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Travel Information
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How to get from the Air Port |
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you have touched down at
Colombo International
Airport, the easiest way to
start your discovery trip is
to proceed straight to kandy
by car.
We will
pick you up, you will be at
Grand Kandy Villa in
another 2 1/2 hrs.
Time avoiding the hectic
traffic of Colombo.
From Colombo you have
different options to travel.
You
can come by car to kandy,
you can go by Intercity bus
or by Intercity express
train. (Dep. Colombo Fort
7.00 a.m and 15.35
p.m - Reservation at the
station necessary in
advance!)
The
train trip is an experience
on its own - but you can
have it later as well -
going further up from Kandy
to Nuwara Eliya.
In
Kandy we will pick you up or
you can come by trishaw to
Grand Kandy Villa. (3
Km from the station)
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Explore the Island from Grand Kandy
Villa
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 Travelling in Sri Lanka is easy,
because the is a network of roads
connecting all principal towns and
places of interest. Traffic
circulation is on the left in Sri
Lanka.
The behaviour in traffic is quit
different from other countries. The
average travelling speed is only
between 30 and 40 km per hour
because most of the roads force you
to go with the slowest participant.
Drivers are not the expensive part
in a travelling package. We will
make sure that you will be
chauffeured by an experienced and
pleasant chauffer cum guide.
To go
upcountry into the mountains we
would recommend to take the train
one way and to come back the other
by bus - or to be picked up by car.
You can also go both ways by car -
but do not miss the train trip !!!
To the
cultural triangle north of Kandy,
you can go by bus or easier by car,
because not all places of interest
are located along the main bus
route. We would recommend, that you
use Grand Kandy Villa as a discovery
base and from here you use different
modes of transport. It is possible
to rent a car of your stay.
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Managing Your Money
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Cash ::: Island wide banks
accept major currencies including US
dollars, Euro and sterling pounds.
We suggest you to change back the
Sri Lankan rupees to your currency
before departing the Island since it
has been reported that out of Sri
Lanka most of the banks will not
change rupees.
Travellers
Cheques ::: You can change your
travellers' cheques at most of the
major banks. Thomas Cook, Visa 1 and
American Express are the mostly
accepted Island wide. Banks will
give you a slightly better rate for
travellers' cheques, but it will be
convenient for you to have some cash
to be used when the banks are not
reachable.
ATM &
Credit Cards ::: ATMs are seen
in most of the major cities. Credit
cards are mostly accepted in Colombo
and Kandy. Withdrawals from VISA and
Master Cards are possible at major
banks Island wide.
*** Payment
Tips ::: A 10% service
charge and 15% VAT is added to
nearly every accommodation and meals
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VISA
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Visitors from most western
countries, Australia, New Zealand,
Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong do
not required VISAs in advance.
Automatic entry for between 30 and
90 days is given on arrival. The
extension of a tourist VISA is
possible without difficulties up to
6 months.
VISA extension
could be made at the Department of
immigration. The office is open from
9.00 am to 16.30 hours on weekdays
and they accept payments only till
15.30 hours each day. This VISA
extension could be done from your
arrival until the day your VISA
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Health
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We recommend you to seek medical
advice two week before you travel.
Especially when you are travelling
with children and during pregnancy.
The main change that most of our
visitors face is the high humidity
in the coastal areas and
temperatures above 30 o C
during the day. In kandy normally
the weather is like a nice summer
day in Central Europe, except the
occasional tropical rain.
The vaccinations
that is recommended is against
rabies and hepatitis. A malaria
prophylactic is recommended once you
go to areas with high Malaria risk.
If you are on medication, take
adequate supply as it may not be
available in the Island. Bring also
some anti mosquito repellent or use
the local citronella oil.
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