Sri Lanka Travel Guide 2021
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Sri Lanka Travel Guide
Our destination experts have compiled the most important details for you in our Sri Lanka travel guide, which is going to help you with your Srilanka Tours Packages thoroughly.
Sri Lanka is a mere teardrop shape of an island and a precious little amalgam of culture, history, architecture, cuisine, and nature’s bounty. Influenced by the Indian, Portuguese, Dutch and British imprints, Sri Lanka has a little something for every holiday-goer. From its pristine, untouched beaches and lush mountains to its unbeatable wildlife population and iconic colonial architecture, Sri Lankan culture is as diverse as its people.
Visa and entry
Please make sure your passport is valid for more than 2 months prior to your arrival in Sri Lanka and there is sufficient space (at least 3 blank pages in your passport) to allow for all immigration procedures. Find more information here.
The import of non-prescribed drugs or narcotics, anti-government/political literature, pornography, firearms, and material that ridicules religious belief systems is strictly prohibited and punishable by law. Currency must be declared on arrival.
Cashless payment
Cash, currency, and cards
The currency of Sri Lanka is LKR or the Sri Lankan rupee, which is divided into 100 cents. Sri Lankan currency notes are the only ones in the world that are printed vertically instead of horizontally! The following banknotes are in circulation in the country: 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, and 1000 LKR.
High-end hotels, airline offices, and upmarket boutiques and restaurants generally accept most major credit cards. MasterCard and Visa are the most preferred and accepted and other major cards such as Amex and Diners Club are also accepted at some places. Generally, a fee may be charged on the bill for the use of the card as a payment mode.
Most banks charge a 0.5% handling fee and a commission, which varies from bank to bank while cashing Travelers’ Cheques. Thomas Cook, Visa, and Amex are the most widely accepted.
Health information
The WHO highly recommends certain vaccinations when visiting Sri Lanka such as Adult Diphtheria, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Polio, Rabies, Typhoid, Varicella (if you haven’t had chickenpox), Japanese B, Encephalitis, Meningitis, and Tuberculosis (TB). Yellow Fever vaccination and its proof are required if you have visited a country in the yellow-fever zone within the six days before entering Sri Lanka. In addition to taking anti-malarial prophylactics, travelers must carry mosquito repellents, sleep with a mosquito net in outside towns, and wear long sleeves and trousers by dusk.
Sri Lanka offers its visitors decent access to professional medical facilities. There are private as well as state-run hospitals in the country. While most private hospitals are concentrated in the capital city of Colombo providing superior and modern health care facilities for a charge, the state-run hospitals offer free of cost services. Visitors needing prescription drugs should bring renewal prescriptions if necessary.
Religion and traditions
Despite the recent influence of western culture, Sri Lankans are generally conservative hence why modesty in dress is advised. Western clothing is acceptable and is worn by many, but when visiting shrines and religious places visitors are advised to not wear shorts, short skirts, vests, tank tops, etc. One should also avoid t-shirts with images of Buddha, which is considered disrespectful in the country.
Although Buddhism is the major religion practiced in Sri Lanka, other religions such as Hinduism, Christianity and Islam are also followed – Buddhist 69%, Muslim 7.6%, Hindu 7%, Christian 6%, Other 10%. The older generations of will generally use the ‘Namaste’ (palms clasped together as if in prayer at chin level with a slight nod of the head). The Sinhalese may say ‘Ayubowan’ and the Tamils would say ‘Vanakkam’ both meaning ‘may you be blesssed with a long life’.
Younger people generally shake hands. Many Sri Lankan women will refrain from physical contact with a man outside their family so always wait to see if a woman extends her hand or not.