Transport

How to Reach
By Air: Bandaranaike International Airport, located 30km off Capital Colombo, is the only international airport in Sri Lanka. One can reach there by taxi or bus plying at regular intervals between the city and the airport. One can also catch a train for reaching the airport. Facilities like bank counters for money exchange, bar, restaurant, and tourist information have been provided at the airport. Air tickets can be bought from the offices of several airlihes.


By Sea: Sri Lanka has four international ports including Colombo, Talaimannar, Trincomalee, and Galle. Some cruise liners sailing around India and Maldives, or on longer cruises from Singapore to Dubai port in Colombo. Others commence at Colombo and head for Indonesia via Malaysia and Singapore. Usual cruising season is from month of October through May and cruises take about 12 to 16 days to complete the journey. However, continuous ethnic conflict has stopped the ferry service plying between Rameswaram in South India and Sri Lanka.

How to Move Around
Plane: Domestic airport of Colombo is located at Ratamalana. Daily flights Operate for Batticaloa, Gal Oya, Palali, and Trincomalee. However, flights to Jaffna are not available for they have been disrupted by continuous.

Train: Trains are the cheapest and perhaps the best way to see Sri Lanka. Trains are available for all major tourist towns, but number of first-class or air-conditioning carriages is few. An inter-city express service connects Colombo with Kandy. Train services to Jaffna been closed.
Bus: Sri Lanka has an extensive network of roads reaching to all parts of the island. Buses plying on these roads connect all parts of the country. Two main types of buses in Sri Lanka are: Central Transport Board buses and private buses. Costs of these buses are easily affordable. However one should be ready of jostling with the crowds.

Taxi: One can avail taxis in any of the towns. However it is advisable to discuss the price before boarding. You can't expect to find the metered-taxis out of the big towns. Even in those taxis, you should first negotiate the price before getting in. The three-wheelers or auto-rickshaws are found in all towns of the country. In tourists spots as well as outside the railway stations and bus stops, three wheelers are easily available. The rule of negotiating the price implies itself here too.

Car rentals: You can hire a car for moving around the country. Several car rental shops are available to choose from. This way you would be able to escape the rush of public transport. Costs of hiring are also not much and common tourists can afford them.