Plan your journey
How to get to Ulpotha
Fly to Colombo. On Sunday morning our driver collects you at the airport, and three hours later you are in the village.
Where we are
In the centre of the island, three hours from the airport
Ulpotha lies in the middle of Sri Lanka, in the North Western Province near the town of Maho, beside a lake at the foot of the Galgiriyawa mountains. Colombo’s international airport is about three hours away by road. The drive is a gentle introduction to the country: the traffic of the coast thins out after Kurunegala, and the paddy fields, tanks and granite outcrops of the dry zone take over. The last stretch runs on village roads, and our drivers know every turn of it.
If you would like to see more of Sri Lanka, the ancient cities of the Cultural Triangle are the easiest add-on: Sigiriya, Dambulla and Anuradhapura are all within two hours of the village. The hill country around Kandy and the beaches of the south coast are a longer drive, so they fit best at the start or the end of a trip. Our guide to planning a trip to Sri Lanka has more on seasons and routes.
By road to Ulpotha
- Colombo airport (Katunayake)
- about 3 hours
- Negombo
- about 3 hours
- Colombo city
- 3½ to 4 hours
- Kurunegala
- about 1 hour
- Dambulla
- about 1½ hours
- Anuradhapura
- about 1½ hours
- Sigiriya
- about 2 hours
- Kandy
- about 2½ hours
- Galle and the south coast
- about 5 hours
Driving times without stops. Allow extra for traffic around Colombo and for the slower hill roads.
Ulpotha Village, Embogama, Maho,Kurunegala District, North Western Province 60718, Sri Lanka
Fly to Colombo
Flights to Sri Lanka from the places our guests come from
Every journey to Ulpotha begins at Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB), also called Katunayake, an hour north of Colombo. From the UK and much of Europe you can fly nonstop in ten to eleven hours or change once in the Gulf. From North America there is no nonstop flight, so you change once in Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi or London. From Australia, SriLankan Airlines flies nonstop from Melbourne and Sydney. This is how it looks from the places most of our guests travel from.
Swipe sideways to see the whole table.
| From | Nonstop | How often | With one stop | Flying time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United KingdomLondon, Manchester, Edinburgh | SriLankan Airlines from London Heathrow. British Airways from London Gatwick in the winter season. | SriLankan every day. British Airways three times a week from late October through the winter. | Qatar Airways via Doha, Emirates via Dubai, Etihad via Abu Dhabi or Turkish Airlines via Istanbul, from London and the regional airports. | 10½ hours nonstop 14 to 16 with a stop |
| GermanyFrankfurt, Munich, Berlin | SriLankan Airlines from Frankfurt. | About three a week. | Qatar Airways, Emirates, Etihad or Turkish Airlines from Munich, Berlin, Düsseldorf and Hamburg, changing in Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Istanbul. | 10 hours nonstop 13 to 15 with a stop |
| Switzerland and AustriaZurich, Geneva, Vienna | Edelweiss from Zurich in the winter season. | Monday, Wednesday and Friday from late October to May, fewer in spring. | Qatar Airways, Emirates, Etihad or Turkish Airlines via Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Istanbul, all year. | 10 hours nonstop 13 to 15 with a stop |
| FranceParis, Lyon, Nice | SriLankan Airlines from Paris Charles de Gaulle. French Bee has announced flights from Paris Orly from December 2026. | About three a week. | Qatar Airways, Emirates, Etihad or Turkish Airlines via Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Istanbul. | 10½ hours nonstop 14 to 16 with a stop |
| Rest of EuropeNetherlands, Belgium, Scandinavia, Italy, Spain | No nonstop flights. | Several connections a day. | Qatar Airways via Doha, Emirates via Dubai, Etihad via Abu Dhabi or Turkish Airlines via Istanbul. Or join the SriLankan flight in London, Paris or Frankfurt. | 13 to 16 hours |
| USA and CanadaNew York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Toronto | No nonstop flights. | Daily connections from the main airports. | Qatar Airways via Doha, Emirates via Dubai, Etihad via Abu Dhabi or Turkish Airlines via Istanbul. From the West Coast also Singapore Airlines via Singapore. Or fly to London and take the SriLankan flight. | 18 to 22 hours from the East Coast 22 to 26 from the West Coast |
| Australia and New ZealandMelbourne, Sydney, Perth, Auckland | SriLankan Airlines from Melbourne and Sydney. Jetstar from Melbourne. | SriLankan ten a week from Melbourne and about four a week from Sydney. Jetstar three times a week. | Singapore Airlines via Singapore, Malaysia Airlines or AirAsia via Kuala Lumpur, from Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide and Auckland. | 10½ to 11 hours nonstop |
