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Sri Lanka trip for Australians: ETA and route ideas
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Sri Lanka trip for Australians: you need an Electronic Travel Authorization, or ETA, before you go, and you can get it online for US$35. This guide explains the ETA step by step, then lays out a two-week route that links the hill country, the famous train line and the south coast.
The ETA: what Australians need
Sri Lanka has asked short-stay visitors to hold an ETA since 1 January 2012. The official site belongs to the Department of Immigration and Emigration. Only citizens of Singapore, the Maldives and the Seychelles are exempt, so Australians must apply.
The ETA is limited to 30 days from the date you arrive. It can be extended for up to six months, so a longer stay is possible. For a trip of two weeks, the 30 day tourist visa is plenty.
Sources for this section: Sri Lanka Department of Immigration and Emigration, ETA official website, home page, snapshot of 16 January 2019.
ETA fees and how to pay
The official fee page lists the charges in US dollars. Here are the tourist rows for travellers from "all other countries", which includes Australia.
| How you apply | Tourist ETA, 30 days, double entry |
|---|---|
| Online, by the traveller | US$35 |
| On arrival at the airport | US$40 |
| Children under 12 | Free |
Applying online saves US$5 and a queue at the desk. The site notes that the processing fee cannot be refunded or transferred. Longer tourist options of up to 90 days are also listed, with an extra "reciprocal" fee column, but you do not need them for two weeks.
Use the official site only. The address is eta.gov.lk. Check the fee table there before you pay, because governments change fees from time to time.
Sources for this section: Sri Lanka Department of Immigration and Emigration, ETA fees page, snapshot of 27 September 2018.
When to go
Sri Lanka has two monsoon seasons. One reference gives the northeast monsoon as December to March and the southwest monsoon as June to October. The country is warm all year, but the hills are cooler. The average low in Nuwara Eliya is about 16 °C, and January is the coolest month in the highlands.
Pack a warm layer for the tea country, and plan beach days for the dry side of the island at the time you travel. Check a current weather forecast before you book.
Sources for this section: Wikipedia, Geography of Sri Lanka, snapshot of 10 December 2018.
A two week route: hill country, train and coast
This plan keeps long drives short by using Sri Lanka Railways. The distances below come from The Man in Seat 61 timetable for the Main Line.
| Days | Base | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 2 | Colombo | Arrive, recover from the flight, see the city |
| 3 to 4 | Kandy | Train up from Colombo, 121 km |
| 5 to 6 | Nuwara Eliya | Train on to Nanu Oya station, 207 km from Colombo |
| 7 to 9 | Ella | Train on to Ella, 271 km from Colombo |
| 10 to 11 | Yala or the south | Road transfer, wildlife or whale watching |
| 12 to 14 | Galle and the coast | Fort, beach, then back to Colombo |
Sri Lanka Tourism describes Yala as the second largest national park in the country, with Asian elephants, leopards and endemic birds. It also names Mirissa as one of the best spots to watch blue whales. Book these with a local operator and ask what their season is.
Sources for this section: The Man in Seat 61, Train travel in Sri Lanka, snapshot of 2 October 2018; Sri Lanka Tourism, official website, snapshot of 17 January 2019.
The hill country train
The Main Line from Colombo to Badulla climbs through tea plantations, and Seat 61 calls the ride from Colombo to Kandy and up to tea country the best train journey in Sri Lanka. Its timetable shows the Podi Menike leaving Colombo Fort at 05:55 and reaching Ella at 15:15. That is a long day, so many travellers split the ride at Kandy or Nanu Oya.
Fares are low. The same page lists one way adult fares from Colombo to Ella of Rs 600 in a 2nd class seat, about US$5, and Rs 1,000 in the 1st class observation car. Colombo to Kandy in 2nd class is Rs 280.
- Reserved seats: the longer trains have reserved 2nd class cars. You can book up to 30 days ahead, and they often sell out on the hill country trains.
- Unreserved cars: these cannot sell out. You buy a ticket at the station on the day, but you may have to stand.
- Booking from home: Sri Lanka Railways did not offer online booking, so Seat 61 points to agencies that sell reserved seats for collection in Colombo.
- Nuwara Eliya: the town is 6 km from Nanu Oya station, with taxis and tuk tuks waiting there.
Sources for this section: The Man in Seat 61, Train travel in Sri Lanka, snapshot of 2 October 2018.
The coast by train
The coast line runs from Colombo along the Indian Ocean to Galle and Matara. Galle is 116 km from Colombo, and the timetable shows trains taking about two and a half hours. Seat 61 says the Galle Fort area, with its Dutch colonial buildings, should not be missed.
All seats on this route are unreserved, so you buy a ticket on the day. A 2nd class adult fare from Colombo to Galle is Rs 180, about US$2. Sit by an open window for the beach views.
Sources for this section: The Man in Seat 61, Train travel in Sri Lanka, snapshot of 2 October 2018.
Sources
- Sri Lanka Department of Immigration and Emigration, ETA home page: eta.gov.lk, archived 16 January 2019
- Sri Lanka Department of Immigration and Emigration, ETA fees: eta.gov.lk, archived 27 September 2018
- The Man in Seat 61, Train travel in Sri Lanka: seat61.com, archived 2 October 2018
- Wikipedia, Geography of Sri Lanka: en.wikipedia.org, archived 10 December 2018
- Sri Lanka Tourism, official website: srilanka.travel, archived 17 January 2019