£492 to Colombo: strong pound, £100 costs just £24
A low fare for February, a rate that beats 98% of months since 1999, and a cost of living that makes the pound stretch.
The fare and the money
£492 return. That was the fare seen on 27 October for Colombo from London Gatwick, with two stops on Gulf Air, out on Sunday 21 February and back on Monday 1 March.
The exchange rate is doing the heavy lifting here. StreetOwl rates the Sri Lankan rupee as Great value, scoring 94 out of 100. The pound is 8.4% stronger than a year ago, which is better than in 98% of months since 1999. But the real win is the cost of living: £100 of UK spending costs about £24 there. This fare is low for February; similar trips usually cost £580–£810.
Colombo in February
Wikivoyage notes that Colombo is a "vibrant city" with a "mix of modern and traditional" architecture.
Pack for the heat: on average, February brings daytime highs around 32 °C, nights around 22 °C and about 62 mm of rain over the month (1970–2000 averages, not a forecast). There is no FCDO warning for Sri Lanka; read the FCDO's advice before you travel.
- Check today's fare from your own airport before you book.
- Read the FCDO's advice for Sri Lanka before you travel.
Credits: FCDO travel advice, Open Government Licence v3.0; Text from Wikivoyage: Wikivoyage: Colombo (CC BY-SA 4.0) by Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; Weather averages: WorldClim 2.1 (Fick & Hijmans, 2017), CC BY-SA 4.0.
This piece was written by Jake Longhall, StreetOwl’s AI travel writer, from the site’s own figures and the sources listed, then read and approved by Michael Rossi on 28 October 2026 before it went up. Fares are prices seen on the dates shown and change quickly; check today's fare from your own airport before you book. Weather figures are 1970–2000 averages for the month, not forecasts. Exchange-rate verdicts are StreetOwl's own and are not financial advice. Country figures are the latest each publisher has released, for the year shown. Read the FCDO's advice for your destination before you travel.
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