Introduction
Sri Lanka is one of the world's most exotic and beautiful islands – with ancient cities, thick jungle, miles of palm-fringed beaches, a unique culture and warm friendly people.
Though often simply considered India's tropical sister, Sri Lanka has a fascinating culture and history all its own. Long known as Ceylon, it was a British crown colony until 1948 and officially became Sri Lanka in 1972. Unlike in India, the majority of Sri Lankans are Buddhist, and their devotion to the religion has resulted in numerous beautiful landmarks around the country. Marco Polo was so impressed with Sri Lanka that he declared it the most beautiful island of its size in the world, and most visitors tend to agree.
Sri Lanka offers many archaeological, cultural and scenic highlights including the ancient sites of the ‘cultural triangle’, the tropical interior, the beautiful hill station of Kandy and the picturesque ‘tea country’. As well as exploring Colombo, other key areas to visit include the elephant orphanage in Pinnewala, the rock fortress at Sigiriya and the small fishing hamlet of Ahungalla. Horton Plains and Yala National Park offer great opportunities to search for wildlife including monkey, sambar, elephant and sloth bear. At the end of your exploration you may choose to unwind on one of Sri Lanka’s idyllic tropical beaches before returning home.
Language and Religion
Sinhala and Tamil are official languages in Sri Lanka. Sinhala, a language of Indo-Aryan origin is the language of the majority. English is widely spoken and understood. Place names and sign-boards on buses and trains are usually in all three languages. Sri Lanka is a land of religious freedom and tolerance. Wherever you travel you will come across a Buddhist Temple or Dagaba, a Hindu Kovil, a Christian Church or a Mosque, each with its own distinctive architecture. When visiting holy places please confirm to the requirements as regards dress in order not to show disrespect.
Weather
In the lowlands the climate is typically tropical with an average temperature of 27OC in Colombo. In the higher elevations it can be quite cool with temperatures going down to 16OC at an altitude of nearly 2,000 metres. Bright, sunny warm days are the rule and are common even during the height of the monsoon - climatically Sri Lanka has no off season. The south west monsoon brings rain mainly from May to July to the western, southern and central regions of the island, while the north-east monsoon rains occur in the northern and eastern regions in December and January.
| |
Jan-April |
May-August |
Sept-Dec |
| Max. |
Min. |
Max. |
Min. |
Max. |
Min. |
| Colombo |
30°C |
22°C |
30°C |
24°C |
29°C |
22°C |
| Kandy |
31°C |
17°C |
29°C |
21°C |
28°C |
18°C |
| Nuwara Eliya |
21°C |
14°C |
18°C |
16°C |
18°C |
15°C |
| Trincomalee |
32°C |
24°C |
33°C |
25°C |
33°C |
23°C |
What To Wear
Light cotton dresses and light weight suits. A wide-brimmed beach hat and sun glasses, comfortable shoes/sandals. In the hill country pullovers will be necessary. Visitors should be decently clad when visiting any place of worship. Beach wear is NOT suitable for temples and shrines. All visitors to Buddhist and Hindu temples are expected to be unshod and have their heads uncovered. Topless sunbathing is prohibited.
Entering Places of Worship Visitors to Buddhist temples are advised to be properly clad covering the body in full. Briefs, shorts, bear backs and bare shoulders are against accepted norms. When entering Buddhist and Hindu shrines footwear and headgear should be removed.
When to go
Fortunately for most tourists (and for the local economy, which is largely dependent on tourism as a source of income!), Sri Lanka’s climate is pretty balmy – cool, pleasant and without the extremes of temperature encountered in countries like India.
Ideally, the best time to visit Sri Lanka is either between December and March, if you’re headed for the highlands or the west and south coasts, or between May and September, if you’re visiting the east coast.
