The Paddler ezine WW kayak collection 2013 | Page 16

ThePaddler 16

INFORMATION
Visas: Since Jan 2012 British citizens now require a visa to enter Sri
Lanka. Most nationalities now require visas for entry, though the cost
will vary.

Sri Lanka
Getting there: As tourism grows, more and more airlines will fly

http://www.discoverborderlands.com

to Sri Lanka. Do a bit of research on the airlines before you go to find
which will be most likely to take your kayaks without giving you grief.
From London, £500 is a very good price for a return ticket on a
decent airline. We went with Sri Lanka Airlines who had no problem
with our boats. BMI have cheaper flights but it’s an extra £150
(return) for oversize luggage.

https://maps.google.com/?ll=7.253496,80.529785&spn=21.58295,15.117188&t=m&z=6.

Language: Few people speak English. Having Mahesh as a translator and

driver worked brilliantly in extracting that essential local knowledge. He was also
a raft guide which came in handy with knowing exactly what we were after and
finding out if there was anything around, and on more than one occasion he
found tributaries that had potential while we were enjoying the main river.

Getting around: Borderlands were brilliant – their truck was perfect for

the six of us and handled all the off road with ease! It helped having a pretty bad
ass driver too.

Religion: There is a whole mix of religion in Sri Lanka, and the overall picture
is that the majority of people are very religious. 70% of Sri Lankans are
Buddhists, 15% are Hindus, 7.5% are Muslims, and 7.5% are Christian. Sri Lanka
was ranked the third most religious country in the world in 2008.

Seasons: Traditionally, being tropical, Sri Lanka has distinct dry and wet

seasons.The seasons are slightly complicated by having two monsoons. From
May to August, the Yala monsoon brings rain to the island’s south western and
central areas where the majority of the mountains are, while the dry season
lasts from December to March.The Maha monsoon blows from October to
January, bringing rain to the flatter north and east, while the dry season is from
May to September. Unfortunately for the past five years or so, the seasons have
been all over the place. June, July and August seem to be the best bet. But really,
who knows! Again, Borderlands are your best bet for information like this.

Money: The currency is the Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR). 1 US Dollar = 132 LKR.
There are cash machines in the big cities but are limited in other areas.They do
exchange US Dollars, Euros and British Pounds.

River guides: We didn’t have a whole load to go on when we arrived.The

Sitawaka and Kelani (G4 and G3 respectively) had both been run regularly, and
we knew there was some potential in the rest of the area. We have now got
more details of river guides at www.kayaksrilanka.co.uk/river-notes.There is
some information from Andreas Sommer and some Russians on the Playak site.
There is enough scope for a week of easy paddling before exploring the rest of
the country on a holiday. Borderlands will help you out with this.

Maps: Maps of Sri Lanka aren’t too difficult to come by.We have left our

detailed ones with Borderlands in the hope that some locals may be inspired to
go and explore! Get in touch with them if you are keen to head out before
buying your own