Airport to Tangalla

Hi,

My 2 children are planning on going directly to Tangalla from the airport when they arrive in Feb. Could someone let me know how much they should expect to pay to travel there by car and also how easy is it to get on the train/purchase tickets etc from Colombo if they choose to go by rail to Matara?

Thanks, John

Airport to Tangalla

Hi John,

It%26#39;s 230 km. Normal formula of Rs 55-60 per km would lead to Rs 12,000-13,000. Maybe some discount is possible but below Rs 10,000 quite unlikely. Total duration 6 hours at least.

Train would be

a) Express bus from airport to Colombo fort. (Train station is 3 km from airport and local trains only, not very efficient). Takes around 1.5-2 hours including waiting for the free shuttle between Arrivals and bus station and waiting for the bus to depart.

b) Express train to Matara, about 4-5 x per day. Takes 4 hours but then there%26#39;s also wait time for it to depart, and no guarantee of a seat.

Purchasing tickets for bus and train is easy, but getting the train seat sometimes a challenge.

All the best,

%26lt;Erik%26gt; %26amp; [Sandya]

Airport to Tangalla

Thanks for the useful info %26lt;Erik%26gt; %26amp; [Sandya]. They are going to travel by train. Their flight arrives at 0905 hours on a Sunday morning. I%26#39;ve had a look at the train timetables on various websites and they are quite different! Do you know if trains depart from Fort early afternoon to Matara as it will take a good few hours to reach the train station after clearing arrivals / bus to Fort etc?

They are planning on staying at Rocky Point bungalows near Tangalla - looks a decent place with a decent price, for 3 nights before travelling back up north to Negombo to meet us. The main reason they picked Tangalla, apart from the beach, is the proximity to Udawalawe National Park. Do you know if it will be easy enough for them to organise a tour to this park whilst they are in Tangalla?

Thanks for your help and advice. John

Hi there,

a) The version which I%26#39;ve found most reliable is

www.slrfc.org/sri-lanka-railways-timetable

and gives a train from Maradana to Matara at 13:40, which means Colombo Fort departure about 13:50 - 14:00.

So should be okay for the kidz.

b) Yes, Tangalle to UW park should be about 2 hours. So best is to have an afternoon safari, jeep starts around 15:30 and finishes 18:30 and they can be home at 8 PM or so.

All the best,

%26lt;Erik%26gt; %26amp; [Sandya]

Thanks again for the useful info %26lt;Erik%26gt; %26amp; [Sandya]. Didn%26#39;t realise that the Maradana train called in at Fort. The afternoon train departures give them plenty of time to catch one provided their flights aren%26#39;t too late. John

Hi

Just read in a local newspaper today that train timetables are going to change from 1st February, so please take notice.

Hans

Thanks for the Heads-up Hans. I%26#39;ll have a look on the internet before they travel mid-February. John