Sri Lanka offers an enormous variety of quintessential Asian experiences. It boasts of glorious landscapes, lovely beaches, cool rolling hills, mountains and huge tracts of rainforest - excellent for spotting wildlife.
The island is dotted with ruins from ancient Buddhist empires, gigantic Buddha figures, and white-painted domed shrines ranging from just a few metres tall to immense, imposing structures.
Discover Sri Lanka boutique hotels, Sri Lanka luxury hotels and explore the land of serendip through pre-planned itineraries shown under the explore collection with Boutique Luxury Escapes.
Viewpoint:
Sri Lanka is a very diverse small island, which reduces travel time between destinations and increases leisure time. The roads and highway system in Sri Lanka is very comprehensive and large arteries cover most areas of the country.
Getting there: International Airport.
Colombo, Bandarnaike International Airport, city centre - 30 km
Domestic travel
Air Taxi, Sri Lankan Air Taxi has made any part of the island accessible within an hour. There are a number of waterways, lakes and domestic airstrips in Sri Lanka located in close proximity to tourist attractions and an Air Taxi service utilises these resources and reduces travel time between destinations, giving tourists more time to explore the beauty of Sri Lanka. Currently it flies to 14 destinations from Colombo to Kandy, Bentota, Nuwara Eliya, Hingurakgoda, Galle (Koggala), Weerawila, Ampara, Katunayake, Ratmalana, Trincomalee, Sigiriya, Dikwella, Katukurunda, and Anuradhapura.
Dialling Code:
+94
Time Zone:
Sri Lanka is six hours ahead of GMT. There is no daylight saving time.
Currency:
Sri Lanka follows decimal currency system in Rupees (Rs.) and cents (Cts.) with 100 cents equal to a rupee. Currency notes are available in the denominations of Rs. 2,10,20,50,100,200, 500 and 1000. Coins are issued in values of Cts.1,2,5,10, 25 and 50 and Rs.1,2,5 and 10. The intervention currency continuously will be the US Dollar.
Credit and Debit Cards:
MasterCard and Visa are accepted in the major cities and towns. American Express is by major hotels and restaurants. Diners Card is sparsely accepted.
Electricity:
220 to 240 volts AC
Worth Seeing: Sri Lanka has so much to offer, but we have listed our favourite places that are worth visiting.
Adam’s Peak. It is believed that Lord Buddha during his third visit to Sri Lanka placed his footprint on the summit of this sacred mountain. It is 7,360 feet in height and is the forth highest mountain in the country and has several approaches, the main ones being through the Hatton town and Ratnapura District. Annually, from December to April, devotees climb the mountain to pay obeisance.
Anuradhapura:, Sri Lanka’s first capital is one of Sri Lanka’s premier ancient cities.
Attractions include the sacred Bo Tree, temples, Brazen Place, Samadhi Buddha, Kuttam Pokuna, an Mihintale (12 kilometres from Anuradhapura) - a rock dotted with shrines and dwellings - a grand stairway of 1,840 steps made of granite slabs that leads to a summit with a splendid view of the countryside. Distance from Colombo 206 km.
Buduruwagala Rock Sculptures, located 5 km south of Wellawaya. Stone images of Buddha dating back to 10th century AD, of the Mahayana Buddhist school.
Colombo, a fascinating city, not only for its comfortable blend of East and West, but also for its cosy mixture of past and present.
Dambulla, Just like Sigiriya, Dambulla is a vast isolated rock mass, which houses a rock temple (formerly caves). Some of its frescoes are over 2,000 years old, and there is a colossal figure of the recumbent Buddha caved out of the rock, some 14 metres long.
Galle, In this costal town, the Dutch presence is still visible. It is famous for its lovely Unawatuna Bay, the old Dutch Star fort (a World Heritages Site) covering 36 hectares, the well-preserved Groote Kerk (Dutch Church), Dutch Government House, the Amangallel Hotel (built in 1684) old bell tower and a tide-based Sewage-System, also introduced by the Dutch. In Gale they still make the Dutch ‘pillo-lace’ and do fine ebony-carving and gem-polishing.
