Domestic seaplane hops are the Cinnamon Air routes worth the money over driving

Answering my own thread after doing two legs this week and grilling the pilots The product Cinnamon Air flies amphibious Cessna 208 Caravans from the Waters Edge lake strip in Colombo and CMB airport to water and strip landings around the island Costs roughly 200 to 300 USD per seat per leg depending on route and season not cheap but it converts a six hour drive into 45 minutes The flying itself Colombo to Koggala along the south coast is the scenic king you track the coastline at low altitude reef breaks river mouths Galle Fort from above then land on Koggala lake between islands The Sigiriya area leg crosses the central jungles with the rock visible on approach in clear weather a genuine bucket moment Trinco leg crosses the dry zone tanks impressive in a different agricultural civilisation way Baggage 15 kg soft bags total including hand luggage strictly weighed excess sometimes bumpable to a later flight not guaranteed pack accordingly Monsoon reality southwest monsoon afternoons generate buildups morning departures are dramatically more reliable June through September my second leg shifted two hours for weather build slack into any same day international connection or do not risk the connection at all Worth it verdict as transport debatable as a 45 minute low level scenic flight over this island unreservedly yes window seats all of them it is a Caravan