Essential Things to Know Before Traveling to Sri Lanka

Capital: Colombo
Official Language: Sinhala, Tamil and English
Religions: 69% Buddhist, 15% Hindu, 8% Muslim, 8% Christian
Voltage: 230-40V. Power cuts are common in remote regions and occur occasionally in major cities too.

Visas

An Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) is required for entry to Sri Lanka. The following link will take you directly to the site to apply:  http://www.eta.gov.lk/slvisa/.  Current visa cost is 100 USD per person (as of June 9, 2020).

All Passengers are responsible for securing proper documentation prior to joining the tour.  Passports are required; in addition travelers are advised to check with local consulates for full details regarding Visa requirements. Please note securing a valid visa for entry is sole responsibility of the traveler.

Local Currency
The monetary unit in Sri Lanka is the Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs). Sri Lanka Rupee (LKR; symbol Rp) = 100 cents. Notes are in denominations of Rp2,000, 1,000, 500, 200, 100, 50, 20 and 10. Coins are in denominations of Rp10, 5, 2 and 1, and 50, 25, 10, 5, 2 and 1 cents.

Credit cards
MasterCard and Visa are widely accepted. American Express is also often accepted. The tourist board urges caution when paying by credit card due to the potential for fraud.

ATM
Major cities have ATMs, although not all will accept international cards, especially the national bank. It is advisable to try to have some cash at hand whilst travelling, particularly in rural areas.

Travellers cheques
Traveller's cheques are often not accepted. If you find somewhere that will exchange them, the rate of exchange for traveller's cheques can be better than the rate of exchange for cash but there are handling fees to consider and banks are more likely to give a favourable rate than hotels. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take traveller's cheques in US Dollars or Pounds Sterling.

Banking hours
Mon-Sat 0900-1300. Some city banks close at 1500, some even have night-time banking facilities.

Telephone
Phone cards are available at post offices and shops and public payphones are a common sight throughout the country.

Mobile phone
Mobile usage is much more common than landlines, and it is possible to buy a Sri Lankan sim card which can then be topped up from any local vendors. Roaming agreements exist with some international mobile phone companies. Coverage in the south and west is good; in the north and east it is average.

Internet
There are internet cafés in most towns and resorts. Whilst internet coverage is generally good, the same cannot be said for speeds, with many connections going via slower dial-up services rather than broadband.

Post
Overseas mail usually takes 10 to 14 days.

Post office hours
Mon-Fri, 0830-1700, and Sat, 0830-1300.

Clothing
As a general guideline, clothing should be lightweight, loose fitting, hard-wearing and easily washed. In Sri Lanka’s hot summer months, cotton clothing is much more comfortable than man-made materials like nylon. It doesn’t usually get that cold in Sri Lanka but during the winter you may need some warmer clothes for the Hill Country. Sri Lankans generally do not have particularly conservative attitudes towards dress compared to other countries in the region. Shorts are acceptable on both men and women in the main tourist areas.

Etiquette & Customs
In most cases your Tour Guide’s will brief you on etiquette; however there are a couple of good points which are worth noting. For most rural Sri Lankans food is eaten with the right hand (as the left is associated with washing after visiting the toilet). Therefore you should remember to use your right hand for giving, receiving, shaking hands or eating (if there is no cutlery). You should also note that public displays of affection (such as kissing and holding hands) are generally not acceptable even though you will see Sri Lankan men holding hands (this is a sign of friendship rather than sexuality). You should also avoid pointing the soles of your feet at anyone. This may seem unlikely to happen but you could inadvertently do this while laying down or sitting with your feet up.

Begging
You may encounter some beggars in Sri Lanka although this is not nearly as much of a phenomenon as in neighboring India. Ultimately donations are a traveler’s personal choice, however in line with initiatives and Government policy in many of our destinations, our recommendation is NOT to give money, pens, gifts or sweets as this encourages a begging mentality and is largely ineffectual. If you do want to help it is probably better to give to a recognized charity. If you choose not to give simply say no with a smile and keep walking. If you learn nothing else of the local language, learn ‘no thank you’!

Haggling
Haggling is also a way of life in Sri Lanka. In the shops there is no fixed price so the shop keeper will start with a high price which you are then expected to haggle down until you reach a fair price. Haggling should always be relaxed and can be a lot of fun – you will find most shop owners are very friendly and will probably invite you in for a cup of tea to break the ice before the haggling starts!

