To travel 30 km from India to Sri Lanka, do I really have to take a 1500 km, 20 hour detour?
I'm in Tamil Nadu, India.
Let's say I go to the area around Rameswaram, India, and that after that I want to visit the area around Mannar Island, Sri Lanka. Getting a visa for Sri Lanka is done very quickly online for my passport. (I've done it before.)
If I were to pay some fishermen or something to bring me over, it shouldn't take more than roughly two hours. But I have a feeling this might be illegal? I'm not too keen on being taken into custody by coast guard personnel. Now, is it in fact illegal, even if I have a visa for Sri Lanka? If it's legal, will I still have to find a way to report to both countries' authorities about my border crossing?
I will not break either country's law.
What other options do I have?
According to Skyscanner, the only possible airports are Chennai (MAA) and Colombo (CMB). Can anyone find a more convenient flight?
This means I have to travel 520 km by road to Chennai airport.
Going through the airports, checking in, waiting, flying, etc, should take around 4 hours at best.
Then, I've got to get from Colombo to Mannar Island, which is another 280 km.
I'm estimating that such a road/air journey would take at least 20 hours (more, if I stop to rest or sleep), and cost me several hundred USD, depending on choice of flight and what kind of ground transportation I use.
Now, is there any faster and/or cheaper option here? Remember that everything has to be perfectly legal to both countries.
Best Answer
There are currently no ferry services running between Sri Lanka and India. There have been various proposals (some of which even started running for a short while in 2011, 2012 and 2015) but none of them have lasted. Your best bet is probably to fly from Tiruchirappalli Airport (roughly in the middle of your first screenshot) to Colombo. Sri Lankan fly twice daily from here to Colombo, do this would cut around 4 hours off the drive on your first day but it would by no means be quick. I have no idea if a local fisherman or someone would take you across but if someone can confirm that they do then that might be the best option.
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Answer 2
Ferry services have stopped. And I do not know if you are still interested in the look out for nearby airports but there is one at Madurai which operates flights to Colombo once or twice a week.
Check out this website where you can book Indien domestic and international flights and it gives you the options.
Madurai is closer to Rameswaram than Tiruchirappalli and Chennai.
Answer 3
The Tiruchirappalli International Airport is only 3 hours and 55 minutes driving from the place you are stating, so that might be a small improvement. Still, it isn't optimal, of course.
Answer 4
If you wish to enter your neighbour's house, do you jump on to the terrace and climb down the stairs? Certainly not, you enter through the door by ringing the bell and asking for permission to enter.
Same logic applies to a country. Every country has restricted entry and exit points. You require documentation like passport and visa to cross these points. These points could be airports or sea ports or land border crossings.
When applying for a Visa, you have to mention the probable date of travel, the mode of travel and ID of the vehicle used. For air travel, it is the Name and Flight number, for Sea it is the Vessel name and number, for land it is the vehicle make and number.
Crossing into a country through un-authorized means, even if you have valid documentation is downright illegal - this can land you straight into jail.
Therefore please do not attempt such heroics. Use the legal entry points.
NOTE: Both Indian and Sri Lankan Coast Guard keep is tight vigil on the international sea border, to precisely catch such illegal entrants.
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