– Introduction to Sri Lanka | Our Sri Lanka travel tips
Sri Lanka is quickly becoming a popular tourist destination. Not just for its jungles, tea plantations, and food, but also for its beaches and its friendly people. Lying just off the coast of India, its climate can be hot and humid in the coastal regions and in the same day cool and wet in the mountains. Read on for our Sri Lanka travel tips.
Sri Lanka has a great history, and an abundance of ruins and temples to view. Temples hidden in rock faces, or in caves. Statues carved into the rock or manufactured from stone. Each one is different and each one is powerful to look at.
Its more recent past is evident in places like Galle, where the old fort stands as a monument to the colonization of the country by European nations.
Nature in Sri Lanka
Its nature and wildlife is breathtaking, you may come across an elephant crossing the road on front of you while driving, or just gaze peacefully on the rainforests while sitting in the open door of the train you are taking.
After a trek through the country, you may take some time off to relax on the beaches. Tropical waters, white sands, and beach bars await.
Sri Lanka is truly a gem in the Indian Ocean and a trip here should not be passed up, here we give our Sri Lanka travel tips.
– What can you expect from Sri Lanka?
Sri Lanka has an abundance of greenery in the form of jungles, tea plantations galore in the mountains, Buddhist temples and stupas in every village, spicy food, a friendly people, and an amazing experience.
– How we got to Sri Lanka
We arrived to Sri Lanka through the international airport in Colombo. The airport is small in comparison to other airports but is generally satisfactory. The queues in the immigration passed quickly and it was easy to find our way around. Getting through the airport itself was straight forward with no complications.
All visitors need a visa for Sri Lanka, which can be applied for online. The process is simple and the visa is issued quickly. For countries with a SAARC passport the visa costs $20. For all other countries the cost is $35.
For visa information please click here;
https://www.eta.gov.lk/slvisa/visainfo/center.jsp?locale=en_US#
– Map of Sri Lanka & places we were
Places we visited;
- Colombo
- Matale – Sigiriya and Lion’s Rock
- Dambulla – Cave Temple
- Polonnaruwa – Archaeological site of Royal Ancient City
- Kandy – Temple of the Tooth
- Nuwara Elia
- Badulla – Adam’s Peak in Ella
- Tissamaharama – Yala National Park
- Galle – Dutch Fort and Unawatuna Beach
- Hikkaduwa
– Where to stay
There are lots of hotels and resorts in Sri Lanka to choose from. If booking with a tour operator make sure to check them out online first and don’t be afraid to ask to change one or two if you don’t like the looks of them. Most of the hotels will have a restaurant and beer available. The breakfast is usually eggs and fruit but is a good start to the day.
For the places we stayed in during our trip to Sri Lanka please see our post in the Accommodation category here.
– Getting Around
There are lots of different ways to get around Sri Lanka. We found the easiest was to hire a driver and car through a company for our trip there. When you see the standard of driving you will be glad you’re not doing it yourself. Overtaking is done often and sometimes on turns. Tuks-tuks and motorbikes are everywhere and you will probably be extremely nervous for the first day in a car. Saying that, we didn’t see any accidents and the locals seem to know how to maneuver the roads and the traffic.
To get between some of the towns you can take the train, at least one portion of your trip should include a train journey. It’s quite the experience. Sitting in the open doorway watching the tea plantations and countryside whiz by is strangely relaxing.
In the towns and cities tuk-tuks are a very cheap and quick way to get about. In the larger cities they are metered so there is no worry about getting ripped off.
– Activities and sights
The following items are some of the things that are recommended to see and do in Sri Lanka;
- Take a train journey from Nuwara Elia to Ella
- Climb Lion’s Rock in Sigiriya
- Go whale and dolphin watching in Mirissa Harbour
- See the many frescoes and statues in the Cave Temple in Dambulla
- Walk the streets of the ancient city of Polonnaruwa
- Make the walk up to Adam’s Peak in Ella
- Visit the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy
- Traverse the ramparts of Galle Fort in Galle
- Try the many foods and savour the Sri Lankan flavours
- Stroll on the beaches in Unawatuna and Hikkaduwa
- See the wildlife in Yalla National Park
- Take in a cultural show in Kandy
- Taste the famous Ceylon tea and see how it is made in the Tea Plantations
For the places we saw during our trip to Sri Lanka please see our posts in the Sightseeing category;
- For some of the Temples and Ruins we saw in Sri Lanka please click here.
- On ways to see the beautiful Nature of Sri Lanka please click here.
- If you want to know how to best experience the Culture in Sri Lanka please click here
– Food and drink
Sri Lanka is famous for its spicy cuisine, and if you get a chance you should try it. It’s advisable to get the mild version as it is extremely hot. For an authentic experience go to a local place where they make the food from scratch, including grinding all the spices in front of you.
Drinking coconut juice from the shell is very refreshing and can help cool you down on a humid and hot day.
Fresh fruit is readily available everywhere and is extremely good.
Of course Sri Lanka is also famous for its tea, so be sure to try some of the different varieties especially if you go to a tea factory and plantation.
Foods to try
– Sri Lankan rice and curry consists of a rice dish with four separate curries; a meat such as chicken or beef, potato, dhaal, and cabbage. If you feel you can handle extreme spiciness go for the local setting, otherwise go for mild. The mild is still enough to make you reach for the cold drink constantly!
– Hoppers are a form of pancake made from coconut milk and rice powder. These can be eaten at breakfast with an egg cracked in the middle of them.
– Oil Cakes are made from rice powder, treacle and coconut milk. They are fried in hot oil and are a very tasty dessert.
– Fresh fruits can be got at a lot of street sellers, papayas, melons, and coconuts are among the most populous. At breakfast tables you will see a lot of fresh fruits.
Drinks to try
– Ceylon tea is one of the main produces in Sri Lanka. If going to a tea plantation and factory be sure to try some.
– Coconut juice can be got from a lot of street sellers, drink the juice straight from the coconut like the locals do. Then ask them to cut it open so you can eat the soft flesh inside.
– The local beer is Lion Beer. At the end of a long day sightseeing it’s refreshing to unwind with a nice cold bottle.
– Additional information
Plugs and electricity: There are two types of plugs used in Sri Lanka, the Type G which is British standard, and also the Type D which is similar but has round pins. Most hotels will have an adapter available at the front desk. Some hotels have USB charging points on the socket outlets which is extremely useful.
Vaccines: There are no vaccine checks at the border but it is recommended to have your Hep A, Hep B, Typhoid, and Rabies vaccines still in date before traveling. If travelling from a country which has Yellow Fever you will need to show your vaccination for this.
COVID: For information on any COVID restrictions and advice please click here.
Currency: The currency is the Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR). You can also use US Dollars in some places. For current conversion rates check http://www.xe.com/ before you go. You can find ATM machines throughout the larger towns and cities but it is a good practice to ensure you have sufficient cash before traveling outside the major areas.
Language: The main language of the country is Sinhala and Tamil. A lot of the people will speak English so it is not an issue getting by. The only problem you may have is a lot of the signs on shop fronts or restaurants are written in the local languages only in the smaller towns or villages.
Security: As a whole it’s very safe. The only thing is to be careful of pick pocketing but this applies to travel everywhere. If you pose with locals for a picture they will expect money in return, don’t let them intimidate you by trying to push for more and politely tell them to go away especially if they start reaching for your wallet or money.