Travel to Sri Lanka

Customs and traditions

The Sri Lankans are a wonderfully nice, kind-hearted and smiling people who receive tourists with warmth and big hospitable smiles. Although Sri Lankans are generally accustomed to many tourists, their shrines and customs are expected to be respected with humility and proper manners and dress. As in all places in Asia, certain golden rules apply in connection with visits to temples and mosques. You take off your shoes before entering a temple, a mosque or a private home. Also pay attention to keeping the soles of your feet facing away from shrines and other people when sitting down. It is rude to point at statues of gods and other people. Short shorts and t-shirts without arms are not suitable – this is especially true for women. If you are going to visit temples or other shrines, it is recommended (and sometimes it is mandatory) to cover both shoulders and knees so as not to clash with the local population. At some Muslim shrines, hair is to be covered and shawls handed out at the entrance. You always take off your shoes before visiting a temple. A pair of socks is good to bring to the very cold – or very hot – temple floors. However, there will be places where you have to be completely barefoot. As a traveler in Sri Lanka, you will inevitably come in contact with the country’s many poor people. Beggars occur in many places and it can be difficult to experience. Listen to the tour guide’s advice and never give money to the children. Visit handbagpicks for Travel Story From Sri Lanka.

Meals

Breakfast

The breakfast at the hotels is both local and western. A buffet is usually served which, in addition to local breakfast dishes (which can be quite spicy) consists of eggs, bread, butter, jam, juice, fresh fruit, coffee and tea.

Lunch / dinner

Food from Sri Lanka is known to contain many and often strong spices. “Curry” is the general description for the most common dinner dishes, which are often prepared vegetarian, or with meat from goat, lamb or chicken. The Sri Lankan curry is often characterized by being very strong. “Tandoori”, on the other hand, is slightly milder and characterizes food that is grilled in a clay oven after first lying in a marinade of yoghurt and spices. However, the hotel food will be adapted for tourists, ie not near as strong as the Sri Lankans themselves prefer it.

Climate and weather Sri Lanka

Here you can read more about the climate in Sri Lanka and see average temperatures for the country’s major cities.

Sri Lanka has a tropical, warm climate with seasonal ocean winds and high humidity. The average temperature varies from about 16 ºC in winter in the central highlands, where frost can also occur, to 33 ºC in the lowlands during the summer. The average annual temperature is between 28 ºC and 31 ºC. The warmest month is in May, at the beginning of the rainy season. The summer monsoon pulls in over the country from the Indian Ocean and a lot of rain falls in the southwest, before the mountains in the central highlands. There is then significantly less rain in the northeastern parts of the country. Between December and March, the monsoon pulls in from the northeast.

Tip

On our travels, you come into contact with everyday life and the country’s customs and usages. There may be certain conditions that you do not like or that you are not used to, such as tipping. In many countries, the system of tips is more organized than we Swedes are used to and there is an expectation that local guides and drivers will receive a certain amount of tips during the journey. We enter an amount in our travel program so that you can count on this when you make up your travel budget at home. The price of the trip does not include the cost of tips as you decide how much you want to give during the trip. The system of tips can be said to be part of the culture you visit and which you should therefore follow and respect. It can be tricky to know how much you are leaving to different people. In practice, it is possible to arrange for the tour guide to collect money for the entire trip and ensure that the right people get what they need. Expect about SEK 35-50 per travel participant per day. We would like to emphasize that it is of course voluntary to tip, even if it is common practice. Bars, cafes and nightclubs as well as restaurants in hotels sometimes add about 10-15% in service charge on the bill. In that case, this is stated in the bill. If there is a “service charge” on the bill, you do not need to tip anymore. In that case, this is stated in the bill. If there is a “service charge” on the bill, you do not need to tip anymore. In that case, this is stated in the bill. If there is a “service charge” on the bill, you do not need to tip anymore.