Explore Sri Lanka
When the great Russian author and playwriter Anton Chekhov visited Sri Lanka in 1890 he described it as “Paradise on Earth – An Exotic Fairytale Setting,” and many would agree with him wholeheartedly. Located 100 miles north of the equator, south of India and the Bay of Bengal, east of Africa and the Middle East, and west of Indonesia and south-east Asia, Sri Lanka is known as the ‘Pearl of the Indian Ocean’.
Sri Lanka is super diverse with endless white-sand beaches, lush tropical jungles, misty mountains, wildlife hotspots with freely roaming Asian elephants and leopards, ancient world heritage sites, enchanting train rides through rolling tea plantations, friendliest locals and delicious food and fruits everywhere you look.
Did we convince you to visit our beautiful nation? We promise, Sri Lanka will not disappoint you! Instead you will fall in love with it and will never want to leave. So, add Sri Lanka to your bucket list because you won’t regret it one bit.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Dress Code: There is no dress code as such. If you are planning to visit cultural and religious sites, they would require you to wear clothes that cover your shoulders and knees and preferably long skirts, sarongs and dresses for females.
Credit cards and ATMs: While ATMs and credit cards are pretty widely accessible in the main tourist areas, they can’t always be relied upon. Hence, it is always good to carry a few rupees with you wherever you go specially if your mode of transportation is tuk tuks and buses.
Plugs: It is advisable for you to carry a universal adapter with you wherever you go just in case.
1. When to Visit
Sri Lanka’s weather is disrupted by two separate monsoons affecting different parts of the island at different times of year. The main monsoon “Yala” occurs from April/May to September affecting main tourism sites such as Galle, Unawatuna and the entire southern coast. The less severe “Maha” monsoon occurs from November to March affecting tourism sites such as Arugam Bay and Trincomalee.
So, in a nutshell, the best times to visit are,
- South and Central (Kandy and Nuwara Eliya) – December to March
- Sigiriya and Anuradhapura – January to April
- Ella – January to March
- East Coast (Arugam Bay, Pasikuda and Trincomalee) – April to September
One more thing to keep in mind is that the temperature in coastal areas hit 28-35 degrees on a normal day so make sure to carry appropriate clothing with you. However, in the hill country the temperatures fall below 20 degrees at night so remember to take warm clothing with you.
2. Getting around
Travelling in Sri Lanka isn’t a difficult task but getting from one point to another could be time consuming due to traffic conditions. So always plan ahead your travels and set realistic timelines. You can use google maps to get an idea as it is very much accurate. You can get around by bus, trains, tuk tuks, motorbikes, taxi, Uber or PickMe (It is the Sri Lankan version of Uber which is reliable and cheaper at time compared to Uber).
3. Where to Stay
Sri Lanka offers different types accommodation whether you are a traveler looking to explore the island on a shoestring or willing to experience one-of-a-kind luxurious gateways.
If you are the latter, head to our travel blog to find out more on luxury travel experiences in Sri Lanka.
Highlights
Language: Sinhala and Tamil are the two official languages of Sri Lanka. But English is widely spoken in the main tourist areas.
Currency: The Sri Lankan Rupee. The currency code is LKR and the denominations include Rs. 10, Rs. 20, Rs. 50, Rs. 100, Rs. 500, Rs. 1000, Rs. 5000. Currently 1USD is equivalent to 198 LKR.
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