Sri Lanka

[Flimpychunk]

Anyone have any tips on how to book the cheapest flights to Colombo? We're thinking of going next Easter and I usually use skyscanner or Google Flights but I seem to be getting cheaper flights through Emirates or Qatar Airways directly.

Are there usually any sales that we should wait for before booking? Fairly new to long haul travel so I'm nervous of paying over the odds unnecessarily!

Hopeful hump!

Ffs, bump

In general, I use ebookers, including for past flights to Sri Lanka.
Prices have increased lots.
We paid around £750 person in July 2019 but it's over £1200 now.
We flew with Etihad and had a short stop over (under 2 hours) which reduced the price and let us stretch our legs fully too.

P.s. check the current political situation and make sure your insurance covers change to FCO travel restrictions. It's an amazing country.

Have you tried Kuwait Airways? They fly to Sri Lanka

Brilliant, thanks!

I haven’t looked at Kuwait airways but will check them out.

Good point about the insurance.

If you have any must-see suggestions, please throw them my way as we may end up spending three weeks there!

We ruled Sri Lanka out for a holiday because of the current political situation

@Flimpychunk What time of year are you thinking of going? That dictates where it's best to go.
We went for almost 3 weeks late July/August, so east coast.
Train to Habarana then buses to Nilaveli, Arugum Bay, Ella, Kandy.
Many people hire a car and driver.

We’re looking at the Easter holidays next year. Very nervous that it’ll be too hot but it’s the biggest chunk of time we’ll have to get away so not sure how to overcome that!

I am actually Sri Lankan (ethnically, not nationally), although I’ve lived in England all my life so the political situation doesn’t seem as off putting as I have lots of relatives who have holidayed there even during the height of the riots last year and said it was fine. The thing they’re warning us about it the heat - they keep telling us we’re crazy for considering going in April!

All of my properly Sri Lankan relatives don’t do any of the tourist stuff and have not been forthcoming with ideas of what we can do so I’ve turned to the internet instead.

I think we probably will get a driver and travel by trains too. So far, the rough plan is:

Colombo to pinwala elephant sanctuary
Drive to Kandy
Take a train to nuriwayla
Go to Adam’s peak
Take the train to Ella
Go on a safari on the way down to the south
Spend some time in Galle on the beaches
Go to bentota for the beaches
Return to Colombo

I read online that for April, the west and south were better so the itinerary above is based on a trailfinders brochure map

That sounds about right to me!
We were in Kandy for the perahera but otherwise wouldn't spend lots of time there.
We didn't stay in Colombo at all.
Loved Ella. Lots of nice walks to do.
Train journey Kandy to Ella is fab. We didn't stop in the hills but want to go back in our winter and do the route you will follow.
You really can't go wrong.
I particularly liked staying in smaller accomodation rather than the big hotels (which was never an option financially in any case!).
Quite a few guesthouses market themselves as homestays. The food was amazing.
https://www.booking.com/Share-RQ36vQ

I only paid £480 3.5 years ago, they have shot up. Qatar is usually cheapest. Direct is usually much more unfortunately.

Also as must do's - you can take a boat safari which was fun, saw snakes, crocodiles, huge monitor lizards and lots of cheeky monkeys done tried to get into our boat to eat our picnic (provided by the tour people, picnic downplays, was amazing). For a more spiritual experience climb Adam's peak at night and watch the sun rise.

I know several people who have been on holiday there this year with no problems.

@RawesHawes

Dp goes regularly for work, it's fine currently, I'll go next winter with him (only one flight to pay for that way). Admittedly he travels in his work travel insurance obviously but there's no obvious signs of any problems now, but remember he isn't mixing with poorer Sri Lankan to be blunt, his colleagues would be upper middle class.

https://www.ayuinthewild.com/

If I could I'd go with these people. I have Sri Lankan ancestry but have never visited. I wish I could learn some Sinhalese.

The economy has stabilised enough now that the political situation is fine for holiday.

Trial dial a flight. We always get them to beat anything else

@House4DS I had to look up perahera - looks like it would have been interesting to see! I’d bookmarked kandy as a place where we might spend a few nights as I assumed there was lots to do - is that not the case?

@gogohmm weirdly, direct flights with air Lanka are coming up cheaper on sky scanner. Am still playing around with dates though to see if anything might be cheaper.

I’d LOVE a boat safari (didn’t know it was a thing!) but sadly DP and DS get awful motion sickness on boats (and cars, planes and almost any form of transport) so I think we’d have to give that a miss, sadly. I have put Adam’s peak on my list, although climbing in the dark seems like an invitation to step on snakes/errant wildlife!

@fancreek thanks for the suggestion, hadn’t heard of them before but I’ve got in touch and am waiting to see what they come back with.

Feels a bit silly to have holed myself up on such a sunny day but I’ve had a wonderful morning researching all of this

I’ve just asked DP about boat safaris and he said as it’s in back waters and not the ocean, they should be fine!

So excited, thanks for all the tips

@Flimpychunk we had a day and half and then went straight to the airport for home.
Temple of sacred tooth relic is worth a visit.
Get a lonely planet guide for lots of ideas.

N/C, I will go with the practicality's first.

Flights, although Sri Lankan Airlines may come out the cheapest, personally I would not book with them. They are in financial trouble of a sorts and if flights/ schedules do change or are cancelled the customer service is dire, the hard product is not that good and there are better out there for your money. Many airlines have increased costing for flights to Lanka significantly even those with a stop over (S/L is direct from London) look at the middle eastern airlines and compare.

As far as the political situation goes, the county is in a much better place than this time last year when I would say maybe delay your visit, but not now. The lines of cars etc to get fuel are no more, electricity cuts 99% fine and would not affect the vast majority of tourist hotels (they have generators). Food is now more readily available, as is the supply of most medical supply's. There is no longer (and has not been for some time) a UK Govt. advice as to not to travel to Lanka, people really need to know what advice is correct instead of giving a blanket 'dont travel due to political unrest'. The majority of small protests are in Colombo and are getting less and less, and would not affect tourists as long as they keep away from the are, same as anywhere else in the world where you dont want to get involved

The rate of inflation is slowly coming down but as a tourist your still getting excellent value for money to eat out etc. Lanka offers some fantastic places to visit and stay, but I must say some of the bigger operations are not offering better value and I would recommend looking at smaller Guest Houses/B&B/Hotels

If your DP gets travel sick he might struggle in the nature reserve. The one we went to was all done by jeep and my step counter added 10k steps while I was in the jeep!

Worlds end is lovely on a clear day.

Sigirya is great if you're not afraid of heights, the steps up are just bolted onto the side of the rock with a rope handrail.

Drink tea

Everything is fresh coconut, I love coconut so spent most of the time just drinking coconut water.

We got a car and driver, it made everything much easier.

The royal Botanical garden near Kandy is great, there are trees full of huge fruit bats all dangling off wrapped in their wings.

@Flimpychunk look up Alexander Armstrong's recent channel 5 series on Sri Lanka too

Jumping on this great thread to ask- does anyone have any recommendations somewhere beachy surfy but not too young vibe? We’re here now so south rather than east?

And by somewhere I mean accommodation as well as location. Here’s where we are now, it’s amazing but could probably go a bit cheaper 😳
Geoffrey Bawa hotel

Arugum bay?
Backpacker vibe but not in a party town way
We stayed here
https://www.booking.com/Share-0qTwjYX