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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.

Category: News

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away....

TikaWeeks #29/2024: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 18th July 2024

Tikalanka celebrated 20 years of arranging holidays to Sri Lanka this week! We have come a long way since the early days when Pathi and I acted as guides ourselves. We have managed to ebb and flow with the fortunes of the island and its wonderful, ever-smiling people. Civil war, tsunami, economic and political crises, the Covid pandemic, and terrorism have all been in the mix over the years, but the resolute pragmatism of the Sri Lankans (and Tikalanka) has won through. We are one of a select few in the Sri Lanka travel industry that has the depth of knowledge, breadth of experience, wealth of local contacts, and choice of excellent guides to offer you the holiday of a lifetime.

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Visiting family welcomed at a local school near AMBA Estate, Ella, Sri Lanka

TikaWeeks #22/2024: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 29th May 2024

Hopefully all of us strive to be sensitive and responsible travellers but there are still incidents of inappropriate behaviour and disregard for local cultures as well as a disconnect with the climate crisis. Yesterday’s Guardian had a much-needed article on how to be a better tourist, from thinking about the experience and impact of your holiday to slowing down and getting off the beaten track. May be consider taking a personal pledge to ‘travel better’, like our Tika Travel Troth, which is a promise to yourself as well as everyone and everything around you to try to improve the world we live in.

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Sri Lanka Department of Immigration and Emigration

TikaWeeks #19/2024: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 8th May 2024

As of yesterday, the Sri Lanka Government updated the recently introduced eVisa scheme​ with the launch of a new category of visa specifically for tourists on a short stay holiday. The 30-day single entry Tourist Visa is US$40 per visitor plus a US$10 service fee. The application process remains the same. This will be the required visa for most visitors to Sri Lanka since it is valid for sightseeing and holidaying as well as Ayurveda and yoga.

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Sri Lanka Department of Immigration and Emigration

TikaWeeks #16/2024: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 18th April 2024

Sri Lanka has just introduced a new eVisa scheme, effective from 17 April 2024, to supercede the Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA). All visitors must complete an eVisa application prior to their arrival in the country. The new eVisa scheme differs from the previous ETA system by requiring a scanned copy of your passport and a recent photo. Currently a Standard Visitor Visa is US$75 per visitor plus a US$18.50 service fee, which is valid for 6 months. Upon approval, you will need to download and print your eVisa to present to the Immigration Officer when you enter Sri Lanka.

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Puja (blessing ceremony) at the Temple of the Tooth, Kandy, Sri Lanka (courtesy of Damon Green)

TikaWeeks #15/2024: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 9th April 2024

Sri Lanka is on track to return to pre-pandemic levels of tourism as visitor numbers this year soar in comparison to the same period in 2023, with UK visitors leading the way from Europe. The massive increase in tourist arrivals has seen related revenues swell to over US$687 million in the first two months of this year, which is very welcome and crucial income for Sri Lanka. The island has also been the spotlight of travel publications across the globe, including highlighting the unique Pekoe Trail through the spectacular tea country and holistic wellness retreats.

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Little Green Bee-eaters, Sri Lanka (courtesy of Matt Ward)

TikaWeeks #09/2024: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 28th February 2024

Beautiful plumage! Sri Lanka is home to well over 500 species of exotic birds with names to match, like the White-throated Flowerpecker, Blue-faced Malkoha and Sri Lanka Paradise-flycatcher. The joy of bird watching on the island is to see them wherever you travel, although some areas are better than others. You don’t need to be a dedicated ‘twitcher’ to enjoy the bird life across the country as the little peckers seem to come to you! Our new Birdwatching Tika Taster is a guided introduction to the diverse bird life of Sri Lanka.

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Ayubowan, may you have the gift of a long life, is the traditional greeting salutation in Sri Lanka

TikaWeeks #05/2024: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 31st January 2024

Apologies for the lack of updates over the past couple of months. Sri Lanka has had a dramatic turnaround in tourism since November and suddenly everyone wants to visit the Resplendent Isle. It has become particularly busy for us since the New Year for immediate holidays as well as ones well into 2025, so the future looks bright. Why not travel in May, June or September when there are great deals on hotels and the island is quieter?

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Sir David Attenborough with gorillas in Rwanda (courtesy of the BBC)

TikaWeeks #42/2023: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 20th October 2023

Nature, carbon and humanity are inextricably entwined with 50% of man-made CO2 sequestered by nature – but the story doesn’t end there: 75% of food crops are dependent on insect pollination, 80% of registered medicines come from plants and 85% of the world's largest companies have a high dependency on nature across direct operations. Nature is at the heart of everything and considering the planet’s lifeblood while travelling is vital.

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Emirates and SriLankan Airlines agree reciprocal interline partnership

TikaWeeks #41/2023: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 11th October 2023

Emirates and SriLankan Airlines have established a reciprocal interline partnership to boost connectivity for passengers of both airlines. The partnership will enable access to new points on each other’s networks via Colombo and Dubai, utilising a single ticket and enjoying the convenience of baggage transfers. This week’s update also highlights the issue of elephant-human conflict on the island, whether Yala has had its day, and Sri Lanka’s central and crucial role in the Indian Ocean since antiquity.

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Papare - a lively genre of Sri Lankan music - goes hand in hand with cricket (courtesy of Hafsa Adil/Al Jazeera)

TikaWeeks #40/2023: Sri Lanka update

Posted by John on 3rd October 2023

Despite Sri Lanka’s crushing defeat at the hands of arch rivals India in front of a capacity home crowd in last month’s Asia Cup final, there were still plenty of smiling faces, dancing in the aisles and party music resounding around Colombo’s R. Premadasa cricket stadium. Even at the height of the island’s civil war and during the recent political and economic chaos, cricket has been a unifying force, a soothing balm at the time of crisis.

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