Information on phone calls, mobile phones, internet, email, postage and remote areas in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka's time zone is GMT + 5.5 hours. That is, during the summer, Colombo is 5.5 hours behind Sydney and Melbourne and 2.5 hours behind Perth. During winter, Colombo is 4.5 hours behind Sydney and Melbourne (but still 2.5 hours behind Perth).
Phone calls
International and domestic calls can be made from your hotel room. International calls are expensive (from Rs200 per min) and usually incur an additional service charge. There are also
telephone booths in most towns and cities displaying the letters ‘ISD’, which can place calls for cheaper rates and have meters so you can keep track of the call rate’s progress.
Australia: to call Australia, the international access code is 00, followed by the country code 61, then the local area code (omitting the first 0), then the number. For example, 02 9224 8888 becomes 00 61 2 9224 8888.
Mobile phones
Mobile phones are very popular in Sri Lanka and you will find high quality coverage. Sri Lanka has active roaming agreements with most international phone carriers. However, SMS and call rates can be expensive. We recommend that you contact your Australian mobile provider if you intend to use international roaming during your holiday and ensure you investigate all associated costs before you depart on your tour.
Postage
We recommend that you use the post offices, rather than your hotel, to post items. We advise you to use a courier service from post offices to send anything valuable or important.
Internet and email
There are limited internet cafes in cities and small towns these days, where you can access your email or place an internet phone call. Wi-Fi is widely available and usually free, but please take care to ensure there are no charges. Many hotels and restaurants offer Wi-Fi.
Remote areas
You will rarely be able to access phone or internet facilities and mobile phones may not have reception. We advise that you let friends and family at home know that you will be out of phone contact during these sections of your itinerary.