SRI LANKA

Sri Lanka officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in the northern Indian Ocean off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent in South Asia; known until 1972 as Ceylon Sri Lanka has maritime borders with India to the northwest and the Maldives to the southwest.

Sri Lanka has a documented history that spans over 3000 years. Its geographic location and deep harbors made it of great strategic importance from the time of the ancient Silk Road through to World War II. Sri Lanka is a diverse country, home to many religions, ethnicities and languages.

The capital, Sri Jayawardenapura-Kotte, is a suburb of the largest city, Colombo. An important producer of tea, coffee, gemstones, coconuts, rubber, and the native cinnamon, Sri Lanka is known as “the Pearl of the Indian Ocean” because of its natural beauty. Sri Lanka has also been called “the teardrop of India” because of its shape and location, and “the nation of smiling people”. The island contains tropical forests and diverse landscapes with high biodiversity.

Capital:Sri JayawardenepuraKotte

Best Time of Visit:

1) Ideally, the best time to visit Sri Lanka is either between December and March, if you’re headed for the highlands or the west and south coasts, or between May and September, if you’re visiting the east coast.
Min Days Required: 5 days

Places of Interest:

Climate:

  1. Sri Lanka is a typical example of a tropical zone, with a well-defined summer and winter, interspersed by two monsoons – the south-west monsoon (in May-August) and the north-east monsoon (in October-January).
  2. The climate is generally temperate, with temperatures rarely rising above 35 C. The central highlands have a much cooler climate with mean temperatures hovering at a comfortable 16 degrees Celsius.

Currency: Sri Lankan Rupee

Things to carry:

  1. Sri Lanka be is a tropical country, lightweight summer wear is the best form of clothing to bring along – but westerners should remember that there are certain dos and don’ts related to attire especially when it comes to women. Clothes – skirts, dresses, etc are safest long, and going topless or even scantily clad (no matter how hot it is) is definitely taboo, except perhaps on certain beaches.
  2. Although the weather’s generally hot, if you’re planning a trip up into the hills, carry along warm clothing – a thick sweater can be very welcome on chilly evenings. Remember, too, that Sri Lanka can get very wet during the monsoons – a raincoat or an umbrella is a must if you are likely to encounter rains.


How to get there:

Air:

  1. Sri Lankan Airlines is the national flagship carrier operating to and from Colombo-Bandaranayake International Airport
  2. Flights are available from cities throughout Europe, Southeast Asia, China, Japan, the Middle East, India, and Pakistan. Sri Lankan Air also flies to the nearby destinations such as Chennai, Trivandrum, Mumbai, Delhi, Cochin, Bangalore and the Maldives.
  3. Qatar Airways, Jet Airways, Emirates , Spice Jets all have flights to Sri Lanka