Country Information

In 2013, British Airways (www.ba.com) began offering direct flights to Sri Lanka from London for the first time in over a decade. The national carrier, Sri Lankan Airlines (www.srilankan.lk), also operates a route between London and Colombo, as does BMI (www.flybmi.com). Other major European cities served by Sri Lankan Airlines include Frankfurt, Paris and Rome. Many tourists choose to divert to Sri Lanka en-route to India and, as a result, several carriers offer direct flights between the countries. Flights are most expensive between December and March, which is high season on the south coast beaches and in the Hill Country, while August tends to be the cheapest time to fly.

Star Alliance (www.staralliance.com) offers an Asia Airpass that covers 235 destinations within 19 countries, including Sri Lanka.

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Mattala Rajapaska International Airport opened in the southeast of the country in 2013, and is expected to see continued development over the next few years. Its first phase has a runway long enough to handle jets to Europe, which will hopefully increase ease of access to the beaches in the south of the country. Construction of a new runway at Bandaranaike International Airport should be completed by 2015, and is expected to attract more air traffic to Sri Lanka.

Colombo Bandaranaike Airport (CMB). (www.airport.lk) Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport is located 32km (20 miles) north of Colombo city centre. Tel: <p>(11) 225 2861.</p>.

The main ports in Sri Lanka are Colombo, Galle, Hambantota, Kankasanthurai, Point Pedru and Trincomalee. There is currently no public ferry service operating to Sri Lanka, but it is possible to charter a boat with a private company. For more information, contact the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (tel: (11) 242 1201/31; www.slpa.lk).

Ferry services between Sri Lanka and the Indian mainland ceased for 30 years during the island's civil war, but restarted in 2011 when Flemingo Liners began operating a popular route between the southern Indian port of Tuticorin and Colombo. The route is currently suspended after a dispute with the vendor, but is expected to resume in the future. A new ferry service operated by the Ceylon Shipping Corporation (www.cscl.lk) is also planned in future, running between Thalaimannar in Sri Lanka and Rameshwaram in India.

Several cruise operators offer itineraries that include Sri Lanka, with most docking at Colombo. Cruise ships to Sri Lanka sail from Los Angeles, Cape Town, Rotterdam and Southampton, amongst others.