United Kingdom Archives - GlenMyu Estate

UK overtakes Russian tourist Numbers visiting Sri Lanka

Accommodation, Holiday, Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan Cooking, Travel, visa / By Mikeez

The UK overtakes Russian tourist numbers visiting Sri Lanka

In August 2024 it was reported that the UK overtakes Russian tourist numbers visiting Sri Lanka.

Now the UK is the 2nd largest source market in cumulative tourist arrivals.

India is still number one, but at GlenMyu Estate, we are finding that more visitors from the UK are discovering the island,

Sri Lankan Tourist Numbers

Over the last few years, since Sri Lankan tourists numbers started increasing, the main source markets were India and Russia.

Historically, Sri Lanka was a favourite destination for travellers from the UK.

It appears that the UK has found Sri Lanka again and now delivers the second highest number of tourists to Sri Lanka.

You can read more about this in the Sri Lankan Daily Mirror Article.

Sri Lankan Tourists numbers are published weekly by the Sri Lankan Tourist Development Authority.

We feel that we are at a bit of an advantage

GlenMyu Estate is owned and run by Ruwanthi who lived in the UK for about 16 years.

I am from the UK and travelled to the island for many years before relocating from London, UK.

As we have this Sri Lankan/UK mix, we feel that we have an advantage communicating and understanding our guests needs.

Great food - not too spicy!

Another advantage is that we are used to cooking for Western palettes.

In London, our flat was the place that all our friends wanted to come for dinner.

Ruwanthi understands that most people cannot handle the levels of chilli, salt and pepper that most Sri Lankans would add to their dishes.

Lots of visitors from all around the World

We love meeting people from places that we haven’t visited ourselves and get to know more about places from our guests.

Lots of our guests come from the UK, Ireland, France, Belgium and Germany. We are seeing more visitors from Spain, Italy and Portugal.

During August we have had visitors from Australia, New Zealand, Israel and the US and Canada. More Australians are finding Sri Lanka again and exploring the Hill country and East coast during their winter.

We find that we also have a lot of guests from Scandinavia, escaping the winter during the peak tourist season from December to April.

It has been very interesting us meeting guests from Kazakhstan, Slovenia, Poland and the Czech Republic.

Both my wife and I feel that we get to see more of the World through our guests eyes.

Stay at GlenMyu Estate to explore the Sri Lankan Hill Country

GlenMyu Estate is listed on Booking.com and Airbnb.
Contact us by the WhatsApp button on our website for direct booking rates.

Stay at GlenMyu Estate as you explore the Sri Lankan Hill Country

See sights like Horton Plains National Park is a unique experience.

We only have three bedrooms and you will need to book early during the peak holiday season.

The estate is usually within an hours drive of the major sightseeing locations such as Nine Arch Bridge, Ella Town, Upper Diyaluma Waterfall, Lipton’s Seat, Bambarakanda Waterfall and many more.

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Holidays to Sri Lanka from the UK

Bambarakanda Waterfall, Sri Lanka., Hiking in Sri Lanka, Horton Plains National Park, Lipton's Seat, Haputale, Sri Lanka, The Pekoe Trail, Things to do on holiday in Sri Lanka, Upper Diyaluma Waterfall, Koslanda / By Mikeez

Holidays to Sri Lanka from the UK.

Holidays to Sri Lanka from the UK.

How do I get there?
What should I see?
When is the best time to visit Sri Lanka?

Sri Lanka has always been a popular destination from the UK

Travellers from the UK have been visiting Sri Lanka on holiday for many years. This former British Colony (Ceylon) is a comfortable entry into South East Asia.

Driving is on the same side of the road. English is widely spoken and there are familiar sights of the colonial past.

It’s a great place to escape a bleak UK winter. You can get some beach time, culture and see some amazing nature.

Prior to moving to Sri Lanka and starting GlenMyu Estate, we travelled to Sri Lanka on holiday for many years.

As a Sri Lankan/Britsh couple we have experience of travelling and exploring the island.
We have also picked up more information about parts of the island that we have yet to visit from our guests.

How do I get to Sri Lanka from the UK?

Sri Lankan Airlines operates direct flights from the UK to Colombo’s Bandaranaike airport.

