Srilanka possible or not
 

Hi.

After a year of planning to ride home to Finland from Tanzania where I have been working, it now looks like plans are changeing and I might be off to Srilanka. I have two options:
1. store the bike here in Tanzania and come back after my Srilanka contract and do the trip.

2. Stuff the bike in a container we are sending off and do an Asia trip instead.

Searching trough the forum I can not find more than a couple of old treads that mention Srilanka. Is this a no go place for overlanders?
I have done some research and found out that they have some pretty crazy import taxes on cars but can't find anything about bikes, does anyone here have some experience with this country and traveling trough it?

Tom
Did you find this blog?
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/for...rilanka1.shtml

(Sometimes it's better to search horizonsunlimited.com using Google's advanced search to limit the results to a specific site/domain.)

I'll be in Sri Lanka for the first 2 weeks of this December so after that I might be able to give some bike hire feedback or waypoints.

All the best

Stephan

Hi Stephan.

Thanks, no I didn't find that one.I can see that googeling does work better:thumbup1:

I don't know if I will be in Srilanka as early as December, Im going there for work. Some one will be going there in Dec but if it's me or another guy I don't know at this point. We will be working there from December to March, the site is about 20 km south of Colombo.This is all very new don't have much details yet. If you are planning on staying around for a while and need some mechanical help or grab a beer just pm me. The invitation stands for anyone who might need assistance or simply a chat and a beer:welcome:

I talked to a person who works with a cargo company in Chennai, about going to Sri Lanka. He said I would´ve had to fly the bike in (probably to Colombo) because the military situation at seas around Sri Lanka remains very tense. Especially going from Chennai to that direction by ship is no-go, he said. This was in January-08. I dont know, if it´d be safer to do so from somewhere further south.

He adviced against it, and actually I didnt have time to do it anyway.

Hi Stephan (o?),
very much interested in bike hire feedback in Sri Lanka ! you'll be there beginning of december right ? I plan SL at Xmas time with bunch of friends, and we try to find out where (if possible) to rent Royal Enfields for a 2 weeks period. Any clue ?

I only found Japanese bikes online when I researched. I'll look out for Enfields for you but if you can hire a Honda XR250 why would you want an Enfield? :innocent:
Stephan

Sri Lanka 07
 

Hi, i toured toured Sri Lanka Easter 07 along with my travelling mate Calum. we hired Honda Bajas 250cc (xr250's) from Welcome to my Web site, he is a decent guy to deal with. the West of the country is very populated and we much prefered the quieter east, although this is where some of the fighting is. the very North and NE are no go areas. There are plenty of road blocks preventing you entering the danger areas and apart from getting machine guns pointed at you on a regular basis by goverment troops we had no problems. Highlight was Aragum Bay, stay at the Hilton (about $10). People are fantastic. Once i get the hang of posting photos i will post this trip. Andy

Thanks for the info, Andy. It'll be useful in a couple of weeks time. I've also been in contact with the company you used and he's answered all my e-mails promptly. Do you remember what you paid per day and whether you negotiated any discount?

Did the bikes have any rack on the back or frame for luggage?

Thanks.

Stephan

Sri Lanka 07
 

Hi Stephan, we paid $12 a day. the bikes were in good condition. I don't remember any racks etc. I will try and post a photo of the bikes next week. Andy

Sri Lanka 07
 

hi, i have some pics of the bikes and Sri Lanka for you which can be viewed at Flickr: andysxt600e's Photostream
myself and my good mate Calum picked the bikes up in Negombo, headed North to Anuradhapura (good place to visit temples), SE to Manampitya, SW to Kandy (visit the tea plantations, one of my highlights, over 5500feet), SEE to Puttuvil on the coast then 5minutes to Aragum Bay (miles and miles of perfect beaches and we only met 2 'tourists' who were there surfing the 3 days we stayed), South into Yala National park. We saw wild elephants, crocs, snakes and 7foot long lizards (which i nearly ran over). then back to Negombo. Standard of driving varies from terrible to good and the same can be said of the roads. We were stopped by Police/Army many times but were never asked for a bribe/fine, had our bags searched a few times. The people are very friendly and we always felt safe even in the most remote villages. I hope this helps Andy Attachment 1730

Thanks, Andy. Nice photos. I can't wait for my holiday. Thanks for the tips too.
Stephan

Sri Lanka feedback
 

So, here's some feedback on Sri Lanka. It's warm and wet in December!

The bus drivers are just as dangerous as those in India but there are fewer animals and people actually in the middle of the roads so it’s less chaotic.

It's more expensive than India especially at official government archaeological sites where prices are really high. E.g. 26 dollars for Sigiria or Polonnaruwa.

There is also a lot more hassle from touts etc. in Sri Lanka than I have experienced elsewhere with a 'tip' being asked for at the slightest opportunity.

Overall, I really enjoyed the scenery and wildlife and the time on the road.

I hope the following waypoints and comments may be of use.

