Sri Lanka Travel Questions

Thirty-day visitor visas cost US$30, apply in advance online www.eta.gov.lk

Due its strategic location, Negombo is the best spot to begin a tour around the island. I suggest to start/end the tours from there. Is close to the Bandaranaike International Airport and to capital, the huge and noisy Colombo, but is far more quiet than our main city. A much more comfortable place to land from your country and have some rest after the flight or before coming back home.

We are a professional tour guides, We help tourist to explore Sri Lanka.

• Water Sports (White Water Rafting, Hiking, Surfing, Snorkeling, Diving)
• Mountain Hiking
• Site visit (Heritage/Religious)
• Safari
• Spend time on Beaches
• Shopping

Seasons

‘Popular speak’, and impacting the weather for tourists, there are four seasons plus two gray areas following the main monsoons. Monsoon is a wind pattern, deciding the waves/currents at sea and uptil some extent the rains on the land.

• Northeast monsoon, mid December-February, meaning bad weather on East coast and good dry weather in Southwest.
• First intermonsoon, popularly defined as June and first half of July. Meteorology defines it a bit differently.
• Southwest monsoon, second half of July through September. Good weather on East coast; on Southwest it’s still nice sunny mornings, but cloud build-up at some point in the afternoon followed by brief heavy showers. Southwestern sea has heavy currents and waves.
• Second intermonsoon, generally from late October until mid December.

(Source : www.tripadvisor.co.uk)

Sri Lanka is a tropical country so Light Clothing will do. But if you’re planing to go to hill country lightweight nylon jersey (You can buy it from local markets even) Swimwear, Mosquito Repellent , 220V-230V Chargers, Binoculars, Sun Screen, Sunglasses

Sri Lankans are willing to help and their hospitality is known for thousands of years. While Sri Lanka has majority of Sinhalese, there are Tamils, Burghers, Muslims and other minor races living peacefully. Theravada Buddhism is the core religion of many Sri Lankans while significant number of people follow Catholicism, Islam and Hinduism.

Sri Lankan culture is shaped by Asian Values. Family Members, Relatives are very close with each other, and in most cases parents take care of their children until they marry! Even with their Asian upbringings there are many differences between various ethnic groups. Tamils, Sinhalese and Muslims have their own cultural values. You can see the contrast between these if you visit Sri Lanka during the festival season. There are 4 major festivals in Sri Lanka. Sinhalese New Year which falls on 13th and 14th of April, Christmas Day, Vesak Full Moon Poya Day and Sivarathri Day. From all of these festivals Sinhalese New Year is the most intriguing and joyful event because of its games and various cultural traditions. Arts, Languages, History and Sports play a major part in Sri Lankan Culture. If you visit Sri Lanka during a national cricket tournament you will be amazed by the experience.

Sri Lankans rely on rice. For thousand years country has been very famous for its authentic spices. So in Sri Lanka you can have a great taste with all natural spices. Among the tourists Kottu, Hoppers and Milk Rice are the most popular varieties. While Some Sri Lankan food has a little south Indian influence most of traditional sweets like Kavum, Athirasa, Aggala will water your mouth! Don’t forget to drink Kurumba(Green Coconut) and King Coconut while travelling. While travelling on the road you can find fresh fruits from small outlets, straight away from home gardens, they are nutritious and most of the time they don’t use fertilizers, and those are not GMO.! Also you can find Western, Mongolian, Chinese and Indian cuisines all over the country! Sri Lanka also has Domino’s Pizza, Burgers King, Pizza Hut, KFC and McDonald’s outlets in its major cities.

Shopping in Sri Lanka is fun! Sri Lanka was a trade hub for thousands of years. Still Sri Lanka is very famous for Sri Lankan Tea (Ceylon Tea), Cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, other spices and of course Gems! Sri Lanka is rich in Gems. Even though Ratnapura was the most popular place for gems, the government claims recently opened Colombo Gold Centre is the most promising and trustworthy one stop shop for gems and gold in entire Asian continent. You can also try out devil masks, hand-loom clothes, batiks and other amazing handicrafts while you’re travelling around. Also Sri Lanka is a great stop If you want to buy clothes. There are many less expensive but high quality products you can find in reputable stores. If you are interested in Ayurveda, Sri Lanka is one of the best place you can always count on. Sri Lankan Ayurvedic treatments are amazing and lots of our former visitors didn’t miss this chance.

Sri Lanka is extremely rich in biodiversity. Rainfall, Forests and Wildlife reservation let you enjoy the true beauty of Mother Nature. Even though Eco tourism is still being developed there is no excuse for you to miss out beauty of Wildlife in Sri Lanka. As ocean has surrounded this beautiful land; Blue Whale Watching in Mirissa & Dolphin watching Kalpitiya or Trincomalee, is a must do in Sri Lanka. Also in protected parks like Udawalawa, Yala, Lunugamwehera, Wilpattu and Minneriya you can see the beautiful giant Sri Lankan Elephant native to Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan Bear seems to be the most popular animals for the tourists while those natural parks are home to many more wild animals. Sri Lanka is very famous bird watching spot! Over 230 species (from 76 families) is the deal you get from Muthurajawela wetlands & Anawilundawa Sanctuary. If you’re fascinated about avifauna Northern Winter which falls between August to April Is the most suitable time for your visit.

Sri Lanka has several rafting locations. Rafting could improve your self-confidence and will make you adventurous. Still rafting is a growing sport in Sri Lanka. If you have average level fitness and strong mind-set you can enjoy white water rafting in Sri Lanka. If you have epilepsy and heart ailments it is recommended to avoid rafting. Kitulgala situated in 80km from Colombo is the most famous and popular location for rafting. Sitawaka river, Mahaweli river and Kotmale river are the other rafting locations. Ability to swim will be an added advantage but not a must! You will be provided with a boat gear and other safety equipment.

Sri Lanka is a great holiday escape. You and your family will find thousands of things to do once you visit Sri Lanka. Wide beautiful beaches, safaris, Surfing, hiking, shopping and god knows what! It could be you lying on a hammock sipping your green coconut juice and relaxing! Or you could be the one who’s into scuba diving! You could be with your children or your spouse, either way, you never will be bored here in Sri Lanka. Guiding our visitors is a passion for us, We at Sri Lanka Holidays, find it’s our job to make you delight! That’s what we have been doing for years.

You may sometimes be overwhelmed by crowds of people in public places (railway stations, markets, bus stands, temples or simply busy streets). “Touts” and hawkers may jostle and push and clamour to show you a hotel and sell you things. Taxis and three – wheelers are often there when you do not need them.

In general the threats to personal security for travellers in Sri Lanka are remarkably small. It is more pleasant to travel with a companion as it is advised not to travel alone especially after dark. The island including the North and East is safe to visit. If you have anything stolen, report it to the tourist Police, ( a special tourist police set up to look after the needs of the tourists. Contact tel Number + 94 11 2382209

Sri Lanka Offers visitors an excellent range of accommodation facilities to suit all budgets from luxury hotels to low budget accommodations. In the peak season (mid-January and during Easter) bookings can be heavy so it is best to reserve accommodation well in advance through Tour operators/ travel agents, booking online and through our travel planner.

Sri Lankan Ceylon tea is prepared as in the West and coffee too. There are a huge variety of bottled soft drinks, including well-known international brands. Thambili ( king coconut water )is a safe and refreshing option. Local beer and spirits are widely available. Bottled mineral water is available in 5 star hotels. Please note: Alcohol is not sold on Poya (full-moon day of the month) days.