VISA

With effect from 1st January 2012, all travelers to Sri Lanka must have Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) for entering in to Sri Lanka. Please visit ETA site for more information. They will take 24-48 hours to approve your visa and send you the reference number. You need to show it up to the immigration officer when your arrival at Colombo.

Visa fees structure and the amounts are shown in the ETA web page and you can pay the visa fee on-line using your credit card. You can use the Hotel address and the contact numbers with reference to filling your Accommodation and local contact details in the ETA form.

If you need an invitation letter for visa purpose, please contact the local organizers (LEARN - sanog25 at learn.ac.lk)

Air Travel

The Bandaranayaka International Airport (BIA), also known as the Colombo International Airport is located at Katunayake, about 35km from the Colombo City and 100km from the Kandy City.

About 20 airlines including Air Asia, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Jet Airways, Malaysia Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Sri Lankan Airlines and Thai Airways operate direct flights to most countries in the Asia Pacific region. For more information regarding the flights schedules at BIA, please visit the following links at the BIA Website.

Arrivals at BIA

Departures at BIA

Time Difference

Sri Lanka Standard Time is +5:30 GMT.

Currency / Exchange Rate

The local currency is the Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR). Currency notes are 5000, 2000, 1000, 500, 100, 50, 20 and 10. Coins are available for Rs. 10, 5, 2 and 1.

The current exchange rate is 1 USD = 132 LKR. Exchange rate in other currencies can be found at the Central Bank Website.

For buying small items, paying for taxis etc, it is best to keep lower denomination notes (below Rs 1000). It may be difficult to change notes of large denominations (Rs. 2000 and above) in small shops and taxis etc.

Banks are usually open from 0900 hrs to 1500 hours Monday to Friday. Some city banks close at 1600 hrs, while some are open on Saturday mornings. However, ATMs are avaible everywhere and you can withdraw cash using international credit cards or debit cards.

Most hotels accept foreign currency, credit cards and debit cards. Most restaurants and shops accept credit cards and debit cards. Some shops will also accept foreign currency.

Local Transport

Local transport from airport to hotel/venue and hotel/venue to airport will be provided by the local organizers. Please share your itinerary with the organizers in advance (sanog25 at learn.ac.lk).

Electricity

The electricity supply in Sri Lanka is 230 volts, 50 cycles AC. Two types of AC outlets are in common use - The 5A round-pin outlet (used India, Sri Lanka) and the 13A square-pin (used in UK, Singapore, Malaysia) outlet. Most hotels would provide an adapter for use during your stay.

Language

Sri Lanka has two official languages. Sinhala and Tamil - with English as a link language. In Kandy, most people will speak and understand English. Signboards are often in English.