Seven days in Sri Lanka in Business Class on Qantas Points

Sri Lanka is closer and easier to reach from Australia than most people assume. SriLankan Airlines flies direct daily from Melbourne to Colombo, and the flight time of around ten and a half hours is roughly what it takes to get to Japan. It is also a country small enough — smaller than Tasmania — to see a genuine cross-section of in a week.

Two of us spent seven nights covering the south of the island: Colombo, Kandy, the train to Ella, a safari at Yala, the beach at Mirissa and the fort at Galle. Flights in Business Class both ways came to 180,000 Qantas Points and $796 per person in fees and taxes. With accommodation added, the trip cost $1,587 per person in cash, against a retail price of $10,798.

The routing, and a Classic Reward quirk

Mixing Qantas-numbered flights with partner airlines on a Classic Reward usually costs more, because the two draw from separate award tables. Booked as a return fare, however, the domestic Qantas connection from Sydney to Melbourne came along at no extra points cost. If you are building a partner itinerary that needs a domestic leg at one end, it is worth pricing it as a return rather than as two one-ways.

It also delivered three different Business Class products on one ticket — one of the quieter advantages of booking on points.

What it cost

Item Cost per person
Four Business Class flights 180,000 Qantas Points + $796
One night, Ramada by Wyndham, Colombo $92
Two nights, The Radh Hotel, Kandy $156
Two nights, Yala Safari Camping $404
One night, Villa Atulya, Mirissa $80
One night, Fairway Colombo $59
Total cash $1,587

Accommodation prices are per person based on twin share. The glamping at Yala costs more than the other five nights combined, and it is the one to spend on.

Melbourne to Colombo

SriLankan's flagship A330 Business Class is the outbound product, and the afternoon departure is a good thing — flying west, you are awake for most of it rather than sleeping through the service.

Dinner is three courses. The Sri Lankan-style chicken curry is the obvious order and does not disappoint, generously portioned and spiced without being punishing. The seat converts to a flatbed, and there are enough hours left afterwards to get real work done if you need to.

Colombo

Colombo is more than a transit point. Colonial-era architecture sits against modern building, and the food is a good reason to give it a night at each end of the trip.

Ministry of Crab is the institution, widely rated as the best crab in South Asia, and it justifies the reputation even if shellfish is not usually your thing. The butter soy prawn is the dish to order. Crabs run from around 500 grams up to two kilos — order at the smaller end if you want to try anything else on the menu.

Getting around is easy and cheap: you can hail a tuk-tuk through the Uber app. A few hours will cover the Jami Ul-Alfar mosque, the bazaars, several temples, the beach and the Lotus Tower, the tallest structure in the country, which charges admission for the observation level.

Kandy, Sigiriya and Dambulla

Kandy is the sacred inland town, built around a lake lit at night by the temples surrounding it. By day it is busy, chaotic and occasionally surreal — being held up in traffic behind an elephant is a normal enough occurrence.

It also works as a base for a day trip north. Sigiriya Rock Fortress rises out of the surrounding forest and rewards a steep climb with panoramic views; do it early if you are going in the heat. The Dambulla cave temples nearby are a far gentler walk. The complex has been a pilgrimage site for more than twenty-two centuries, is the best-preserved cave temple system in the country, and holds over 150 Buddha statues. A covering is required to enter — ignore the men selling sarongs on the climb and hire one at the top for a few cents.

The Kandy to Ella train

The train from Kandy to Ella is the experience most people come for, and it lives up to it. It covers just 140 kilometres in about seven hours, winding through tea plantations, jungle and hill country, and the slowness is the entire point.

Two pieces of practical advice. First, do not book First Class: the windows and doors are sealed, which defeats the purpose. Second class is what you want, with the doors open and the ceiling fans running. Second, reserved second-class seats are hard to come by if you board at Kandy. Take a twenty-minute Uber to Peradeniya, the station before Kandy, where your chances are much better. Reserved second-class tickets bought on the morning of travel cost 3,000 Sri Lankan rupees, or around A$15.50.

Standing in an open doorway with the landscape unrolling past is the memory that survives the trip.

Yala National Park

Yala sits on the southeast coast, covers 979 square kilometres and has the highest density of leopards anywhere in the world, along with elephants, water buffalo, spotted deer, monkeys and more than 200 bird species.

We based ourselves for two nights at Yala Safari Camping, an all-inclusive glamping property at the park boundary. Tents come with private spa baths, meals are served in a common area looking over the park, and from the lobby viewpoint you can see all five of Yala's blocks.

The jeep collects you at 5am and the early start matters — dozens of vehicles converge on the tracks at first light, and the leopard sightings go to those already in position.

Mirissa and Galle

The south coast is the decompression stage. Mirissa is a small beach town with a long coconut-lined shoreline, and the correct itinerary there is no itinerary. Coconut Tree Hill and Parrot Rock are the two short walks worth doing. The main street has good coffee, mango lassi and cheap, expert deep-tissue massage, which your legs will need after Sigiriya.

Less than an hour away is Galle, a historic port town whose fort carries layers of Portuguese, Dutch and British influence over a South Asian base. Inside the walls it is all cafes and small speciality shops. The Galle lighthouse is the oldest light station in Sri Lanka and still operating. A short ride out of town is Yatagala Temple, a Buddhist rock temple said to be more than 2,300 years old.

If you are heading back to Colombo and do not mind roughing it, the third-class train from Galle takes about two and a half hours and costs around 500 rupees — roughly A$2.50.

Flying home in British Airways Club Suite

The return runs Colombo to Singapore on SriLankan, then overnight from Singapore to Sydney in British Airways' Club Suite. The Club Suite only operates to Australia for part of the year, so catching it is partly a matter of timing.

It is a fully enclosed suite with a door, direct aisle access and a single-button conversion to a flatbed, with bedding by The White Company. Champagne before departure, a three-course dinner, then an uninterrupted night's sleep. Despite the five-and-a-half-hour time difference between Sri Lanka and Melbourne, arriving home without jet lag is a realistic expectation on this routing.

Frequently asked questions

How do you get to Sri Lanka from Australia? SriLankan Airlines operates a daily direct service from Melbourne to Colombo, with a flight time of around ten and a half hours.

What did the flights cost in points? 180,000 Qantas Points plus $796 per person in fees and taxes, covering four Business Class sectors: Melbourne to Colombo, Colombo to Singapore, Singapore to Sydney and Sydney to Melbourne.

Why book it as a return rather than two one-ways? Classic Rewards that mix Qantas-numbered flights with partner airlines draw from separate award tables and usually cost more. Booked as a return, the domestic Qantas connection came at no extra points cost.

Which class should I book on the Kandy to Ella train? Second class. First Class carriages have sealed windows and doors, so you lose the open-air views the journey is famous for. Reserved second-class tickets bought on the day cost around A$15.50.

Is it hard to get a seat on that train? Seats fill quickly at Kandy. Boarding at Peradeniya, the station before Kandy and about twenty minutes away by car, gives you a much better chance of a reserved seat.

Is a week enough time? Seven nights covers the southern loop at a reasonable pace, though Kandy alone could absorb several more days.

This information is general in nature. It does not take your personal circumstances into account.

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