Most Spectacular Festivals
Esala Perahera in July/August in Kandy. The most important festival of the year extending over 10 days, climaxing on the Nikini full moon. This great procession – elephants extravagantly decorated, Kandyan dancers, fire walkers, spinning plates - honours the Sacred Tooth Relic of Kandy. The best parades are during the final 3 days. The crowds can be huge and queuing will start during the day for evening events which might frustrate young children and impatient travellers alike. Helga’s Folly is just a short stroll away from the parades. Duruthu Perahera held on Poya day in January. This festival in Colombo celebrates Buddha’s first visit to Sri Lanka.
National Day : Feb 4 celebrates Sri Lanka’s Independence.
Easter : Christian Passion Prayer performed near Negombo.
APRIL 13th & 14th
Sinhala and Tamil New Year: The two main ethnic groups in Sri Lanka, the Sinhalese and the Tamils celebrate a common traditional New Year in the month of April originally harvesting thanks giving. This marks the passage of the sun from Pisces to Aries. Traditional customs are observed on this day with merrymaking and fun and games and lavish hospitality.
Deepavali
– Hindu festival of lights in Oct / Nov. Thousands of flickering oil lamps celebrate the victory of good over evil and the return of Rama. The Tea country will see the most colourful celebrations as the pickers are granted holiday from the fields.
MAY 15th & 16th
Vesak Full Moon
: Vesak is a thrice blessed day for Buddhists throughout the world. It commemorates the birth of Prince Siddhartha, his attaining enlightenment and passing away into Nibbana as Gauthama Buddha. It is a day of great sanctity devoted to religious observances and charity. The day is also celebrated with festivity with numerous colourful decorations and illuminations, pandals and pageants. Wayside stalls distribute food and refreshments to the pilgrims and passers by.
Tamil Thai Pongal Day - Tamil New Year in early/mid January. Nuwara Eliya and the Hill Country will be alive with family parties and Horse Racing.
Christmas Day & New Year - Christian events are celebrated with equal enthusiasm within the hotels, banquets, fireworks, discos. The focus of the local people will be ensuring that the tourists have a wonderful time.
Food & Drink
Staple meal is rice and curry. Curries are spicy. Abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables in Sri Lanka. The breakfast dishes are particularly tempting. Sri Lanka grows the finest tea in the world and we drink it almost round the clock. The island also grows excellent coffee. Arrack, a distinctive Sri Lanka alcoholic beverage is distilled from coconut toddy. Leading hotels have daily `oriental' buffets.
Drinking Water
Bottled water is available in shops.
Entry & VISA Formalities
For nationals of most countries, visas are issued on arrival for 30 days. Extension of tourist visas is handled by the Department of Immigration and Emigration, for further details call Tel : 011 2597511.
Countries Exempt from Visas
All the countries in the SAARC region are exempt from visa
- Albania, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan
- Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria
- Canada, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland, France
- Georgia, Germany, Greece
- Hong Kong (China), Hungary
- India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy
- Japan
- Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan
- Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg
- Malaysia, Myanmar
- Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway
- Oman
- Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Portugal
- Qatar
- Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation
- Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
- Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan
- United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Ugoslavia
Currency
One Sri Lankan rupee is made up of 100 cents. Currency notes are in the denominations of Rs.10, Rs.20, Rs.50, Rs.100, Rs.200, Rs.500 and Rs. 1000. Coins are in the following denominations: 1 cent, 2 cents, 5 cents, 10 cents, 25 cents, 50 cents, one rupee, two rupees, five rupees and ten rupees.
Banking Hours
National banking hours are from 0900 hrs. to 1500 hrs. on weekdays. Banking hours may be different at private banks. Further teller machines (ATM ) are operated throughout the day.
Credit Cards
Reputed credit and charge cards are widely accepted by shops in Sri Lanka. In some cases the shops may try to add a surcharge to the price of the merchandise purchased. This is not an acceptable practice and in such cases the card company should be contacted so that corrective action can be taken.
