Voted Lonely Planets must visit country for 2019, Sri Lanka is still a place that can still be discovered with a feel of freshness and unspoiled adventure.

Described as the Pearl of the Indian Ocean my trip to Sri Lanka was something I had talked about for years, after hearing the ravings of my Dad who visited purely to photograph the wildlife back in 2012. Although not 100% sure what to expect (as for the first time ever I had decided to book a tour rather than go solo) what I arrived to was beyond compare to anywhere else I have been. Verdant hills, outstanding flavourful foods, brimming with UNESCO site, and locals whose love for their country and kind hospitality was so heart-warming it made leaving extremely difficult. 

Getting there and around

Getting to Sri Lanka is a fairly easy task with major airlines such as Emirates and Qatar offering flights from the UK with 1 stop in either Dubai or Doha.  Sri Lanka’s main airport is Colombo but don’t be mistaken by this and assume you’ll be a short walk from Colombo city. By taxi or bus is takes around 45 minutes to get to the centre, however Colombo Airport is also near to Negambo (minutes) which as a location I preferred. If you do decide to use a taxi or even a Tuk Tuk, the method is similar to most of South Asia – get the price up front and haggle if you need to. Buses are fairly regular and pretty cheap, however be aware there are private buses that charge per seat so if there are a few of you together and they put your luggage on a chair, they will expect you to pay for that as well.

Exploring the island itself again is an easy feat with regular public buses (these are magical with LED lights, radio and sometimes even a tv!) venturing all over the island, and using Tuk Tuk’s to go shorter distances, through the “cities” (mainly large towns) the high streets are easily walkable and provide most of what you’d need with regards to a supermarket, bottle shop and a pharmacy. However a word of warning, if you are in a rural area such as Sigiriya most people will not walk after dark, this is purely due to coming across wild elephants. It was described to me as; “we don’t walk in the dark and try not to go outside after 10pm, to elephants we are footballs and if we spook them, we will just get squished” – a little gruesome but if it keeps them safe and you alive then hey it works.

Money

The local currency is Sri Lankan Rupee, although U.S Dollar are widely accepted you’ll generally only have to use them in tourist orientated areas. SLR are a closed currency meaning you’ll only be able to get the currency and change it in that country. I personally found it easier to take a pre-loaded credit card and with draw from ATM’s whilst there (I got mine from STA travel), however there are currency exchanges in the airport and the larger cities (keep an eye out for Thomas cook). ATM’s there are generally in closed glass squares, or have waiting points far back. Some also charge a withdrawal fee, this will be at its highest 400 rupees, which in the grand scheme of things isn’t horrendous but I can understand people are completely against any charges.  A quick note though if you plan to change your currency back and want to do this at the airport, there are no exchange desks after the first security point.

Weather

One of the things it’s hard to research is the heat. You can search all the weather channels you want but you won’t know what it’s like until you get there. December to March is typically a dry season for most of the South-West, whilst it’s during October to January that the North, East of the island experiences their rainy seasons. Temperatures in the South range from the high teen’s right through to 30 during this part of the year, but you can bet you’ll feel hotter than that. Humidity is high in quite a few places and if you want to visit Galle Fort I suggest waiting until mid-afternoon, as everything is open until between 4-5, with shops even later, and even the most heat adapted from our group were sweating buckets. On the flip side of this places higher up such as Nuwara Eliya even though warm during the day, can drop to as low as 9 or 10 degrees during the night so always pack a light jumper or cardigan.

Weather wise I was pretty lucky whilst visiting Sri Lanka and only experienced rain on the very last full day- but oh wow did it rain, we are talking full downpour, soaked to the bone in five minutes, so moral of that story, pack a light rain jacket too. 

Sunrise and sunset are the same each day, 6am and around 6:30pm, and although sunrise is stunning be prepared that if you’re going to take photos you’re more than likely going to experience low cloud or haze, it clears up by around 8am, but personally I think makes for a brilliant shot regardless.

Culture

Sri Lanka is an island that until 2009 was engulfed by civil war, and although it has left some marks, the culture of the island is in abundance with items crossing over from each group of people. Sri Lanka is made of a mixture of people and groups that all attribute to the culture of the island- 75% of the islands population is made up of Sinhalese people, they speak the Sinhalese language and are predominantly Buddhist with the remaining being Christian. You also then have the Tamils, who are a mixture of Sri Lankan Tamils and Indian Tamils, who as a group are mostly Hindu, with some also being Muslim and Christian.

Across the island there are many temples and churches. When entering temples you are required to cover your shoulders and knees. If it’s too hot to wear long clothing take a sarong and thin scarf with you just to cover up as and when you need. Some of the main Buddhist temples to offer Sarongs to borrow if you have forgotten yours. You also need to make sure you remove your shoes and socks, so taking a pair of flip flops or sandals for quick and easy removal.

When visiting temples with Buddha statues make sure to not take any photos with your back facing the Buddha i.e selfies, this is deemed highly offensive and although not illegal it will get you kicked out of the temple, and you won’t be looked upon favourably.

Sri Lankan people love their sports, and funnily enough although most of us know them for their cricket their national sport is volleyball, if you see people play a game ask to join in, for the most part they will happily welcome you and even give you some pointers on your moves.

Want to know more? Read part 2 here