If you want to have a once-in-a-lifetime vacation experience, Sri Lanka may be the best choice for you, especially if you prefer visiting distant places, and discover a lot of new things you didn’t know before. This country offers beautiful and exotic places, no matter what type of vacation you want – parties all day and all night, or having a nice and calm time with your partner or close friends. But, is there anything you need to know before traveling there? Do you need special documents, or a visa to enter the country? You can click here to inform yourself about what you need to go to Sri Lanka and check if your country has a visa regime with it.
Your personal and travel documents are the first thing you need to have with you when you go to another country. Check the validity of your passport, book the flight, and of course, the accommodation there, and also if you have your payment cards with you because you don’t want to get lost in some foreign country where you don’t know anyone.
But, once you arrive in Sri Lanka, you will see great and highly developed cities, but also some pieces of their beautiful nature, you will catch the sunny days, live together with the locals, and be a part of their culture and tradition. Also, there are just a few things you should be careful about, and you will have a great vacation there. These are just a few of them:
1. It’s more affordable compared to the popular destinations
Sri Lanka offers beautiful sandy beaches, bars, great restaurants, and everything there is exactly what you need, so you can have the time of your life. If you compare it to some similar-looking destinations, you will realize that it’s more affordable than Thailand or Maldives for example, but it still offers breathtaking landscapes and crystal clear sea.
2. People there are very friendly, but…
Locals enjoy that new tourists come every year. They are very generous and polite, but at the same time, you need to be careful and try not to fall for street scammers, especially those who are getting physically very close to you or even touch you, no matter how friendly approach they have. Also, it’s always better to take your suitcase by yourself, and not let anyone take photos with your camera. There are really nice and kind locals, who will do everything to make your stay there more comfortable, but scammers are present in almost every commercial destination, and you must be careful with them.
3. Don’t mention politics when you talk to some of the locals
Sri Lanka had a difficult past when it comes to war and politics. That was one of the reasons that stopped the country from developing fast enough, so there are still parts of it that should be developed. Locals absolutely want to talk about their job, the kids, and everyday problems, but politics is still a topic that is better to be avoided when it comes to conversation.
4. All the places around are easy to reach
Sri Lanka is not just a beautiful coastline and sandy beaches. You can also travel around the country by train or bus, and reach some of the popular natural beauties, tea fields, and breathtaking views. You can always find a way to travel around, but we recommend you to use the train because the railway passes through really beautiful spots everyone should see them at least once in a lifetime.
5. Exchange the money for their local currency
People there are using rupees, even though they are not the main currency there. Also, Sri Lanka rupees are different than Indian and Pakistani, and you will need to exchange them at the border. It’s better to use American dollars and get the rupees when you get inside the country, because of the exchange offices odder better rates. Don’t give your money to street strangers who say they want to give you a better rate – they are again, probably the same street scammers we already talked about.
6. Don’t forget to try tea
You’ve maybe heard about Ceylon tea and cinnamon. Do you know that the previous name of Sri Lanka was Ceylon? Once you arrive there, you are in the center of the most beautiful tea in the world. People there still refer to most of their home products as Ceylon, and while you are there, you can enjoy the authentic taste of their traditional tea.
7. Local food is very delicious
If you want to try special and exotic recipes and combine unusual ingredients, local cuisine is what you need. You will rarely find pizza and burgers there, so be ready to try new things, especially if you are a fan of fish and seafood. Also, be aware that most of the population is Hindu, and you won’t find beef there, and it’s even better not to ask or order anything that contains this ingredient.
8. It develops very fast
As we already said, this country has a painful past because of the civil war that ended not so long ago. Tourists still find it as a risk to travel there, but the truth is that right at this moment, there is no risk for them to choose it as their next vacation destination. Since the country is developing and getting better as time goes by, it will become more expensive, and less affordable than it’s right now – so you need to travel there the sooner you can.
Just like every popular destination, Sri Lanka was also affected by the current pandemic, and the situation with tourism is very bad right now. But, there is always hope that things will be better soon, and we will be able to travel again, and plan our next summer vacation, starting from now. This country is worth visiting, and you need to put it on your planning map right now.
