Description

Sri Lanka is one of God's own places, matching great natural beauty with beautiful manmade creations. Formerly known as Ceylon, Sri Lanka's relatively small size belies its enormously varied landscape; from dense jungles - home to shy leopards and wild elephants - to empty golden beaches; from monasteries and temples peopled by saffron-clad monks to cool, misty mountains contoured with tea and dotted with the bright saris of pickers. Choose from colonial history, the legacy of the Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa, the ancient cities of Polonnaruwa, Dambulla and Anuradhapura - which form the Cultural Triangle - the old capital of Kandy and the hill station of Nuwara Eliya. Sri Lankans are incredibly warm and friendly, and bright smiles are everywhere - don't be surprised if a stranger invites you home for tea or to a family meal - it's quite normal! One of the best things about holidays to Sri Lanka is that, due to its small size nothing is very far from anything else; it is possible to spend the morning in the hills watching the tea pickers, the afternoon at an ancient Buddhist temple and the evening eating seafood beside a romantic sandy beach.

Getting There

Sri Lanka's capital, Colombo, has direct flights from most major European cities, as well as from Delhi, Cochin, Chennai and many other Indian cities. If you are considering a holiday to Sri Lanka then it works very well as a two-centre holiday with the Maldives or with destinations in India.

Visa Requirements

All passengers travelling to Sri Lanka on or after the 01st of October 2011 will require an Electronic Travel Authorization, which can be obtained online with a fee applicable. All passengers are required to obtain this authorization by visiting http://www.eta.gov.lk/visainfo/center.jsp?locale=en_US, filling the required information and paying the visa fee applicable. It is advised that all passengers carry the authorization approval form when arriving to the country at which point the visa would be stamped. Please visit the above link for more information about the new visa system. Passports must be valid for at least 6 months after your return from Sri Lanka and have at least 2 blank pages.

Health Advice

For information on vaccinations and health requirements, we suggest you contact your GP or a travel clinic such as Fit For Travel at least 2 months prior to departure for advice and to arrange immunisations. Recommended vaccinations for travel to Sri Lanka are polio, tetanus, typhoid, meningitis and hepatitis A. We would also recommend you take anti-malarial tablets, but please consult your doctor for his/her advice.

Flying times from UK

Colombo: 10 hours 45 minutes

Local Time

GMT + 530 hours

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