounge at CMB. Quite sufficient for a short visit. I didn’t eat much as I was sure I’d be feed well on the AI CMB-DEL flight (and I was – too much).

-Tips for tour guides and drivers are expected. I did 15%. If both a guide and driver, I handed it to them within each others site and told them to work it out.

I am busy researching an 8 night trip for March 2027 so I was very excited to find this post! In another thread you asked about the Kandy train, were you able to get an answer? Or did you give up entirely on the scenic train?

Also do you have any tips or recommendations on booking a driver?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Davvidd
The Kandy to Nuvera eliya is the best. It’s running now.
I'd really like to try that route on this trip. Where did you find tickets? Neither the official Sri Lanka train site nor 12GoAsia are selling that route.

I did give up on the trains and just did what is known as the Cultural Triangle.

From speaking with several local sources, restoration of full train service is a priority, but the schedule is unknown. On of the scenic trains is running from Ambewela to Ella, but Ambewela is quite a distance from Kandy, so I did not bother exploring further.

I sent you an e-mail with a guide recommendation.

Safe travels!