Sri Lanka, the figurative jewel of the South Pacific. A place that I was lucky enough to spend 3 weeks in with one of my best friends in 2017. In that time I surfed, walked amongst ancient monuments, spent more than a little bit of time at the beach, and ate my weight in Roti and Sambol. However, Sri Lanka, despite it’s continued growth in tourist levels in recent years remains mercifully underdeveloped and ‘rough-and ready’ in parts, and levels of English spoken vary wildly once you leave tourist hotspots. Therefore, read on for my guide on what to know before visiting.

Getting around

The best way to get around Sri Lanka is by combining local bus with local trains. Don’t listen to any blog telling you to hire a private driver – this is tantamount to avoiding the local culture, and will inoculate you to some of the more enjoyable experiences in the country. I would strongly, strongly encourage you to always take local buses and trains when in Sri Lanka. You genuinely don’t need to book ahead, and can usually turn up at the ticket office on the day of departure. Also, prices are very, very, very cheap.

Currency and Money

The currency is the Sri Lankan Rupee, which exchanges for about approximately 165-180 LKR: 1 USD. Sri Lanka is still generally a cash based economy, so your best bet is to rely upon cash, rather than contactless or card. Taking out money from an ATM seems to be a relatively new experience in Sri Lanka, however, major cities like Kandy and Colombo have a plethora of ATM’s. When in rural areas however, your options greatly reduce – so I’d recommend taking out enough money to cover you for several days at a time. The cost of things in Sri Lanka is generally quite a bit higher than in other parts of southeast Asia – however, still considerably cheaper than Australia.

RESPECT

Sri Lanka is primarily a Buddhist country in the south, with several Tamil communities in the north. Thus. It pays to be extremely respectful in the attire you commit to when packing. This means avoiding anything hugely revealing, and particularly means that you don’t wear anything that shows too much skin in temples, or off the beach. I would strongly, strongly encourage anyone here to follow the ‘grandmothers house’ rule of travel with this – these rules may not apply in your own country, but treat this like grandmother’s house – you might not like it, but you sure as hell don’t wanna offend her – so cover up.

CLIMATE

Sri Lanka has a few different climates, ranging from the cool, airy hills of Kandy, to the sweltering hot streets of Colombo. While you will be hot for the majority of your time here, I’d still recommend bringing several warm pieces of clothing. Also, given how close you are to the equator, expect rain – especially if travelling anywhere close to the wet season/monsoon. However, I’d recommend avoiding this altogether if you plan to head north – only the south is really feasible in the monsoon season.

WHEN TO VISIT

The best time to visit south Sri Lanka is widely considered to be December to February, falling directly in the ‘dry season.’ However, this is also peak tourist season, so if you visit then, expect large hordes of tourists, especially Russians. If you visit outside of December to February, I would recommend only visiting the south of the country, as many of the roads north are impassable in the heavy rains. However, the low levels of tourists will more than offset this. Also, be aware, the swell is generally considerably larger in the off-season, so be careful when in the water – some of the currents off the main tourist beaches around Mirissa and Hikkaduwa can be genuinely treacherous, so stick to the bays about Unwatuna and Dickwella.

Any questions about visiting Sri Lanka? You know what to do - ask away in the comments below!