How Do I Get Around Sri Lanka?

 
 

Ayu in the Wild Holidays offers guests many ways to make their travel experience in Sri Lanka luxurious, comfortable, and adventurous. Here are the top 3 ways to get about on a Sri Lanka holiday.

 

By Air


While we make every effort to minimize the use of internal flights from a climate impact perspective, the Travel Design team at Ayu in the Wild Holidays works closely with leading domestic flight operators and private air charter services including Cinnamon Air and Air Senok in Sri Lanka to offer our guests the convenience of fast, reliable and luxurious transfers. Each tailor-made Sri Lanka travel itinerary could include a choice of either Cessna 208 flights or state of the art Airbus AS350 B3 helicopters manufactured in France, connecting guests directly on arrival in Sri Lanka to their first luxury villa or hotel.

Ceylon Concierge by Ayu specialize in curating private charter flights and premier AIRBUS Helicopter air taxis for airborne transfers between hotels or for scenic flight experiences over Sri Lanka’s stunning landscapes. Alternatively, we could arrange for guests to fly in the scheduled daily flights which are on offer to some popular routes including:


  • To Castlereagh – easy access the Central Highlands, Ceylon Tea Trails Bungalows

  • To Koggala – convenient to reach Galle and the south coast

  • To Trincomalee – to connect with the east coast

  • To Hambanthota -  convenient flight for a safari in Yala National Park

  • To Kandy – with access to the beautiful Victoria Golf Course and City of Kandy

  • To Sigiriya – connect to the Cultural Triangle including Sigiriya Rock and Dambulla

  • Sri Lanka’s metropolitan hub Colombo is well connected to 3 land and water aerodromes around the country.


Please note, as part of our sustainability ethos, we charge a Conservation Levy from each trip that requires domestic flights in order to support a selection of handpicked environmental efforts in Sri Lanka. Find out more about Ayu in the Wild’s Sustainable Travel Policy.

Image © Senok Air

By Road


As part of the travel curating services at Ayu in the Wild, we offer a variety of chauffeur driven Sedans, SUVs or vans to transfer our guests around the island. All Ayu in the Wild bespoke holidays include, meet and greet services at the Airport, a private chauffeur driven vehicle, fuel and toll costs. We provide English speaking experienced chauffeurs – some are wonderful personalities much loved by our guests across a decade, and we ensure they are provided with good accommodation and decent meals throughout your trip; telephone costs for coordinating any tour details with us and a daily living allowance. We work with service providers who own a large fleet of luxurious and reliable vehicles where immediate replacements are easily available where needed.

By Rail

 

Sri Lanka packs in some of the world’s most thrilling rail journeys that Ayu in the Wild can design into each bespoke tour depending on the route of your trip. Some of the best train routes in Sri Lanka we include are as follows:

  • From Anuradhapura to Jaffna on our North Sri Lanka holiday.

  • The most scenic short stints onboard The Ella Odyssey -  a daily luxury train service looping between Kandy and Ella with stops at several waterfall view points and the famous Nine Arch Bridge in Demodara.

  • Selected short hops from Haputale or Nanu Oya for guests exploring Sri Lanka’s Central Highlands for spectacular views through emerald, green tea estates.

  • Colombo to Kandy by rail is also a quicker option to travel than by car.

  • The coastal route between Colombo to Galle and vice versa is a stunning scenic journey, with the Indian Ocean (almost) washing up to the rail tracks.

Are travel times long between destinations?

Sri Lanka currently has 3 expressways serving the Southern and Central parts of the country.  The Southern Expressway easily connects Colombo to the Dutch Fort in Galle - the 17th Century Sri Lanka World Heritage Site (travel time 2 hours); to the famous Southern beaches in Mirissa (travel time 2 hours and 30 minutes); and to Yala National Park (travel time 4 hours 30 minutes). The Central Expressway connects Colombo to the Sri Lanka Cultural Triangle (travel time 3 hours 15 minutes) and makes onward journeys to Northeastern Sri Lanka much shorter.

Travel times can be kept to a minimum between destinations – and upto about 3 to 4 hours at most, by carefully planning your route to include the expressways and scenic inland road with quick stops to stretch your legs at picturesque spots.

For more FAQ’s, please visit our FAQ page

 
Harriet Hoult