TikaWeeks #31/2020: Sri Lanka update
Posted by John on 27th July 2020
From 24 July 2020, Sri Lanka is exempt from Foreign & Commonwealth Office advice against all non-essential international travel. However, quarantine regulations are still in force for people entering the UK from Sri Lanka, and the island is not open to tourism until next month in any case.
The last phase of the Outer Circular Expressway (E02) around Colombo, between Kerawalapitiya and Kottawa, has been completed, according to our local sources. This means that you can now travel from Bandaranaike International Airport at Katunayake to Hambantota on the southeast coast, the gateway to Yala National Park, in just 3 hours 30 minutes! This is a far cry from my first trips to the island 20 years ago when the same route would take up to 12 hours by the poorly maintained and sometimes congested coastal roads. The completion of this section now joins together the islands three current motorways (freeways): E01 (Southern Expressway – Colombo to Hambantota), E02 (Outer Circular Expressway – Kerawalapitiya to Kottawa) and E03 (Colombo-Katunayake Expressway – Katunayake to Kerawalapitiya). We previously missed the presidential opening of the final section of the Southern Expressway, connecting Matara to Hambantota, on 23 February this year due to the developing COVID-19 pandemic.
Categories: News, Sri Lanka, Travel tips
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