Hambantota, is best-known for its beautiful Crescent-shaped bay and its slat pans, a very ancient industry, that is still thriving. The slat pans line the main road for over 16km.
Kandy, Sri Lanka’s hill capital is, perhaps, its most beautiful town. It is 488 metres above sea level. The focal point of the town is the golden-roofed Dalada Maligawa, where the sacred tooth relic of the Buddha is enshrined. The highlight of the year is the Esala (Kandy) Perahera, when a replica of the relic casket is taken in procession, accompanied by exotically costumed dancers, drummers and some 100 elephants, on ten glittering nights in July/August. There are numerous shrines and temples in and around Kandy, where you will see rare paintings, frescoes, and stone carvings. Don’t miss the Paradeniya Gardens.
Negombo, a fascinating and picturesque beachfront with several buildings dating back to the Dutch and Portuguese Colonial days. 37 km from Colombo.
Nuwara Eliya, heart of Sri Lanka’s tea country and hill station.
Matara, 160 km from Colombo, has two excellent Dutch forts.
Polonnaruwa,The island’s medieval capital. Attractions include the remains of the King’s council chamber, the Royal Citadel, the Kumara Pokuna, the Royal Pavilion, the Vatadage Relic House (which is lavished with moonstones, guard stones, and a sculptured railing), Kiri Vehera, and Gal Vihare.
Ratnapura, city of gems. Visit gem mines, gem collections and private museums.
Sigiriya rock fortress, a royal citadel for more than 18 years with famous frescoes. The summit of the rock, with an area of nearly one hectare, was the site of the old palace and the outer wall was built on the very brink of the precipice. The UNESCO-sponsored Central Cultural Fund has restored Sigiriya’s 5th century Water Gardens to its former glory.
Sinharaja Forest Reserve, a biodiversity hotspot, with its own unique eco-system consisting of protected birds, flora and fauna.
Wewurukannala Vihara,Dikwella, 15 miles east of Matara. The Wewurukannala Vihara temple is dominated by an image of a seated Buddha. It is 160 ft high, the largest statue in all of Sri Lanka and dates back to the time of King Rajadhi (1782 - 1798).
Best time to go: November to April for the south and west coasts; January to April for the hills; May to September for the east coast.
Eat and drink:
The food is very cheap generally in Sri Lanka, with a decent meal costing less then ten dollars. The staple food of Sri Lankans’ is rice and curry - a massive mound of rice surrounded by various curries and delicacies. Bottled water is recommended to be used whenever possible.
Respect:
There are several customs that, (for Westerners) take a bit of getting used to.
It is customary to remove shoes and wear respectful attire (i.e. no miniskirts, shorts etc.) when visiting temples. It is also the custom to remove shoes before entering a home, though this is not as strictly followed as in places such as Japan.
Never touch or pat the top of the head of a Buddhist monk.
Do not turn your back to (or be alongside) a Buddha statue when within a reasonable distance (observe what others are doing). This includes posing for photos. It’s OK to photograph the statues, but all persons should be facing them.
Public nudity (including females being topless) is not only unacceptable but also illegal in Sri Lanka - though a few German-owned hotels may make an exception in designated areas.
Although much latitude is given to tourists, it is more polite to use your right hand when shaking hands, handing money and small objects, etc.
Be respectful to monks.
Visa Requirements:
For nationals of most countries, visas are issued on arrival for 30 days. Extension of tourist visas is handled by the Department of Immigration and Emigration (Tel: 597511).
Countries Exempt from Visas are: Albania, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong (China), Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy , Japan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Yugoslavia.
Best time to go: November to April for the south and west coasts; January to April for the hills; May to September for the east coast.