One Week Travel Guide to Sri Lanka

Read below for all the things you can do in Sri Lanka in one week:

WHAT YOU’LL NEED :

1. Passport, Visa and Travel Insurance.
2. Sri Lankan Rupees. (Currency of Sri Lanka).
3. Sinhalese is the main language, Tamil and English.

BEST TIME TO VISIT :

1. Sri Lanka is quite near to the equator and that’s why the temperatures are generally constant throughout the year.
2. Summers are quite hot & humid where as winters are a little cooler. However, it’s not chilly especially near the coastal towns during the winters.
3. In the Sri Lankan hills the weather is quite opposite to that of the beaches. It’s chilly in the winters and soothing during summers.
4. Therefore, the best time to visit the coast & the hills is between October – March when the weather is soothing almost in all the parts of Sri Lanka.
5. However it’s important to note that the weather patterns in this country changes year after year due to increasing effect of Global Warming.

MUST TRY FOOD :

Sea food is definitely something that one must try when in this country especially near the coastal towns. Apart from that the staple diet of the locals is Rice & curries. There are variety of curries one can taste in this country and their staple diet is pretty similar to the Indian Palate.

PLACES TO VISIT & NO. OF DAYS TO STAY (excl travel time between cities) :

1. Colombo (The capital ) (2 days – 1 nights).
2. Kandy ( 1 entire day ).
3. Nuwara Eliya ( 2 days – 1 nights).
4. Bentota ( 2 days – 1 night).

P.S: Also, all these cities are only few hours away from each other by Road.

TIPPING:

Tipping is prevalent almost everywhere in this country. However, the tip given depends on the service received. In other words, if service is good then you can pay tips and if it’s bad then it’s not mandatory to tip. It completely depends on the service and quality.

However out of courtesy a 5-10% of amount is generally paid to taxis, tuk tuks, waiters, hotels, or other service providers etc. This percentage can however be altered.

EXPERIENCES YOU MUST TRY :

1. Scuba Diving & Snorkeling in the Indian Ocean.
2. Spending time watching the Elephants in the orphanage.
3. Travelling from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya by railways.
4. Exploring the delicious cuisine of Sri Lanka.

BASIC SINHALESE :

PHRASES :

• Ou = Yes.
• Nehe = No.
• stuti = Thank you.
• hari = Okay.

NUMBERS :

• 1 – ekka
• 2 – dekka
• 3 – thunna
• 4 – hathara.
• 5 – paha.
• 6 – haya.
• 7 – hatha.
• 8 – atta.
• 9 – nawaya.
• 10 – dahaya.

TRAVELLING AROUND SRI LANKA :

Travelling around Sri Lanka can be done by buses, tuk tuks, taxis and local trains. As I have mentioned before, Kandy to Nuwara Eliya train journey is one of the picturesque routes in the world.

Make sure to negotiate with the taxi and tuk- tuk drivers on the fares before getting into their vehicle. Also, buses connect big cities to small villages. Trains & buses are the cheapest mode of transport in Sri Lanka and is also connected to all the metro cities.

If you know anyone who is planning to visit Sri Lanka anytime soon or anytime in future, then do share this guide with them. Otherwise, you’ll can also share it if you simply loved the compilation. 😀

ALSO READ:

• 5 places to visit in Colombo
• Kandy
• Nuwara Eliya: The coolest town
• Making a splash at bentota