Travel Tips, Sri Lanka

Arriving in Sri Lanka

What you should expect on arrival?
Sri Lanka has only one International Airport, the Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake (30km north of Colombo). If you are lucky enough to land while the sun is still out, you will notice Sri Lanka's rich green foliage the moment you begin descent. Remember to fill out your disembarkation form before you proceed to the sparkling new wing of the Island's Airport. Most often, many flights arrive at the same time, but as long as you have your documents ready and don't allow any over-eager travellers to cut in line, the smiling immigration officers will send you sailing through towards your adventures in Sri Lanka.

Heat and humidity on arrival
The moment you step out of the well-air conditioned airport, prepare for Sri Lanka's warm and humid climate with an average temperature of 24oC. Put your jacket away and drink lots of water. The average temperature is 24oC.

Airport clearance process
Being a small Airport, the clearance process is not too complicated. You will be able to get your disembarkation form from a flight attendant before you land, or from the desks in the immigration area. Make sure you have them filled out before you get in line at immigration.

When you have your bags, if you have any goods to declare, make sure you fill out a customs form before you get into the exit line. These forms can be found at the desks near the luggage carousels.

The porters will be more than happy to assist you with your bags, and are usually paid Rs. 100 ($1) per bag to help you move your bags and push your trolley.

Transport on arrival
If Airport Transfer arrangements have been made through srilanka-getaway.com we will have one of our friendly chauffeurs waiting with a name card in the arrivals lobby, ready to escort you to your first destination in Sri Lanka.

If no prior transfer arrangements have been made, arrangements for an Airport taxi can be made at the service desk in the lobby. If you don't already have Sri Lankan Rupees, there are authorized moneychangers within the lobby area of the airport.

Mobile Phones, Cell Phones

Mobile phones have been made so affordable in Sri Lanka that almost everybody has one, and coverage has extended beyond the major cities. There are four main network operators on the island; Dialog GSM ( www.dialog.lk ), Mobitel ( www.mobitel.lk  ), Tigo ( www.tigo.lk ), and Airtel ( www.airtel.lk ). If you'd rather not use your own mobile phone on roaming but still want to be contactable, the cheapest alternative is to get a mobile phone connection with one of these major companies. All these phone companies have a pay-as-you-go plan where you can buy a local SIM card for around Rs. 1,000 (that will work in GSM phones from Europe, the Middle East and Australasia) and keep adding money to the connection as you require it. You will find recharge cards at any corner store throughout the island.

Internet

You shouldn't have much trouble finding Internet facilities in most towns. If your hotel does not have Internet or email facilities available, ask anybody where you can find a " Tele communication". The locals will be happy to point you towards the closest store where you will be able to use the internet. In the city of Colombo, there are a few places that have free wireless internet like the Coffee shop, Barista's. Internet access in Colombo is cheap (Rs. 4 per minute), but more often than not you'll have to fork out Rs. 7 to 12.

International Calls, IDD phones & Calling Cards.
Most Hotel phones have the IDD facility (International Direct Dialling) for which you will be charged depending on which country and what time you call. For most countries, it costs about Rs. 20 to call from Sri Lanka. If your hotel does not have IDD, International calls can also be made from the thousands of communication bureaus and booths. The cheapest option, however, is the card-operated IDD telephones, of which there are many in Colombo. These cards are sold at small roadside shops, usually displaying signs indicating which cards they sell. Each card is specific to that company phone booth

Cable TV, Satelitte TV

Most Hotels in Sri Lanka have Cable TV with a minimum of 16 channels. Although the channels vary depending on the Cable company that the Hotel subscribes to, most companies provide HBO, Cinemax, ESPN, Hallmark, ESPN, Ten Sports, Cartoon Network, Channel V, MTV, National Geographic, AXN, Discovery Channel, CNN, BBC World, Star Word, Star Plus and Star Movies.

Police/Fire/Ambulance/Tourist Police

Hospitals