Tika Traveller

Discover Sri Lanka & Maldives From Those Who Know It Best

Blogs from Tikalanka are designed to enhance your knowledge of Sri Lanka and Maldives and keep you up to date with recent developments. We intend to post regular features on travel, news, lifestyle and accommodation as well as guest articles from current and past customers, which will give you first-hand experience of Tikalanka, Sri Lanka and Maldives.

Quintessential Ceylon - a pot of tea overlooking misty mountains in the magnificent Hill Country at W15 Hanthana Estate, Kandy, Sri Lanka

TikaWeeks #01/2022: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 7th January 2022

Happy New Year and now back to the last. Our ‘Northern Tour’ of Sri Lanka started with visiting a few special places to stay around Kandy before heading northeast into the Cultural Triangle – Dambulla, Sigiriya and Habarana – and on to Nilaveli just north of Trincomalee on the east coast. We then drove straight up to Jaffna at the northernmost tip of the island before returning south to the Anuradhapura and Wilpattu region. Our last stop was in the Negombo area before I flew home.

Lunuganga, or Salt River, is Geoffrey Bawa's name for his private estate on Dedduwa Lake

TikaWeeks #50/2021: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 16th December 2021

Just returned from an 18-day research trip to Sri Lanka, which was a precursor to restarting our holidays by the New Year. Pathi and I travelled around the island meeting tourism colleagues, visiting current and new accommodation, and discussing the restart with our guides. Overall, the trip was a success and we are confident that a holiday in Sri Lanka will be a great experience despite the few extra precautions required due to COVID-19.

TikaWeeks #46/2021: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 21st November 2021

Tourism is beginning to pick up in Sri Lanka once again. More than 7000 foreign visitors arrived to Sri Lanka in the first two weeks of October, out of a total of 45,413 tourists for the year as a whole. Visitors are required to always carry their COVID-19 vaccination card when visiting tourist sites around the country – 12 to 18 year olds who have had at least one dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine are considered ‘fully vaccinated’. There is now an online Health Declaration System at the airport to reduce cross-infection.

TikaWeeks #42/2021: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 20th October 2021

Fully vaccinated travellers are now EXEMPTED from obtaining the mandatory COVID-19 Local Insurance cover in Sri Lanka. However, fully vaccinated travellers should ensure that they have a comprehensive travel insurance policy that will cover health and other expenses related to COVID-19 should there be a need as the Government of Sri Lanka will not bear any costs resulting from COVID-19 infections.

TikaWeeks #40/2021: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 4th October 2021

The good news keeps on getting better! Sri Lanka’s newly-released health protocol for fully vaccinated travellers makes it even easier to visit the country. No on-arrival PCR test or any other test necessary, no quarantine, no restriction on where you stay (except ‘bio-bubble’ hotels), which places you visit or how you get around. This now feels like the pre-pandemic experience of enjoying freely the wonders of Sri Lanka – its scenery, wildlife, beaches, food, culture, history and, most of all, its ever-smiling people!

TikaWeeks #39-2/2021: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 30th September 2021

Yesterday, Sri Lanka relaxed health protocols for foreign visitors even further by doing away with the on-arrival PCR test. Now, if a traveller visiting Sri Lanka is fully vaccinated with two doses of any COVID-19 vaccine, 14 days prior to departure from their home country, they will be permitted to enter Sri Lanka without the necessity of a PCR test on arrival. However, it is necessary to have a confirmed negative PCR test no more than 72 hours before boarding the flight from their home country.

TikaWeeks #39-1/2021: Sri Lanka & Maldives update

Posted by John on 29th September 2021

Great news! As of yesterday, the FCDO no longer advises against all but essential travel to Sri Lanka or Maldives. This comes hot on the heels of the news that fully vaccinated travellers will only have to take a COVID-19 test within 2 days of returning from Sri Lanka or Maldives, and the relaxing of travel restrictions in Sri Lanka for fully vaccinated visitors, which allows them to travel freely around the island. This paves the way for tourism to start in earnest again.

TikaWeeks #38/2021: Sri Lanka & Maldives update

Posted by John on 24th September 2021

On 22 September, both Sri Lanka and Maldives were taken off the UK's travel Red list and downgraded to the Amber list, which is a move in the right direction. Better still, from 04 October, fully vaccinated travellers from England will only have to take a Day 2 COVID-19 test and complete a passenger locator form 48 hours prior to arrival in England when travelling from Sri Lanka or Maldives. You must prove that you have been fully vaccinated with a document from a national or state-level public health body.

Laki Senanayake next to one of his sculptures at Diyabubula in August 2020 (courtesy of dailymirror.lk)

TikaWeeks #25/2021: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 25th June 2021

Our latest news round-up includes the passing of one of Sri Lanka’s greatest artists, the environmental disaster that has affected the island in the past month, and a change to the UK government’s country travel listing. Hopefully there will be some positive news again soon…

TikaWeeks #20/2021: Sri Lanka & Maldives update

Posted by John on 17th May 2021

From 12 May 2021, Sri Lanka has reverted to a 14-day stay in ‘Safe & Secure’ Certified Level 1 hotels for your initial period in the country as well as enforcing the previous, additional requirements of entry. As of 13 May 2021, on-arrival tourist visas in Maldives for those arriving from South Asian countries will be temporarily halted. This includes transit passengers from all other countries. This is academic since both Sri Lanka (Amber list) and Maldives (Red list) are “should not travel to” countries designated by the UK government.

Independent Tailor-made Holidays to Sri Lanka & Maldives