Australian Triathlete — December 2017

36 | AustrAliAn triAthlete

more exotic destinations like India,

Thailand and Vietnam, it’s certainly

come into its own over the years and

has become a popular destination for

travellers. And rightly so.

For athletes who love to race in exotic

destinations, Colombo will host Ironman

70.3 Colombo on February 25, 2018. With

a fast, flat course, this is set to be the

perfect race for athletes who thrive in

warm, tropical environments, and who are

hoping to qualify for the 2018 Ironman

70.3 World Championship.

The WeATheR

The average temperature in Colombo in

February is siad to be around 27°C (23°C

• 31°C). February falls right between the
  two rainy seasons, so expect warm, but
  not too hot temperatures with low rainfall.
  Although, speaking to Sri Lankan local,
  Tisara Samarasuriya expect that “it’ll be
  humid so prepare to sweat.”

GeTTInG TheRe

The only way to get to Colombo, Sri Lanka

from Australia is to fly - you can get there

from most major Australian cities. Check

out http://www.skyscanner.com.au or http://www.

cheapflights.com.au for hot deals!

Next up - getting from the airport to

Colombo and your accommodation. The

international airport that services Colombo,

Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB),

is about 32km north of the city. It is said

that it can take up to 90minutes to get

from the airport to Colombo, depending on

the traffic, so you may want to factor that

into your planning. An airport shuttle runs

every 15 minutes from the airport to a

nearby bus station, from where you will

have to use public transport, which will

L

ocated on the west coast of Sri

Lanka, the cosmopolitan city of

Colombo is the largest city of

the island and is known as its

commercial capital. It’s often described

as a ‘sum of its contrasting parts’, an

island of contradictions. It’s a place

where history meets modern living;

where urban slums, and diesel fumed

roads and street markets meet designer

shopping malls. While Sri Lanka may

have been overlooked on the traveller’s

map in the past, in favour of perhaps

PARAdIse

text by marGaret mIelCzareK

photogrAphy by shutterstoCK.Com

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