When to tour for Sri Lanka?

Sri Lanka is a year-round destination with an abundance of sunshine all year. The average temperature is around 27°C to“ 30°C in most parts of he island. The temperature gradually drops as the land rises towards the hill country, with some parts of the highland as low as below 
10 °C.
 
The island has two wet monsoon seasons: briefly between May and July in the south-west region and between December and January in the north-east. However, Sri Lanka has no off season, as clear blue skies and bright sunny days are the general rule even during the wet season.
 
Sri Lanka is 5 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time), 2 hours behind Singapore, and 4 hours behind Australia EST (Eastern Standard Time).

What to pack?

Sri Lanka is a tropical country, and cotton clothes are the most ideal to wear. Of course, bathing suits are a must if you are visiting the beaches. Sun tan lotion could be very handy, as it can be very hot sometimes.
 
If you are visiting cultural and religious sites, it is a must that you wear appropriate clothing. Gents are required to wear trousers to cover their knees or a sarong with a shirt or T-shirt. Ladies should ideally wear decent attire, such as a trouser or skirt to cover the knees and a blouse or T-shirt. It may not be advisable for ladies to wear a deep-necked or sleeveless top.

Organizing your trip
If you are interested in booking a Round Trip programe, the flight times is an important component when making the maximum use of your stay. Most travelers prefer to stay near airport in the first night (if they arrive in evenings). However most European and Middle East carriers arrive early morning to Sri Lanka which is ideal for most travelers to start the tour in the same day.

Currency/ Money Exchange
Foreign currency and Traveler's Cheques may be changed at any hotel, although commercial banks offer better rates. Converting Sri Lankan rupees back to a selected foreign denomination could be done at the airport bank which is open 24 hours of the day. Please retain your money changing receipts.

Currency notes are in 10s, 20s, 50s, 100s, 200s, 500s, 1000s,2000s ,5000s.

Credit Cards
Hotels and shops accept most international credit cards. No surcharge is required for their use. Cash advances may be acquired against credit cards at certain bank ATMs. Most widely accepted cards are American Express, Visa and Master Card.

It is advisable to enquire if your card type is accepted by the establishment before the use of any services.

Banks are generally open from 9.00am to 1.00pm from Monday to Friday. Some city banks close at 3.00pm, while others offer night banking facilities. Banks are closed on Saturdays, Sundays, all public holidays and special bank holidays on June 30th and December 31st. ATM are most found adjoining bank branches island-wide.

Shops
Most shops open at 10.00am and close at 6.00pm. Shops are usually closed on Sundays and Full moon (Poya) days. The full moon poya day has religious significance for Buddhists and alcohol is not served in hotels, bars and public recreational areas on this day.

Customs
You may be required to open your baggage for inspection. Refrain from carrying prohibited or restricted goods. Certain types of animal products, antiques and gold are not allowed to be taken out of the country.

Important Retain your shopping receipts, especially for gems.

Immigration
Embarkation forms are available at the airport check-in counter and need to be filled and handed over to the immigration desk prior to departure.

Water
Filtered, mineral and bottled drinking water is available at most retail shops. Avoid drinking water from the tap.

Electricity
220 Volts/50 Hz AC. Two and three pin plugs are used mostly.

Embassies/ Consulates
A list of embassies is given in the local telephone directory, which is provided in most hotel rooms. If not, one may be obtained at the hotel concierge's desk. Please contact us if further assistance is required.

Medical Facilities
If you need a doctor, please contact the hotel reception. The hotel will have a doctor within the hotel premises or nearby. Pharmacies can generally be found at the commercial centre of most towns.

Communication
International Direct Dialling (IDD) facilities are available at all city hotels, resorts, post offices and telecommunication centres. Postal services are provided at most hotels and at the local post office or authorised sub-post offices. Telegrams and faxes can be handed over to the hotel reception for transmission.

Tipping
It is customary to tip drivers, guides and hotel housekeeping/restaurant staff if the service is satisfactory. This is solely at your discretion. The average tip is 100 rupees for Housekeeping and 10% of your meal bill for restaurant staff.

Food & Drink Tips
Your hotel provides safe and high quality food and we, as a policy do not recommend restaurants outside the hotel. Always wash and peel fruit before consumption. Drink plenty of water during the day to avoid dehydration.

Custom Exports
On leaving the country you are allowed to export up to 10kg of tea duty free.

Purchase and export without license of any wild animal, bird or reptile, dead or alive . also the export of parts of animals, birds or reptiles, such as skins, horns, scales and feathers is prohibited. Occasional exports are, however, permitted exclusively for bona fide scientific purposes. It is prohibited to export of 450 plant species without special permits. The export of coral, shells or other protected marine products is also strictly prohibited.

Applications for special permission to export fauna should be made to the Director, Department of Wildlife Conservation.

Foreign currency regulations
Visitors to Sri Lanka bringing in more than US$10,000 should declare the amount to the Customs on arrival. All unspent rupees converted from foreign currencies can be re-converted to the original currency on departure as long as encasement receipts can be produced.

Banks
Banks are open from 0900 hours to 1300 hours Monday to Friday. Some city banks close at 1500 hours, while some are open on Saturday mornings. easy to withdraw money across the island at ATM using international credit cards or debit cards.

Time difference
Sri Lanka Standard Time is five and a half hours ahead of GMT. (Allowance should be made for summer-time changes in Europe.)

Language
Sri Lanka has two official languages . Sinhala and Tamil with English as a link language. Most people have some knowledge of English, and signboards are often in English.

Photography: Restrictions & Permits
Sri Lanka is a tremendously photogenic island, so it hardly surprising that most tourists bring a camera of some kind when they visit the country. The stunning landscapes, the captivating fauna and lush flora, and the stupendous archaeological remains provide great opportunities: a bonus is that Sri Lankans love to be captured on film. So it’s easy to capture the traditional rural lifestyle. You find villagers, farmers, fishermen and tea pluckers will readily stand in front of your viewfinder. Your subjects will often ask to have a copy of picture sent to them. This may be laborious, but it is a reasonable courtesy as many may never have seen a picture of themselves. It is also understandable that many will also expect a token recompense for allowing themselves to be photographed.

Restrictions
There are some important restrictions that apply to photography regarding Buddhist imagery. When you visit a temple or other religious site, remember that photography should not be carried out in a manner causing disrespect. For instance, it is strictly forbidden to be photographed in front of or beside any statues and murals. Note that flash photography can damage old murals.

Getting there
Usually all visitors to Sri Lanka travel by air; flights arrive at the Bandaranaike International Airport, 35 km north of Colombo, and 6 km of Negombo.

Mobile phones have been made so affordable in Sri Lanka that almost everybody has one, and coverage has extended beyond the major cities. There are four main network operators on the island; Dialog GSM , Mobitel, Etisalat, Airtel and Hutch. If you rather not use your own mobile phone on roaming but still want to be connectable, the cheapest alternative is to get a mobile phone connection with one of these major companies. All these phone companies have a pay-as-you-go plan where you can buy a local SIM card for around Rs.300 (that will work in GSM phones from Europe, the Middle East and Australasia) and keep adding money to the connection as you require it. You will find recharge cards at any corner store throughout the island.