When thinking about which destination to travel to, Sri Lanka may not be the first option that pops into people’s minds. However, visiting Sri Lanka using points is actually quite easy to book! You will want to spend at least one week in Sri Lanka to explore some of the best areas of the country.
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Sri Lanka Using Points
To start out when planning a trip to Sri Lanka using points, you will want to figure out how many days you want to be in Sri Lanka. I recommend spending at least a week to a week and a half depending on the amount of time you have. I booked this trip about 4 months ahead of time because I found great options for tickets. The more flexible you are, the better deal you can find.
Sri Lanka Airfare
After deciding on flexible dates, the next step when booking a trip to Sri Lanka using points is to book the airfare. There are several routes you can take to Sri Lanka, depending on where you are located. The best route from the United States is through Europe or the Middle East. Make sure to check various routes for the best deals.
Flights to Colombo
For our flights to Colombo, Sri Lanka, I booked it in two parts because it was cheaper at the time than booking them as one flight. All flights were booked in economy class. Our first leg was from Los Angeles to Doha, Qatar on Qatar Airlines. I booked this through JetBlue for 39,000 points +$7.65 taxes per person. Since I had not been to Qatar, I booked a long layover here to explore the city.
The second flight I booked from Doha to Colombo for 20,000 points + $107.75 taxes a person on Qatar Airlines. I booked this through British Airways.
If you book early enough, you can get this flight for 42,500 points +$135 in taxes per person directly through Qatar. Other options to look at to book flights would be through Emirates or Etihad. It would also be very easy to pair this trip with time in the Maldives.
Flights from Colombo
When leaving Sri Lanka, you can book the reverse flight back home to the United States for the same amount of points and taxes.
Alternatively, you can do what we did and continue on your vacation to somewhere else. We chose to fly to Cambodia on Singapore Airlines. These flights could be booked for 20,000 points +$68 via Singapore Airlines, but we chose to pay cash, which was around $300. From there, we flew home on Singapore Airlines for 70,000 points + $69 in taxes per person.
Sri Lanka Hotels
While Sri Lanka does not have a ton of hotels you can book when visiting Sri Lanka using points, there are more options coming in the near future. Hilton is building several more hotels across the island that will be great places to stay using points.
For our stay we opted for the following options.
Yala National Park
We first opted to stay at the brand new Hilton Yala Resort. This hotel opened in summer of 2023 and runs around 80,000 points a night. I had three Hilton Free Night Certificates that I used to stay here. Due to my Diamond Status, we were upgraded from the Standard King Deluxe Room to the Premium Pool Villa.
This hotel exceeded my expectations and was the perfect location to go on a safari in Yala National Park.
Weligama
The next hotel we stayed at was the Marriott Weligama Bay Resort for two nights. This can be booked for around 21,000 points a night, but we opted to pay cash. This hotel is right on the beach in Weligama which is a popular surfing spot. We were upgraded to a suite from a basic room at this hotel.
Alternatively, if you want to stay a little further north, you could stay at the Sheraton Kosgoda Resort. This hotel runs around 15,000 points a night. There are also a couple of SLH hotels you can book through Hilton that are along the coast.
Colombo
Colombo has several hotels you can book using points. We opted to stay at the Hilton Colombo because we wanted to stay at a Hilton to get some more Hilton points. A stay here costs around 30,000 points a night (but we paid cash). We were upgraded to an Executive Room here.
Alternatively, Marriott has a couple of properties. The Courtyard Colombo is around 10,000 points a night, or the luxurious ITC Ranadipa is around 20,000 points a night.
In the coming years, Hilton is opening a resort in Kandy which will be a great option! In addition, the DoubleTree Weerawila Rajawarna Resort is a good option for less points than the Hilton Yala Resort but it is about an hour from Yala.
Other Expenses to Keep in Mind
Tours and Transportation
When visiting Sri Lanka, you may want to take a couple of tours, and you will need transportation in between places. There are no rental cars available in Sri Lanka, so you will have to book private transportation in between places, or some cities are connected via train. Our transfer cost $250 for both of us.
Safari
If you visit the Hilton Yala Resort, you will want to book a safari adventure! Rather than book through the hotel, you can book through local companies. The jeep price is $50/half day, and the park fees are another $75 for two people, so $125/day total. We opted to go on two safaris, so we spent $250 total.
Colombo Tuk Tuk
In Colombo, we hired a Tuk Tuk for a couple of hours to take us to all of the sites around the city. This cost $10/person, but we saw some places offering $5/person.
Food
Food in Sri Lanka is relatively inexpensive. All of our hotels included breakfast thanks to my status. Other meals we spent maybe $10/person depending on where we ate. The food at the Hilton Yala Resort is slightly more expensive, but you could always pack snacks and just eat dinner there.
Visa
To visit Sri Lanka as a US citizen, you will need to get a visa. This is very easy to do as you just fill out the form online ahead of time once you have all of your trip information. A one time entry visa costs $50.
Total Costs for the Sri Lanka Using Points
- Hotel: 270,000 Hilton Points and 42,000 Marriott Points
- Airfare: 101,500 points plus $230/person (note approximate since we took a different route)
- Visa: $50/person
- Transportation: $12/person Ubers + $125/person transfers between cities
- Safari: $125/person
- Food: $140/person
- Total Cost Out of Pocket: $682/person
Total Value of Points Used
- Hotel Value: $1000/person, $2000 total
- Airfare Value: $1140/person, or $2280 total (taken by looking at round trip ticket prices on Qatar).
- Total Savings with Points: $2140/person, or $4280 total
Final Thoughts of Sri Lanka Using Points
As you can see, it can be quite easy to get to Sri Lanka using points and it can be a great use of points. With the number of points it costs, you can get a great amount of value. Plus, the extra expenses are very reasonable amounts, and you could even do it for cheaper, depending on your preference.
