In April 2021, we decided to visit Sri Lanka and want to share our experience of the process to get into Sri Lanka as a tourist, our initial 2 weeks quarantine stay, and travelling around the country after this. As a country that has been on our list to travel to for some time, we were excited that the country had re-opened to tourists, particularly UK residents, and went about checking how to get there, get in and get around. One thing to note is that we were not vaccinated against Covid-19 for our visit to Sri Lanka and therefore had to go through the Sri Lanka tourism quarantine process. If you are vaccinated, then this process may be slightly different, and we advise you check this prior to booking any travel.
The general setup of the Sri Lankan tourism process is that you must stay in a government approved Level 1 hotel for up to 2 weeks when you arrive, which is essentially your quarantine period. If you are staying for less than 2 weeks, then you need to stay in a Level 1 hotel for the duration of your stay. In the Level 1 hotel, you can use all hotel facilities, including the beach, if the hotel has one, and you can also go out on trips in safe bubbles, that are organised through government approved operators. If you plan to stay in Sri Lanka for longer than 2 weeks, then you can leave the hotel after 14 days, upon receipt of a certificate confirming you have completed your 14 days quarantine. From here, you are free to travel Sri Lanka as you please, while being mindful of local restrictions and measures in place.
Step 1 – Finding and Booking a Level 1 Hotel
To get into Sri Lanka through their current tourism route, as a non-vaccinated individual, you must have the following:
- A booking in a government approved ‘Level 1 safe and secure hotel’ for up to 14 days
- Up to 2 PCR tests booked for after your arrival, which will be carried out at your chosen L1 hotel (number dependent on length of stay)
- Sri Lanka health insurance paid in advance
- The correct tourist visa
- Transport from the airport pre-arranged and inline with quarantine restrictions
- A PCR test taken pre-departure for your flight to Sri Lanka
Sounds a little daunting doesn’t it? The good news is that, although this sounds like a lot of work to organise, most of it can actually be done through your hotel booking! The first thing that we set about doing was trawling through the Level 1 hotels list to find a suitable hotel for our quarantine stay. Rather annoyingly, this is all just on a pdf list which can be found here, so it takes quite some time to look through and isn’t particularly convenient. We narrowed down our search through the list by selecting areas that were close(ish) to Colombo airport, avoiding a transfer of more than 2 hours on arrival.
After a few hours worth of checking hotels and prices, we emailed the Mermaid Hotel and Club, located in Kalutara about the process of booking a stay under the tourist entry and how much everything would cost. They were incredibly helpful and confirmed their price, which included the Sri Lanka health insurance of $12 per person, the required amount of PCR tests and the cost of our stay, which was all inclusive, including local alcohol beverages. We found this hotel to be one of the most reasonable options that offered the all inclusive option, but still offered a more local experience. We don’t usually stay all inclusive, so this was a first for us but made sense as we would be exclusively in the hotel for 2 weeks. Once we confirmed that we were happy with the price, the hotel confirmed to us the next steps.
Step 2 – Applying For and Getting the Tourist Visa (& Flights)
Once we had confirmed our stay to the hotel, we headed to the official Sri Lanka visa website. Here, you can apply for your tourist visa, which is reasonably straightforward and costs approx $35 per person. Once you have made the application, which is really quite easy, you need to let your hotel know that you have applied and what the visa reference number is. From here, your hotel will confirm your visa application with the government and that you have made all the relevant plans etc. This was a relatively quick process for us and took approx 2 days from application until receiving confirmation. You need to log back into the visa website to get your confirmation.
You will also need to book a transfer from the airport to your hotel, which needs to be for you, or your group, only. This is to comply with the quarantine restrictions. We booked this through our hotel as it was much easier, particularly considering our arrival time of 2.00am and they were able to offer a reasonable price for this.
The next stage is booking your flights, which is generally like the normal process. You will also need to ensure you have a PCR test prior to departure within the relevant timescale. Make sure you have your visa confirmation, Level 1 hotel stay confirmation (with note confirming that you have paid for your tests, insurance etc) and pre-departure negative PCR result printed. We flew with Qatar airways and they were very thorough checking that we had all the relevant documentation, as well as, having proof of onward travel from Sri Lanka.
