UPDATED 01/03/22
Travel is back and tropical surf trips are happening right here at the Surf House in Sri Lanka. We’ve been fully booked since the start of October, with all guests having an absolute blast, gobsmacked at how simple it was to get out here and good the vibes are on the ground.
The logistics of travel right now can be a bit of a faff, but it’s actually quite simple to get to the ‘Paradise isle of Ceylon’. Hundreds of enquiries have been responded to, mainly saying the same thing so here’s a run down on how you get into Sri Lanka simplified:
Firstly. As you can imagine, travel is whole lot easier if you’re vaccinated. If you have completed the recommended doses of COVID-19 vaccination and are arriving into Sri Lanka after 2 weeks of completion of the second vaccination you will be considered as a fully vaccinated traveler. Any vaccination type accepted by the country of origin is acceptable, but you will need the original vaccination certificate / card (together with a certified copy of English language translation if the certificate / card is not in English.
Visa. As a fully vaccinated traveller you must have a valid tourist visa. All visas must be applied online and cost $35. Visit www.eta.gov.lk
PCR. Fully Vaccinated travellers are exempted from pre-departure COVID-19 PCR/ Rapid Antigen tests from 1st March 2022 and there is no on-arrival PCR test required.
Insurance It is mandatory to pay for COVID 19 Local Insurance Cover at a cost of $12 via the following link: www.visitsrilanka.gov.lk
Health Declaration Form For all travellers it is mandatory to submit a Health Declaration Form ( https://airport.lk/health_declaration/index )
Transfers from the airport to the Surf House can be arranged by us, but due to travel plans changing at the last minute in many cases, we advise our guests to book a transfer from the registered taxi desk in arrivals. The transfers are a set price so no haggling is required. They are fully insured and ‘approved’ COVID safe by the Sri Lankan government.
Unvaxxed If you are unvaccinated you must have done a negative PCR test report within 72 hours or Rapid Antigen Test report (self-swabs are disallowed) within 48 hours prior to embarkation. (Children below
12 years are exempted). You must book a stay at a Certified Safe & Secure L1 hotel/s for the first 8 days of your trip (quarantine) and undergo an on-arrival PCR test at a cost of 40USD, followed by a 2nd PCR (Exit PCR) on Day 7, which if it comes back negative you will receive a discharge letter and be able to go on your way.
Vibes on the ground are relaxed. The country is living with COVID and ‘getting on’ with it. People are happy, parties are pumping and the waves keep rolling in. The one restriction that is enforced is the use of a mask when visiting anywhere other than your place of residence.
Stuck Getting stuck in Paradise is a potential but unlikely problem you may face. For example if your home country puts Sri Lanka on a ‘red list’ and you don’t fancy forking out the extortionate amount of cash to cover the cost of a quarantine hotel. To put it into perspective, if you are from the UK and you don’t have too many commitments, that £2,000 hotel cost could easily cover your accommodation, food and beers for three months here. So might not look like too bad a situation to be in…
Hometime Going home is pretty simple. If your home country requires you to take a PCR test before arriving, we can arrange for a doctor to come and do this at the Surf House and you will get your results guaranteed within 24 hours, but in reality they normally come back within 12.
So essentially it is easy to travel to Sri Lanka if you are fully vaccinated, and expensive and a faff if you are not.
All official Government information, which is updated regularly can be found here. Look forward to greeting you in Paradise soon 🙂