There are many ways to get around Sri Lanka, whether it’s by taxi, plane, rail, bus or car. Sri Lanka has a better transport system operated by public and private sectors and payment method is most often cash.
Sri Lanka has two international airports, 13 domestic airports and about 20 waterdromes (open water aerodrome facilities for seaplanes) across the island. The Bandaranaike International Airport located at Katunayake 32 km north of Colombo is the main international airport of Sri Lanka and the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport located 264 km southeast of Colombo serves as the second international airport.Domestic Flights
There are a number of airlines currently operating domestic flights within Sri Lanka offering scheduled flights, scenery flights as well as charter flights. In Sri Lanka are about 13 domestic airports covering the whole island, most of which operate from the Ratmalana airport. A number of seaplanes are also operated from Colombo to many cities across the island.
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Rail
Sri Lanka's rail network is operated by Sri Lanka Railways, linking Colombo with almost all the popular tourist destinations and the other populous cities across the island.
Roads
Sri Lanka has a well-connected national network of roads consisting over 12,000 kms, out of which about 4200 kms of “A” class roads and about 7800 kms of “B” class roads.
Expressways/Highways
Two expressways have newly been constructed in the island; one from Colombo to the Bandaranaike International Airport, another from Colombo to Matara known as Southern Expressway. In addition, an expressway known as Outer Circular Highway that runs 20 km away from the Colombo city centre is being built linking the above two expressways.
Buses
A variety of bus services are readily available in Sri Lanka: normal, intercity, semi-luxury and luxury buses in which you can travel to any part of Sri Lanka.
Luxury Buses
Luxury buses operate from the Central Bus Stand in Colombo to selected destinations such as Galle, Kandy, Badulla, Nuwara Eliya, Jaffna and Trincomalee.
Intercity Buses
Air-conditioned intercity buses travel from one city to another with limited stopovers to make the journey fast and comfortable to the passenger. In these buses only a limited space is available for luggage.