The journey time is 10 hours and 45 minutes from London to Colombo.

We think that the major benefit of flying direct is that the flights leave at a sociable hour and arrive at a sensible time.

There are lots of other carriers who stop over on the way to Colombo.

We often travel by Emirates and break the journey by spending a few hours in Dubai airport.
I like to stretch my legs even if it is getting off one plane and getting on another!

The flight duration is normally 7 hours 25 minutes followed by 4 hours twenty minutes.
This brings your journey time to a minimum of 13 hours and 5 minutes (layover 1 hour 20 minutes).

The issue we find is that the flight departure times are not ideal. You end up getting on a flight at 3 am. I can feel jet lagged for longer because of the unsociable hours.

We have flown by Qatar many year ago and found the service to be great.

Friends have travelled by BA via Mumbai to get to Sri Lanka,

Turkish Airlines started flying to Sri Lanka last year and many others have followed.

Quality, time and budget will influence what flight you opt for.

Quality of the service. your budget and the amount of time you are willing to accept to travel are all factors to consider.

We normally travel by Emirates because of the quality of service. Also, sometimes deals are better than Sri Lankan.
However, we may opt for Sri Lankan next time to get the journey over with as quickly as possible.

You can search for deals which will reduce the price of your plane ticket. But this will eat into the time you spend on holiday exploring the island.

What should I see?

Well, this really depends upon what you want to get out of your holiday.

Reading a travel guide to Sri Lanka will show you a vast array of experiences you can have on this small island. It really packs a big punch for its’ size!

If it’s your first time in Sri Lanka then I would recommend getting an overall experience of the country dipping into what is on offer.

Most visitors do a circular route (clockwise or anti clockwise) around the island.

This allows you to start on a beach (we recommend Negombo as it is not too far from the airport). You can then visit the Cultural Triangle, the Tea Country. The final section of your holiday can be a safari and then recuperation at one of the beaches on the south coast.

Some start at the beaches on the South and see the sights in an anti clockwise direction.

When is the best time to visit Sri Lanka?

Most visitors from the Northern Hemisphere escape the winter and visit during the peak season from December to April.

The South and West coasts of the island are monsoon free and the beaches in the south are great for sunbathing or surfing.

There is a party atmosphere in lots of the beach resorts and it’s great to get colour during the winter time.

What about a summer holiday?

The North and East coasts are the places to visit during the UK summer months.

This part of the country is only starting to be discovered. This side of the country has started to be developed as a tourist destination following the ending of the civil war some fifteen years ago.

The beaches are stunning and have a different character from those in the south of the island.

The Sri Lankan hill country is a good place to visit most of the year. You can see tea plantations, take a train journey and and visit the tourist town of Ella at most times if the year.

We really enjoyed staying at Maalu Maalu Hotel in Pasikuda.

It you are looking to stay at an idyllic beach setting and in the comfort of a good quality hotel we can recommend a stay there.

GlenMyu Estate and the Sri Lankan hill country

Since Ella has developed into a tourist hotspot over the last fifteen years, the Sri Lankan hill country has been a must see place on your visit to the island.

Many guests reach here by the famous train journey through the beautiful tea country from Kandy.

There are many places to see in and around Ella such as Nine Arch Bridge, Little Adams Peak and Ravanna Waterfall.

Travellers tend to stay with us at GlenMyu Estate as they want to get off the beaten track and don’t want to stay in a busy tourist town,

Most of our guests do a day trip to Ella from GlenMyu Estate. They also do day trips to hike parts of the new Pekoe Trail, Horton Plains, Lipton’s Seat or see Diyaluma and Bambarakanda Waterfalls,

Stay at GlenMyu Estate to explore the Sri Lankan Hill Country

Stay at GlenMyu Estate as you explore the Sri Lankan Hill Country.

We only have three bedrooms and you will need to book early during the peak holiday season.

The estate is usually within an hours drive of the major sightseeing locations such as Nine Arch Bridge, Ella Town, Upper Diyaluma Waterfall, Lipton’s Seat, Bambarakanda Waterfall and many more,

GlenMyu Estate is listed on Booking.com and Airbnb.
Contact us by the WhatsApp button on our website for direct booking rates.

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