Taxi in Bentota, private transfers at a fixed price
Taxi from Bentota from $32€28CHF 26AED 116Rs 10,000₹3,000¥210₽2,700 (Rs 10,000) per vehicle, not per person
Bentota sits where the Bentota Ganga meets the sea, roughly a hundred kilometres south of Colombo airport and, thanks to the E01 expressway, only about an hour and three quarters away. That combination explains almost everything about the place: it is the first proper beach resort you reach from the airport, so it fills with people who want sand on day one rather than after a long drive. The beach is wide, the hotels are large and long-established, and the river behind the sand strip is what actually distinguishes Bentota from the surf villages further south.
- Fixed price, no surprises
- Free cancellation up to 24 h before pickup
- Only 50% now, the rest to your driver
- Secure card payment by Stripe
Taxi from Bentota at a glance
A private taxi from Bentota costs from $32€28CHF 26AED 116Rs 10,000₹3,000¥210₽2,700 (Rs 10,000) for the whole vehicle, with the driver, fuel, expressway tolls and parking included.
- Bentota → Colombo Airport (CMB): 100 km, about 1 h 45, from $50€44CHF 42AED 190Rs 16,000₹4,800¥340₽4,300 (Rs 16,000).
Book online with a 50% deposit, the balance is paid to your driver on the day. Free cancellation up to 24 h before pickup, deposit refunded in full.
Popular transfers from Bentota
Fixed price for the whole vehicle: driver, fuel and tolls included. Each one books in two minutes.
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.
Only the 50% deposit is paid to book — securely, by card — and the rest goes to your driver on the day. The price above is fixed and does not change.
Going somewhere else? We drive from Bentota to every town we serve — choose yours on the next screen.
Book a transfer from BentotaHow booking works
1.Choose your transfer
Pick the destination and the vehicle. The price you see is the price you pay, for the whole car, whatever your exact address in town.
2.Pay the 50% deposit
Securely by card. It locks your driver and your price; the balance goes to the driver on the day, in cash or by card on board.
3.Meet your driver
You receive your driver’s name and phone number on WhatsApp 48 hours before pickup. Free cancellation up to 24 h before, deposit refunded.
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
- 15 minutes free waiting elsewhere
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
Transfers to Bentota
Coming to Bentota from elsewhere? Same fixed prices, the other way round.
Where we pick up in Bentota
We collect from any hotel, villa or guesthouse in Bentota, Aluthgama, Induruwa and Beruwala, at the entrance rather than at a road junction. The large resorts along the beach road all have proper porticos and our drivers use them. If you are staying in a small villa on the river side, give us the landmark rather than the postal address: house numbering on the lanes behind the beach is genuinely unreliable, and a named guesthouse is found faster than a number.
Getting to and from Bentota
The expressway exit is at Welipenna, about fifteen minutes inland, and that detail matters more than it sounds: a driver who knows to use the E01 rather than the old coastal Galle Road saves you well over an hour on the run from the airport. Bentota also has a railway station on the coastal line, which is charming and slow, and impossible with more than a rucksack. Within the resort strip itself everything is walkable or a five-minute tuk-tuk ride. For anything beyond (Galle, Hikkaduwa, the Madu river) a car with a driver is the only arrangement that does not eat half your day.
Travel tips for Bentota
Bentota swims well from November to April, which is the dry season on this coast. From May to September the south-west monsoon puts a strong shore break on the beach and the river becomes the better option. The resort strip is quiet in the evening by design; if you want restaurants and bars within walking distance, Hikkaduwa an hour south is a different proposition entirely. Bentota is also the most practical first or last night on the island for anyone with a difficult flight time, because it is close enough to the airport to be reached without a pre-dawn start.
About Bentota
The Madu Ganga boat trip is the thing to do here and it is better than its reputation suggests: mangrove tunnels, cinnamon smallholdings, and a monastery on an island. Go early, before the convoy of larger boats. The Brief Garden, twenty minutes inland, was Bevis Bawa's home and is quieter and stranger than his brother Geoffrey's far more famous Lunuganga nearby; both are worth an afternoon. The turtle hatcheries along the coast road vary enormously in seriousness, so ask before you pay.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the transfer from Colombo airport to Bentota?
About an hour and three quarters using the E01 expressway, in normal conditions. The old coastal road takes closer to three hours, which is why the route matters as much as the distance.
Is Bentota a good first stop after landing?
It is one of the best on the island, precisely because it is close. If you land at 02:00 you can be at a hotel before sunrise rather than driving five hours to the hill country on no sleep.
Can you collect from Beruwala and Aluthgama too?
Yes. Beruwala, Aluthgama and Induruwa are all treated as Bentota for pricing, since they sit within a few kilometres of each other on the same stretch of coast.
When is the sea calm enough to swim?
November to April is reliable. During the south-west monsoon the shore break is strong on the open beach, and most visitors move to the river or a hotel pool.
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
See private driver pricesBook your taxi from Bentota
from $32€28CHF 26AED 116Rs 10,000₹3,000¥210₽2,700 (Rs 10,000) per vehicle, not per person
A stop on the way, a wait, a child seat, a multi-day trip: ask us on WhatsApp and we reply with a firm price.