Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka offers a different type of holiday to suit everyone.We have selected a few world-class hotels, resorts and tours to cater to your requirements.Whether you’re looking for sun kissed beaches accompanying five star spas, Savannahs, tailor made eco tours or ancient temples and culture, Sri Lanka has it all.

History and Culture

Sri Lanka (formerly known as Ceylon) was under European control for some 450 years.The arrival of the British in 1796 resulted in expelling the Dutch out of the country in 1815. The British, who managed to conquer the Kingdom of Kandy, became the first European power that ruled the entire island. Ceylon won independence from the United Kingdom in 1948 and changed its name to Sri Lanka in 1972.

Places of Interest

When you visit Sri Lanka you visit a destination filled with activities.The Cultural Triangle lies on Sri Lanka's dry central plains and houses some of its most celebrated attractions, including the lion rock of Mount Sigiriya and the ruined cities of Anaradhapura and Polonnuruwa.A tour in Ratnapura, Sri Lanka’s City of Gems may even give you the opportunity to buy a keepsake of this beautiful island as you head into the centre of its gemming industry.
Perhaps the most beautiful place in Sri Lanka is the hill capital of Kandy. It is the second capital after Colombo and sits 488 metres above sea level. Kandy is one of Sri Lanka’s most visited places - with the focal point of the town being the golden-roofed Dalada Maligawa, where the sacred tooth relic of the Buddha is enshrined.

Activities

Sri Lanka has an abundance of activities including white water rafting, scuba diving, mountain climbing, rainforest adventure with tree houses and many more. Some of the best beaches in the island are on the Southern and Western coast with sheltered bays and a warm and calm sea, which is ideal for swimming.
If you prefer getting closer to nature visit Yala National Park.This park is recognised as one of the best parks in the world to observe and photograph leopards. It covers an area of over 100,000 hectares and is divided into five blocks - the most visited being block one as this contains the highest density of leopards.

Climate

The mountainous inland of Sri Lanka has a consistently warm climate and it rarely gets chilly, even at night.The lowland areas near to the coast have much higher temperatures and humidity, which can make it clammy and muggy during the evenings. Rain happens at anytime of the year but is at its heaviest in the South West regions between April and June, and October and November.

Currency

Rupee

Language

Sinhala,Tamil and English

Visa To Sri Lanka

Visas are required to enter Sri Lanka. As of 1 January 2012, British nationals should obtain short stay visas to Sri Lanka through an online visa application process, the Electronic Travel Authority (ETA), and pay the appropriate processing fee. Further details can be obtained from the ETA official website of the Department of Immigration and Emigration. If you experience any difficulty in accessing the ETA System, you can obtain a visa in person from the Sri Lankan High Commission or by post prior to travel. Further details can also be found on the High Commission’s website.

Click here to enter ETA official website

Click here to read more about travel advisory updates