BOOK YOUR HOLIDAY TO COLOMBO
With its palm-fringed beaches, lush jungles, enthralling ancient history and rich Buddhist culture, Sri Lanka is an absolute gem - a jewel-shaped island in the Indian Ocean blessed with tropical weather, friendly locals and exotic wildlife.
The bustling port of Colombo is the capital of Sri Lanka. It offers a vibrant introduction to urban life in Sri Lanka and is a fun, if slightly chaotic city to explore for a few days before heading to one of Sri Lanka’s many fascinating tourist destinations.
Beyond Sri Lanka’s stunning coastline, the island’s interior is covered with lush rainforest, majestic mountains and emerald green tea plantations.
Getting to Colombo from Australia is a straightforward affair. Non-stop flights operate daily between Melbourne and Colombo, with a flight time of less than 11 hours. While connecting in Melbourne is the quickest and easiest option for most Aussies, you can also fly to Colombo via Singapore, Kuala Lumpur or Bangkok.
Getting to and from the airport
Colombo Airport, known as Bandaranaike Airport, isn’t actually located in Colombo, but about 35km north of the city. The drive to Colombo takes roughly an hour, depending on the time of your arrival and traffic conditions. If you are heading straight to the beach resorts of Negombo (31km north of Colombo), your journey from the airport will of course be much quicker - about 20 minutes.
Most hotels and resorts offer transfer services to and from the airport. If you haven’t booked a transfer, you can find taxi desks with fixed prices in the arrivals lobby. There are also taxis waiting outside the terminal, but you’ll have to negotiate your own deal. This can be cheaper if you’re good at bargaining - if not, you might be taken for a ride, so to speak!
Uber is also available in the Colombo area, including at the airport. After booking, look for your Uber driver in the arrivals forecourt.
The cheapest option are the public buses which pick up passengers on the opposite side of the road from the terminal.
Peak and off season: When to get the best deal
Although Sri Lanka is a relatively small island, it has two distinct monsoon seasons which affect different parts of the country at different times. It might sound confusing at first, but this actually makes Sri Lanka a year-round destination. When to go just depends on where in the country you plan to spend the most time.
Overall, the peak season is usually considered to be between December and March. This is when the driest, sunniest and coolest (“cool” is a relative term in this humid tropical nation of course) weather graces Sri Lanka’s West, South and Hill Country.
The west coast is the most developed and frequently visited part of Sri Lanka. It includes Colombo and some of the island’s most popular beach resorts including Negombo, the idyllic Kalpitiya Peninsula and the regions of Kalutara, Beruwalaand and Bentota, home to many European-style hotels and upscale beachfront resorts.