Food
Whether it’s a curry spread served in a private house or a succulent fish dish dressed to perfection in a restaurant, Sri Lankan cuisine is a true treat for the taste buds. Rice, spices and fruit are at the centre of most meals - expect a typical non-Westernised menu to feature staples such as mango lassi, Ceylon tea, curries and ‘roti’ flatbread. Prices are incredibly low outside the tourist hotspots, and it’s quite possible to eat like a king for less than £5 per day.
While Sri Lankan cookery is increasingly famous for its fine flavour combinations, most visitors will draw the line at being served curry at breakfast. Bigger hotels generally offer British-style spreads, but at smaller guesthouses you may need to ask for something a little milder. Expect a greater diversity of cuisine in large towns and cities such as Colombo and Negombo, where Chinese, Continental, Indian and Japanese menus are common.
In most Sri Lankan towns, you’ll find pavement stalls and corner shops selling street food specialities. No trip to the country is complete without a scrumptious snack bought from a street vendor but avoid unpeeled fruit and salads, which can trigger violent reactions in the uninitiated.

Specialties

• Hoppers (a cross between a muffin and a crumpet, served with a soft-baked egg on top).
• Curry (usually made with coconut milk, sliced onion, green chilli, aromatic spices such as cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and saffron and aromatic leaves).
• Stringhoppers (steamed circlets of rice flour, thinner than noodles).
• Jaggery (fudge made from the crystallised sap of the kitul palm).
• Durian (the rather smelly prickly fruit is considered a great delicacy).
• Lamprais (rice, curry and meatballs wrapped in a banana leaf and baked in the oven).
• Koola’ya (often served at Hindu temples, this is a leftover curry dish served in the form of blended balls).
• Roti (form of flatbread, often made with coconut, which accompanies most meals).

Drink
Fruit juices are widely available but should be treated with caution as they may not have been blended with water that is safe to drink. Tap water may be contaminated, particularly during the monsoon season. You should be able to trust fruit juices in main resort hotels, but those sold in smaller restaurants and roadside stands are best avoided. Bottled water and soft drinks are widely available. Grapes are among the few fruits that will not grow in Sri Lanka, so all wines are imported and are therefore relatively expensive and often of indifferent quality. Lion lager, the country's main brand of beer, is relatively expensive in Sri Lankan terms, but like almost everything else in Sri Lanka, is cheap by international standards. Imported beers and Guinness stout brewed under license are also available in bars and restaurants in the main tourist areas.

Regional drinks

• Tea (national drink and thought to be amongst the best in the world).
• Toddy (mildly alcoholic fermented drink that is tapped from palm trees - often illegally - and drunk across Sri Lanka).
• Arrack (fermented Toddy which comes in varying degrees of strength).

Tipping
Tipping is generally expected in Sri Lanka in all of the circumstances one might usually tip. In temples, you should leave money in donation boxes, particularly if you have been taken on a tour by a resident monk. Remember that a 10% service surcharge is usually added to food bills and accommodation bills in the larger establishments, so any further investment should represent reward for good service.

Here are some guidelines that you may find helpful:

Weather
Sri Lanka climate is tropical and consists of distinct wet and dry seasons. The Yala monsoon brings abundant rainfall to the country’s western and southern regions from May to September; the area experiences its dry season during December through March. Altogether, the southwest receives around 4000mm of rainfall each year. The Maha monsoon affects northern and eastern Sri Lanka weather and often lasts from October to January, with the dry season usually lasting from May to September. This region receives approximately 1000mm of precipitation annually, significantly less than the other half of the country. There is also an inter-monsoonal period in October and November during which rain and thunderstorms occur frequently across the island
Generally speaking, upland areas of Sri Lanka are cooler and more temperate, with a yearly average around 16-20ºC (60-68ºF), and coastal areas are warmer with average temperatures around 27ºC (80ºF). The March-June season experiences slightly higher temperatures (up to 33ºC / 92ºF), while the temperatures in November-January are a few degrees lower (around 24ºC / 75ºF at the coast). Sri Lanka weather along the shores is made more comfortable by cooling sea breezes. The surrounding sea remains rather constant at roughly 27ºC (80ºF) year-round. Humidity is typically rather high in Sri Lanka, averaging out at around 80% year-round.

Colombo, Sri Lanka: (approx)

HEALTH & MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS & GUIDELINES
As a general recommendation, it is advisable to check with your family doctor or travel clinic for latest health information.

TRAVEL INSURANCE
It is highly recommended that you purchase travel insurance. Your home country health plan may only provide limited coverage while traveling outside of the country. Indus Travels can offer you a complete travel insurance package. Some credit cards do offer travel insurance, however they do not always provide adequate coverage. Review and understand the terms of your credit card insurance policy. Extra travel insurance can be purchased. Most insurance companies do have exclusions in their coverage. Pre-existing medical conditions are not insurable.