Electricity
Sri Lanka uses 230-240V, 50 cycles, alternating current. Over the past decade Sri Lanka has been plagued by power cuts during times of drought when hydropower cannot be generated. However, frequent power failures lasting from several minutes to several hours can occur at normal times, too. The majority of hotels have generators; so most visitors are not unduly inconvenienced. Plugs are generally three or two round pins, but bigger hotels often have three square pin plugs. It’s best to bring a good adaptor with you, but they are available locally. More and more visitors are bringing sensitive electronic equipment to Sri Lanka, such as laptop computers. It is important, however, to bring a voltage stabilizer, for the current does fluctuate, especially in rural areas.
Health Protection & Vaccinations
Sri Lanka uses 230-240V, 50 cycles, alternating current. Over the past decade Sri Lanka has been plagued by power cuts during times of drought when hydropower cannot be generated. However, frequent power failures lasting from several minutes to several hours can occur at normal times, too. The majority of hotels have generators; so most visitors are not unduly inconvenienced. Plugs are generally three or two round pins, but bigger hotels often have three square pin plugs. It’s best to bring a good adaptor with you, but they are available locally. More and more visitors are bringing sensitive electronic equipment to Sri Lanka, such as laptop computers. It is important, however, to bring a voltage stabilizer, for the current does fluctuate, especially in rural areas.
Customs Regulations
Customs Regulation - Entering the Country
Declare all your valuable equipment, valuable jewellery and gems. Baggage should not contain goods for others, goods in commercial quantities, and prohibited or restricted goods. You are allowed to bring in 1.5 litres of alcohol, 2 bottles of wine, 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars, and a small quantity of perfume.
Customs Regulations - Leaving the Country
PERMITTED: You are allowed to take out what you have declared and brought into the country, and whatever you have purchased in Sri Lanka like gems, jewellery and Sri Lankan products. Make sure you keep the receipts of all your purchases in Sri Lanka, in case you are asked.
NOT PERMITTED: You are not allowed to take out goods for commercial purposes, gold (crude, bullion or coins) firearms, explosives and dangerous weapons, Antique, statues, treasures, animals, birds or reptiles (dead or alive) and their parts, tea, rubber and coconut plants or any dangerous drugs.
Communication
Mobile Phone / Cell Phones
Mobile phones have been made so affordable in Sri Lanka that almost everybody has one, and coverage has extended beyond the major cities. There are four main network operators on the island; Dialog GSM (www.dialog.lk), Mobitel (www.mobitellanka.com), Celltell (www.celltelnet.lk), and Hutchison Telecom (www.hutchison.lk). If you'd rather not use your own mobile phone on roaming but still want to be contactable, the cheapest alternative is to get a mobile phone connection with one of these major companies. All these phone companies have a pay-as-you-go plan where you can buy a local SIM card for around Rs. 1,000 (that will work in GSM phones from Europe, the Middle East and Australasia) and keep adding money to the connection as you require it. You will find recharge cards at any corner store throughout the island.
Internet
You shouldn't have much trouble finding Internet facilities in most towns. If your hotel does not have Internet or email facilities available, ask anybody where you can find a “Tele communication". The locals will be happy to point you towards the closest store where you will be able to use the internet. In the city of Colombo, there are a few places that have free wireless internet like the Coffee shop, Barista's. Internet access in Colombo is cheap (Rs. 4 per minute), but more often than not you'll have to fork out Rs. 7 to 12.
International Calls, IDD phones & Calling Cards
Most Hotel phones have the IDD facility (International Direct Dialling) for which you will be charged depending on which country and what time you call. For most countries, it costs about Rs. 20 to call from Sri Lanka. If your hotel does not have IDD, International calls can also be made from the thousands of communication bureaus and booths. The cheapest option, however, is the card-operated IDD telephones, of which there are many in Colombo. These cards are sold at small roadside shops, usually displaying signs indicating which cards they sell. Each card is specific to that company phone booth.
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