Step 3 – Arriving Into Colombo Airport
We arrived into Colombo airport in the early hours of the morning. The arrival process was quick and our documentation was briefly checked. Our bags were ready promptly and we headed on over to the arrivals area. All the staff are wearing masks, full protective overalls and there are plenty of hand sanitiser stations. In the arrivals area our driver was waiting for us with our names on a board. He was also able to escort us to an ATM in the arrivals area, as we had no local currency on us.
The drive from Colombo airport to Kalutara took approx 1hr 30min, leaving around 3am. The roads are a little sketchy, to say the least, in Sri Lanka and in the middle of the night, this is somewhat amplified. In other words, we were unable to fall asleep, concentrating on the roads the whole time! At last, we arrived at our hotel. We were asked to fill in a Covid-19 questionnaire, have our temperature taken and then could head to our room, for some much needed sleep.
Step 4 – Our First Day in the Quarantine Hotel
After our long sleep, we awoke and were greeted with our first PCR test in our room, at around 11am. We had to stay in our room until we received our negative result, which was approx 21 hours from taking the test, so our first day was in our room. Luckily, our spacious balcony overlooking trees and the sea kept us content. Food, of local cuisine and in large portions, was delivered to our room for lunch and dinner and we requested accompanying drinks including beer, which was allowed.
We received a phone call around 8am the next morning, letting us know that our test results were in and were negative, so we were now able to leave the room and enjoy all the facilities of the hotel.
Step 5 – Two Weeks in the Quarantine Hotel
Considering that we usually like to keep busy while we’re away, visiting landmarks, cities and trying lots of new food, we actually enjoyed our two week all-inclusive hotel stay. It was almost a form of forced relaxation for us which is something we rarely do. The extensive buffet that was available for breakfast, lunch and dinner was full of local food, salads, desserts and some international dishes, and was fresh and tasty. The pool was large, well maintained and surrounded by lawn, trees, plants and nature. There was a beach just outside of the hotel, which we were allowed to use. Unfortunately, the sea was quite rough, due to it being late in the season, so although we were able to take a dip, it wasn’t a relaxing beach experience.
There was also a gym, gardens to wander around, a lounge bar with some occasional evening entertainment and a sports bar area, with a pool table and darts board, although unfortunately the bar in here was not open. The hotel organises day trips out, in line with the tourism restrictions, through a local agency. You can speak through the options of what is available through the representative on site and see the brochure of activities. Some of the available activities and day trips include whale watching in Galle, a visit to Kandy to see the Botanical Gardens, Tooth Relic Temple and other nearby sites, and Safari trips. As we were planning to explore and travel Sri Lanka after our two week stay, we decided not to do any of the day trips, as we wanted to experience these areas and sites in our own time, and at our own pace.
We had our second PCR test (and a third, which is no longer required) during our stay at the required intervals, the hotel will let you know when you need to have them. The overall experience of the quarantine hotel stay was very good, and can hardly be considered a quarantine period. The hospitality of the staff, facilities and food available, as well as the freedom to use the hotel as you please, makes it a holiday, as is the perfect form of relaxtion for many people. On our last day, the hotel registered with the government authorities that we had completed our quarantine period and we recieved a confirmation email with a certificate confirming this. We were then able to leave the hotel, in any transport we wanted, and freely travel Sri Lanka.
Step 6 – Travelling Around Sri Lanka
Finally! After two weeks of, albeit, relaxing quarantine, we were allowed to explore the beautiful island of Sri Lanka, on our own terms. We set off by moving from our quarantine hotel location of Kalutara, further south down to Hikkaduwa.
We booked into a small, local hotel in Hikkaduwa and eagerly stepped out into the main area of the town to see what was on offer. We were delighted to see bars, restaurants and shops open, as well as, people on the streets and on the beaches. Our stay in Hikkaduwa was 5 nights, as we were also in the area to do some diving. Although there were enough restaurants and bars open for us here, it was clear that the pandemic had taken a toll on the area, and the lack of tourists had meant that a number of places were closed, or those that were open were reasonably empty. It was a shame to see an area that thrives on tourism struggling so much, and it created an unusual experience for us which is not the norm of this area.