| The GulfDubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi | Emirates and flydubai from Dubai, Qatar Airways from Doha, Etihad from Abu Dhabi. Also Gulf Air from Bahrain, SalamAir from Muscat, Air Arabia from Sharjah and SriLankan from Riyadh, Dammam and Kuwait. | Several a day between them. Qatar Airways alone flies five times a day. | Not needed. | 4 to 5 hours |
| IndiaChennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru | SriLankan Airlines and IndiGo from Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. Air India from Delhi and Mumbai. SriLankan also from Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Madurai, Tiruchirappalli and Coimbatore. | Several a day from Chennai and Delhi, daily or close to it from the others. | Not needed. | 1½ hours from Chennai 2 from Mumbai, 3½ from Delhi |
| South-East AsiaSingapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok | Singapore Airlines and SriLankan from Singapore. Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, Batik Air and SriLankan from Kuala Lumpur. Thai Airways, SriLankan and Thai AirAsia from Bangkok. | Several a day from each city. | Not needed. | 3½ to 4½ hours |
| East AsiaHong Kong, Tokyo, Seoul, Shanghai | Cathay Pacific from Hong Kong. SriLankan from Tokyo Narita and Seoul Incheon. China Eastern from Shanghai, SriLankan from Guangzhou, Air China from Chengdu. | Most days from Hong Kong, a few times a week from the others. | Singapore Airlines via Singapore or Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong. | 5½ hours from Hong Kong 9 from Tokyo and Seoul |
| MaldivesMalé | SriLankan, Emirates, flydubai, Gulf Air and FitsAir. | Several a day between them. | Not needed. | 1½ hours |
Checked at the end of October 2026 against the airlines’ own announcements. Airlines change their schedules every season, so please confirm days and times with the airline before you book, and send Pri your flight details once they are fixed.
From the airport
Our driver meets you on Sunday morning
Our retreats begin and end on a Sunday. On the Sunday you arrive, our driver collects you at the airport or from a hotel nearby and brings you to the village in about three hours. The transfer is not included in the retreat price. You can add it when you book online, or ask Pri to arrange it, and the price is per car, not per person.
Airport or Negombo
US$100 each way by car, for up to two people
US$120 each way by van, for up to five
Colombo city
US$120 each way by car
US$140 each way by van
Anywhere else in Sri Lanka
Tell Pri where you will be and she quotes the rate for the car.
Landing on Saturday
If your flight lands on Saturday, the simplest plan is a night in a hotel near the airport or in Negombo, twenty minutes up the coast, and a pick-up from there on Sunday morning. The transfer from Negombo costs the same as from the airport, and Pri is happy to suggest a hotel. If you land early on Sunday morning, our driver meets you in the arrivals hall.
Already in Sri Lanka
If you are travelling around the island before your retreat, tell Pri where you will be on the Saturday and she arranges the car from there, whether that is Kandy, Sigiriya or the coast.
Leaving Ulpotha
Sunday morning, with time for one last breakfast
The last yoga class is on Saturday evening, which leaves the morning free to pack and say your goodbyes. The cars leave the village at about 10:30 on Sunday, so with three hours to the airport a flight from the middle of the afternoon onwards is comfortable. If your flight leaves earlier, or you are heading on to Kandy, the hill country or the south coast, tell Pri when you book and she plans the car around it.
Before you travel
Four things to arrange at home
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Your visa
Most visitors need an Electronic Travel Authorisation for Sri Lanka. Apply online before you fly, on the government’s own site at eta.gov.lk. Other websites look similar and charge far more for the same thing. Your passport should be valid for at least six months from the day you arrive.
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Travel insurance
Every guest at Ulpotha needs valid travel insurance for the whole trip, flights included. Please arrange it when you book your flights, and bring the policy details with you.
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Health and money
Sri Lanka is malaria free. A tetanus booster and hepatitis A are the usual recommendations, so talk to your doctor a few weeks before you leave. Bring around US$100 in cash for temple donations and entrance fees on excursions; transfers, treatments and massages can be settled at the village. Our questions and answers cover packing, electricity and more.
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Your flight details
Once your flights are booked, send Pri your arrival and departure flight numbers and times by WhatsApp or email, so the driver is waiting when you land and the car is ready when you leave.
Ready to plan?
Choose your dates and we will meet you at the airport
Pick a retreat, book your flights to Colombo, and leave the rest to Pri.