Ahangama
Easy Beach
Mid-priced hotel on beach run by Oystein, a Norwegian. Very popular with surfers. Good food.
20 Euros per night
N5 58 14.2 E80 22 01.1

Arugam Bay
Beach Hut
Very cool accommodation on stilts run by Ranga.
800 rupees per night, cheaper huts available
N6 50 55.5 E81 49 51.3

Buduruwagala
Buddhist rock carvings in beautiful location.
N6 41 13.5 E81 04 42.5

Colombo Fort
Railway station.
N6 56 00.4 E79 51 00.6

Dambulla
Rock Temples.
1,000 rupees
N7 51 21.6 E80 39 07.3

Ella
Ambiente
Mid-priced hotel, 2,100 rupees per night with great views of Ella Gap
N6 52 17.9 E81 02 34.2

Sun Top Inn
Cheap friendly guest house in Ella run by Prianthi.
N6 52 32.0 E81 02 53.8

green gate
Access road through tea plantations to ‘Little Adam’s Peak’
N6 52 09.3 E81 03 37.8

Little Adam’s Peak
N6 51 54.2 E81 03 47.0

Rawana Falls
Waterfalls outside Ella.
N6 50 28.5 E81 03 18.5

Hikkaduwa
International Bikes
A selection of oldish Honda Baja 250s and Yamahas
I paid 1,200 rupees per day for a Baja including service charge. Make sure you include the service charge when negotiating. There are several other bike rental companies along the main road in Hikkaduwa.
N6 07 50.2 E80 06 07.1

Kandy
Art Association
Traditional dancing every evening
500 rupees
N7 17 31.1 E80 38 31.7

Devon’s
Popular restaurant in Kandy
N7 17 25.4 E80 38 19.5

Gem Inn 2
Very nice guest house in hills above Kandy away from the traffic pollution, great view of the ‘Knuckles’ hills. Very good food.
1,000 rupees
N7 17 28.0 E80 39 14.1

Kitugala
Location of filming of ‘The Bridge on the River Kwai’
N6 59 19.3 E80 25 32.7

Mulgirigalla
Buddhist temple perched on top of hill.
N6 07 19.7 E80 44 15.6

Nuwara Eliya
The main street
N6 58 31.3 E80 45 58.6

Peradeniya
Kandy Botanic Gardens, very beautiful and worth visiting.
N7 16 05.1 E80 35 48.8

Pinawela
Elephant Orphanage
1,000 rupees
N7 18 00.6 E80 23 11.7

Polonnaruwa
Devi Guest House
1,000 rupees
N7 56 00.5 E81 00 12.7

Polonnaruwa Museum
Where you buy tickets for the ancient ruins.
N7 56 30.2 E80 59 54.4

Polonnaruwa Ruins
N7 56 45.4 E81 00 00.7

Potgul Vihara
Another, free to visit, part of the Polonnaruwa complex.
N7 55 32.4 E80 59 38.3

Sigiria
Flower Inn
1,000 rupees
Cheap & cheerful, friendly family but rooms are a bit drab.
N7 57 04.3 E80 45 13.7

Sigiria peak
N7 57 25.8 E80 45 35.7

Tissamaharama
Tout Corner
Where locals try to sell you overpriced visits to Yala National Park
N6 17 09.8 E81 17 29.0

Traveler’s Home
Guest house & organizer of visits to Yala
N6 16 54.1 E81 16 52.9

Vikum Lodge
Friendly, relaxed guesthouse in Tissamaharama, nice garden
1,000 rupees
N6 17 36.7 E81 17 45.6


Any other specific questions, feel free to ask.
Stephan

I rode in Sri Lanka earlier this year and loved it. The real highlight for me was exploring all of the narrow, windy roads running through the tea plantations. I also rented from Suranga in Negombo and can vouch for him. The bikes were good, and Suranga had plenty of advice about the roads and the areas it was safe to ride.

If you are planning to ride Sri Lanka, I recommend going straight to Negombo from the airport rather than Colombo. Negombo is closer, it's next to a beach and it's where all of the motorcycle rental outfits are based. There are other places renting bikes, but as far as I know Suranga is the only one you can contact by email before you arrive.

Suranga has a website at Welcome to my Web site or you can email him at suranga007 {AATT} yahoo {DO*TT} com

I've posted some photos from my Sri Lanka ride here: Collection: Sri Lanka

Shipping to Sri Lanka
 

Hiya,

I've just been investigating the same problem, after reading Peter and Kay Forwood's Blog I took a trip to GGL Shipping office in Chennai. Friendly bunch who quoted me $300 to crate it and ship it to Colombo, this price is also for Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore.

Hope this may help, I've decided to leave the bike behind and hire instead.

John

Johns Blog

A very sad update to this:
Oystein died this week while surfing. Easy Beach has been one of the nicest places to stay in Sri Lanka due to Oystein's hospitality. I know all travelers on this site pass on their condolences to his family.
Stephan