Taxi Sri Lanka

Airport transfers in Sri Lanka

from $32€28CHF 26AED 116Rs 10,000₹3,000¥210₽2,700 (Rs 10,000) per vehicle, not per person

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Meet & greet with a name board60 minutes free waiting at the airportAll-inclusive priceFree cancellation up to 24h before pickup

City to city: choose your hotel from the start

The price covers the journey between the two towns. Pick your hotel, guesthouse or beach directly in the pickup and drop-off search, or send the exact address on WhatsApp after booking. Anywhere inside the towns shown, the price stays the same.

Prices from Colombo Airport (CMB)

Fixed prices from the arrivals hall to your hotel. Per vehicle, tolls and waiting time included.

The monsoon column is the driving time we actually plan for during the south-west monsoon (May to September) on the roads where it makes a difference. Where the cell is empty we have no measured figure and will not invent one.

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Prices back to Colombo Airport (CMB)

Working backwards from your flight is the part people get wrong. Each page states the driving time we actually plan for.

Night arrivals and the price

A pickup between 22:00 and 05:00 carries a 15% night supplement, applied by the same engine that produces the prices above. It is shown in the quote before you confirm, never added afterwards.

Colombo Bandaranaike (CMB)

Almost every international arrival lands at CMB, 30 km north of Colombo. Long-haul flights from Europe and the Gulf arrive between midnight and 05:00, which is when the arrivals hall is at its most chaotic and a pre-booked fixed price is worth the most. We meet you inside the hall with a name board, and airport pickups include 60 minutes of free waiting from the moment the aircraft is on stand.

Mattala Rajapaksa (MRI)

Mattala serves the deep south and handles very little traffic. It is 45 minutes from Tissamaharama and the Yala area, and about an hour and a half from Tangalle. We cover it on request; because scheduled flights are sparse, tell us your flight number well in advance.

Choosing between a night in Negombo and a long transfer

If you land at 03:00 and your destination is five hours away, a night in Negombo, twenty minutes from the terminal, is usually the better plan. You start the real journey rested, in daylight, and the total often costs less than a night-surcharged long transfer. We will say so when you ask.

What every price includes

What's included

  • Fuel and all mileage
  • Professional driver
  • Expressway tolls (E01 / E03)
  • Parking fees
  • All taxes
  • Air conditioning
  • Bottled water
  • Meet & greet at arrivals (airport pickups)
  • 60 minutes free waiting at the airport

What's not included

  • Driver tips (appreciated, never required)
  • Entrance tickets to sites and parks
  • Meals and drinks along the way
  • Driver accommodation on multi-day hires
  • Extra stops not agreed in advance

Airport transfer questions

How much is a taxi from Colombo airport?

It depends entirely on where you are going, and every price is in the table above. Negombo is twenty minutes away, Ella is five and a half hours: they are different products. Each figure is for the whole vehicle, not per person, and it is the figure you pay.

Is the price per person or per vehicle?

Per vehicle. Four people travelling together to Kandy pay the price shown once, not four times. That is the single most common misunderstanding when comparing us with shared shuttles or with a per-seat quote.

What is included in the price?

Fuel, the driver, expressway tolls, parking, taxes, air conditioning and bottled water. Nothing is added at the end of the journey. The only extras that exist are the ones you choose yourself: an extra stop, a child seat, a return leg.

How long does the driver wait if my flight is late?

Sixty minutes free, counted from the moment your aircraft reaches its stand, not from your scheduled landing time. We track the flight number you give us. Beyond that hour, waiting is charged at 1,500 LKR per hour started, and your driver stays.

Do you charge more for a 3 a.m. arrival?

A pickup between 22:00 and 05:00 carries a 15% night supplement. It is applied by the same engine that produced the prices above and appears in your quote before you confirm: never after the journey. Say so in your booking and you will see the exact figure.

How do I find my driver at Colombo airport?

In the arrivals hall after customs, with a board showing your name. You do not need to find a car park, call anyone, or negotiate with the drivers at the exit.

Are child seats available?

Yes, and they are free. Ask for them when you book and tell us the ages, so the right seat is in the car rather than a best guess.

Can I book a return transfer at the same time?

Yes, and a return booked together with the outbound gets 10% off. Many travellers book the airport-bound leg at the same time as the arrival, because the departure timing is the part people get wrong.

Is it cheaper to book on arrival?

Sometimes, and sometimes considerably more expensive. You would be negotiating at three in the morning after a long flight, without a reference price. The point of booking ahead is that the number is fixed before you are tired.

What happens if I cancel?

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before pickup. Inside 24 hours, write to us anyway: a flight cancelled by the airline is not the same thing as a change of mind.

Do you serve Mattala airport (MRI) as well?

Yes, on request. Mattala has very little standby taxi supply because it has very little traffic, so a pre-booked transfer matters more there than at Colombo. Published prices for Mattala routes are not in the table yet.

How early should I leave for a departing flight?

Three hours before an international departure, and we build a thirty-minute buffer into every airport-bound transfer as standard. The driving times in the table are what we plan for, including the monsoon column where we have measured it.

Staying more than a day?

Keep the same car and the same driver for the whole trip. 250 km a day included, and his room and meals are on us.

$80€70CHF 70AED 300Rs 25,500₹7,700¥540₽6,800 (Rs 25,500)a day

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Airport hubs and their own pages

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