Sri Lanka

Sinhala and Tamil are the official languages, and English is widely used in tourism, business, and on road signs, especially in Colombo and other visitor hubs. Sinhala and Tamil use their own scripts, but signage in tourist areas is usually bilingual with English, so navigation is manageable without reading either script.

Prepaid SIM cards and eSIMs from Dialog, Mobitel, or Hutch are easy to buy at the airport or in any town, and coverage is strong across the island, including most hill country and coastal areas. Registering a SIM requires showing a passport, so keep it on hand when buying one.

Tap water is not recommended for drinking; stick to bottled or filtered water, including for brushing teeth if you want to be cautious. Pharmacies are widespread in cities and larger towns and can handle most routine needs. Dengue fever is present year-round, so use mosquito repellent, especially at dawn and dusk. Routine vaccinations should be up to date, and typhoid and hepatitis A vaccines are commonly recommended before travel; check with a travel clinic. Private hospitals in Colombo and other major cities offer a good standard of care for tourists.

Most visitors need an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) before arrival, applied for online in advance. A small number of nationalities can enter visa-free for short stays, and some others can obtain a visa on arrival, but the ETA is the standard route for most travelers. Apply only through the official government ETA website to avoid third-party markup sites.

Visa and entry requirements change frequently. Verify current requirements with the official immigration authority or your country's embassy before travel.

Cover shoulders and knees when visiting temples, and remove shoes and hats before entering. Do not pose for photos touching a Buddha statue or turning your back to one. Sri Lanka treats this as a serious offense, and it has led to fines and deportations. Use your right hand for eating, giving, and receiving items; the left hand is considered unclean for these purposes. Avoid pointing your feet at people, religious statues, or images of the Buddha. A common greeting is placing your palms together and saying "Ayubowan."

Sri Lanka observes a Poya (full moon) holiday every month, a distinctly Sri Lankan practice tied to the Buddhist calendar. On Poya days, alcohol sales stop nationwide and many shops, restaurants, and attractions close early or reduce hours, so it is worth checking the date before planning a trip around alcohol-serving restaurants or nightlife. Vesak, the Poya marking the Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and death, is the most significant and is marked island-wide with lanterns and decorations. Outside of Poya days, shops in cities generally keep long hours, while smaller towns wind down earlier in the evening.

• By train: The hill country line between Kandy and Ella is one of the most scenic rail journeys in Asia, passing tea plantations and mountain viewpoints. Reserve seats in advance through the official rail booking site, since popular routes sell out early. Sri Lanka Railways seat reservation
• By tuk-tuk and ride-hailing: Tuk-tuks are the default way to get around towns for short trips; the PickMe app is the dominant local ride-hailing option and avoids price haggling.
• By intercity bus: A cheap and extensive network reaches almost every town, though buses can be crowded and journeys slower than driving.
• By domestic flight or seaplane: Limited to a handful of routes, mainly seaplane transfers to the hill country or east coast; rarely necessary for a standard itinerary.
• By hired driver: Many visitors hire a driver for multi-day trips between regions rather than self-driving, given the traffic and unfamiliar road conditions.

Rice and curry is the everyday meal, typically a mound of rice with several small curries, sambols, and pickles served together, eaten with the right hand or a spoon. Breakfast often features hoppers, bowl-shaped pancakes made from fermented rice batter and coconut milk, sometimes with an egg cracked into the center, or string hoppers, steamed noodle nests eaten with curry and coconut sambol. Kottu roti, shredded flatbread stir-fried with vegetables, egg, and meat or seafood on a hot griddle, is a popular street food and casual dinner.

Ceylon tea, grown in the central highlands, is the national drink and served strong and sweet. Arrack, a spirit distilled from coconut flower sap, is the local alcoholic drink of choice, often mixed with ginger beer or cola. For dessert, curd and treacle, buffalo-milk yogurt drizzled with palm treacle, and watalappan, a spiced coconut custard, are widely available.

Colombo is the commercial capital and the usual arrival point, with colonial architecture, markets, and a growing food and bar scene.

Cultural Triangle: The ancient heartland holds most of Sri Lanka's UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Anuradhapura was the island's first great capital, with sprawling ruins of monasteries and dagobas. Polonnaruwa succeeded it as a later medieval capital. Sigiriya is home to the rock fortress, and Dambulla to its cave temple complex. Kandy, the last royal capital, holds the Temple of the Tooth and a lake-ringed old town.

Hill country: Nuwara Eliya is a cool-climate former British hill station surrounded by tea estates. Ella is a small, laid-back town popular for hiking and the train ride through the surrounding hills.

Coast: Galle is a walled colonial-era fort town on the south coast, now full of boutique shops and cafes. Negombo is a beach and fishing town close to the international airport, popular for a first or last night.

North and east: Jaffna is the cultural center of Sri Lanka's Tamil community, with its own distinct cuisine and Hindu temples. Trincomalee on the east coast has some of the island's best natural harbors and beaches.