Travel to Sri Lanka
Bandaranaike International Airport, at Katunayake, is the International Airport for Sri Lanka, located on the outskirts of the capital city of Colombo. This airport receives flights from the UK, Middle East, India, Singapore and Europe.
Travel to Yala National Park
Guests drive to Yala from Bandaranaike International Airport (approximate driving time of 6 hours). Normally Yala is included as one of the many stops on a longer tour; hence guests would be driving from either the hill country (a drive of 4 hours) or the west coast (a drive of 3 hours). Small aircraft, including schedule operations, fly to the Werawil Airfield (1 hour away).
DO TRANSFERS NEED TO BE ARRANGED TO AND FROM THE PARK?
Yes, the lodges and camps that guests stay at organising transfers and &Beyond is able to arrange transfers to and from Yala National Park.
GUIDED TOURS AND GROUPS
We tailor-make tours hosted by hand-picked local guides – including foreign-language speakers. We have many years’ experience in designing and managing tours for groups of all sizes.
TRAINS AND COACHES
The road network is better than the rail network in Sri Lanka. Other than a short train journey from Kandy to the Tea Country, we do not recommend train journeys.
SELF DRIVE
We do not recommend self-driving in Sri Lanka.
What to remember when travelling around Sri Lanka
There is only one international airport in Sri Lanka which is an hour north of Colombo. For most visitors coming from Europe, the UK or the USA, this is a long flight of several hours. Once in the country, different modes of transport are safe to use and are recommended.
Roads are generally in very good condition, and Sri Lanka, being a small island country, doesn’t take more than five hours on average between destinations. Public transport like taxis and buses are not a recommended mode of transport. Instead, we recommend that you book a private transfer through &Beyond’s office in Colombo.
Visas
Sri Lanka has introduced an online visa system for all travellers. Visitors must apply for the Electronic Travel Authorization via www.eta.gov.lk established in the Department of Immigration and Emigration. Those who arrive at the airport without a visa will be able to obtain a visa at the port of arrival, but this may cause long delays, as well as a visa surcharge.
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