After Hikkaduwa, we moved onto Galle. The ride between the two is a quick 30min and the Galle area is famous for Galle fort and Unawatuna beach, amongst other attractions. Galle is a much larger city than Hikkaduwa and therefore felt more lively than Hikkaduwa did. The main part of the city was bustling with people, street stalls, cars and tuk-tuks. However, Galle fort, being more of a tourist attraction than an area for locals, was much quieter and the impact of the pandemic on the tourism industry could, once again, be felt quite considerably in this area. In the day, there were more cafes, restaurants and shops open to enjoy, but in the evening, the majority of restaurants were closed within the fort and getting a tuk-tuk past 9pm was virtually impossible. Most of the locals were extremely friendly and happy to see tourists here but, in the occasional restaurant, we were turned away for reasons that made no sense and were made to feel like a nuisance. We visited nearby Jungle Beach during our stay in Galle, where we treated with it being virtually empty, and also took a trip to Unawatuna, which had more open on the beach but even less open in the town area behind the beach.
From Galle, we moved back up to Colombo for a couple of days, where it was nice to see the city busy and everything open. The fact that there were more people around, including tourists, certainly made us feel more comfortable here and it was a treat to be able to walk out to most bars and restaurants, without finding out they were closed.
We took the train from Colombo to Kandy, which was reasonably quiet and we were able to book only a day prior, due to the lack of tourists. The views were amazing, the seats are comfortable and the train ride is definitely worth it. Kandy was also quite busy on the surface, but in the evening, we found it quite difficult to find restaurants that were open and bars serving alcohol. As a result, we ended up in the same bar for three nights in a row, just to get a beer! All the major tourist attractions were open and our entry into the Tooth Relic Temple was the first occasion that we were asked to show our quarantine completion certificate. We got the impression that not many tourists were coming to the temple as the process of showing our certificate was a little confusing for the staff.
Step 7 – Leaving Sri Lanka
From Galle, we returned to Colombo for 2 nights before our flight out of the country. We needed a pre-departure PCR test before our flight so, with help of TripAdvisor forums, found a company we could use to get these in Colombo. The process of booking the test online seemed very straightforward and stated that it was a drive through test. We kindly asked our hotel to flag us a tuk-tuk and explain that we needed him to drive us through a PCR test site, which he seemed to understand. Unfortunately, on arrival at the site, he parked up and didn’t drive through, which was the first confusion. Secondly, because we entered in our UK phone numbers on the online form, they hadn’t found us or our booking on the system, despite the option to choose a country code when you put in your phone number. After 30min and providing our hotel phone number, we had the test and left, hoping it would come back in time.
Thankfully, the next morning our tests came back negative! Approx.20 hours after our test was taken, and with all the information required on the certificate. This was a big relief! Our journey to the airport was smooth but our airport experience, despite the airport itself being almost empty, was nothing less than frustrating. The service was slow, our check in desk opened one hour before our departing flight, and the staff were unhelpful, even though there were staff everywhere. Only a couple of shops were open and the only food option was Burger King. Unfortunately, we have to say that it was one of the worst airport experience we’ve ever had, but our flight did depart on time.
Our Final Thoughts
We really enjoyed our time in Sri Lanka, and, despite some hurdles along the way, would return. In fact, the experience we had has made us want to return even more in the future, with the hopes of getting to see the country in more normal times and more normal circumstances. The tourism industry is slowly picking up across the country, and even while we were there, we would see a shop open one day that wasn’t open the day before, so the situation is getting better. If you’re interested in seeing the country with way less tourists than usual, then this is definitely the time to go, and a great time to try and support the locals and Sri Lanka’s economy. The locals are incredibly friendly and there is so much to see and enjoy in the country. The smooth process of the quarantine process is really quite remarkable and a great example of how a country can reintroduce tourists while keeping the country safe, but also giving tourists an enjoyable and holiday like experience. This article is an honest account of our experience there and we hope that this provides some useful information for anyone thinking of going to Sri Lanka during these times, as we found it difficult to find anything about it before our trip. Check out our Sri Lanka travel guides collection for more destination specific guides that include information such as how to get around, when to go, where to stay and things to do.
