Sri Lanka travel advice
Culture tips
John Beswetherick, Managing Director of our supplier Tikalanka (UK) Limited:
Culture tips
“Everyone knows about the Esala Perahera Festival in Kandy, but the Navam Perahera in Colombo at the full moon in February is not so touristy. The other one is the big Hindu Kataragama Festival in July and August, near the Yala National Park, which is a great experience.”
Trip planning tips
Ishara De Silva Managing Director of our supplier Srimal Plantation and Ayurveda Hotel:
"Do try and move beyond the tourist strip because everything here, from the shops to the people are all simply tailoring to that market and that is not real Sri Lanka. In the tourist strip people can get very opportunistic, and I want tourists to know that not all Sri Lankan people are like that at all."
Tips on tips
John Beswetherick, Managing Director of our supplier Tikalanka (UK) Limited :
Tips on tips
"Westerners seem to have a real issue about tipping. Sri Lanka is a tipping culture, and it’s naïve of westerners to go out there and get indignant about being asked for money all the time. You just have to accept it, and be pleasant about it if you don’t want to give a tip, or use a service. 99% of the time the person will then go away, so I don’t understand why westerners get so uptight and aggressive about it. Yes, a lot of them are trying to get an extra buck from tourists, but some of them are also on the breadline. So, I just like to educate people that this is the way of life, so just be relaxed about it."
Beach tips
Liddy Pleasants is Managing Director at our supplier Stubborn Mule Travel:
Beach tips
"If you are going to Sri Lanka for a cultural holiday but want to have a few days at the beach at the end, choose your beach carefully. On the southwest coast a lot of the beaches look idyllic in the pictures, but are actually crammed full of charter beach trippers, and completely in contrast with the rest of your time in Sri Lanka."
Wildlife tips
Ishara De Silva Managing Director of our supplier Srimal Plantation and Ayurveda Hotel:
Wildlife tips
“Some safari guides think they will get a bigger tip if they take you really close to the animals. There is no control over this, and animals get disturbed and distraught and sometimes chase the jeeps. If a tourist vehicle gets damaged by an elephant, that elephant will get shot. So, given the lack of regulation around it, it would be good if the tourists tell the driver that they do not want to go too close to the animals, and to drive with respect for the animals.“
Food tips
John Beswetherick, Managing Director of our supplier Tikalanka (UK) Limited:
Food tips
“People don’t appreciate that when they have rice and curry in Sri Lanka, it isn’t like going to an Indian restaurant back home, with one big portion of pasanda or something. A traditional Sri Lankan curry is like six different curries, with a sambal or chutney, rice and bread. The choice of curries is myriad. Wherever you are there will be local differences, depending on the vegetables, meat or fish they are using. It’s a stunning place to do a cookery course in fact, because of the amazing variety”.
Activity tips
Patricia Weismantel Product Manager at our supplier Spice Roads:
Activity tips
Sri Lanka is a perfect place to cycle as there are all these dirt roads that go past all the water basins that were created hundreds of years ago, and we cycle along the roads going through tea plantations which are beautiful. On cycle tours we make a big issue about drinking lots as you can get really dehydrated in Sri Lanka and our tours are supported so the cyclists don’t have to carry their own water, but just stock up from our vehicle.
Health & safety in Sri Lanka
HEALTH
SAFETY
Sri Lanka tips from our travellers
At Responsible Travel, we think the best people to advise our travellers are often... other travellers. They always return from our tours with packing tips, weather reports, ideas about what to do - and opinions about what not to.
We have selected some of the most useful Sri Lanka travel tips that our guests have provided over the years to help you make the very most of your holiday - and the space inside your suitcase.
We have selected some of the most useful Sri Lanka travel tips that our guests have provided over the years to help you make the very most of your holiday - and the space inside your suitcase.
Eat local food, it's amazing and the western dishes offered are disappointing![]()
- Kelly Geoghegan
"Read up about the country before your visit and try to understand something about their religion. We were amazed by the temples but felt very ignorant and therefore discourteous because we knew so little about what they believed." - Ian Womersley
"If you have any problems during the stay, i.e. health wise, report those to the hotel you are staying. Don't try to manage on your own." - Heli Aru
"The driving is terrible, so be prepared to be quite shaken after even an hour or two on busy roads." - Ruth and Dave Dawson
"Take protection from the heat. Make sure you cover up your shoulders as a woman in the temples to avoid any stares or the wrath of the locals. Always take the time to say hello to those helping you as they are very friendly people and try to tip well in local restaurants. You should not be too worried about crime, but remember to be firm to those who are trying to sell you trinkets if you do not want them to. Once you have made it clear, they will leave you alone unlike other countries." - Alastair Francis
"If you have any problems during the stay, i.e. health wise, report those to the hotel you are staying. Don't try to manage on your own." - Heli Aru
"The driving is terrible, so be prepared to be quite shaken after even an hour or two on busy roads." - Ruth and Dave Dawson
"Take protection from the heat. Make sure you cover up your shoulders as a woman in the temples to avoid any stares or the wrath of the locals. Always take the time to say hello to those helping you as they are very friendly people and try to tip well in local restaurants. You should not be too worried about crime, but remember to be firm to those who are trying to sell you trinkets if you do not want them to. Once you have made it clear, they will leave you alone unlike other countries." - Alastair Francis
Read up about the country before your visit and try to understand something about their religion![]()
- Ian Womersley
"Having travelled extensively in Asia I would rate Sri Lanka as the safest and easiest SE Asian country to travel in...Eat local food, it's amazing and the western dishes offered are disappointing." - Kelly Geoghegan
"Journeys by road are interesting but distances can be long, be prepared for this." - Alex Buck
"Don't overdo sight seeing in the heat (we saw 3 temples in one day and then I got sunstroke)." - Kate Mills
"First and foremost - LISTEN to the guide! He has so much local knowledge; he saved us money, time and hassle and his advice was worth its weight in gold! Take plenty of insect repellent. Don't feel obliged to buy goods, but tip well for good service." - John Dodson
"Journeys by road are interesting but distances can be long, be prepared for this." - Alex Buck
"Don't overdo sight seeing in the heat (we saw 3 temples in one day and then I got sunstroke)." - Kate Mills
"First and foremost - LISTEN to the guide! He has so much local knowledge; he saved us money, time and hassle and his advice was worth its weight in gold! Take plenty of insect repellent. Don't feel obliged to buy goods, but tip well for good service." - John Dodson
More about Sri Lanka
The best time to visit Sri Lanka is between November and April in the south-west and February to September in the north-east.
Whether you are travelling by train, wildlife watching in rainforests, or just blissing out at the beach, Sri Lanka has something for everyone. And as for the food – that just ticks everyone’s boxes.
The most glimmering Sri Lanka highlights are the ancient archaeological and sacred wonders of the Golden Triangle. But this teardrop island has so many other glittering gems too.
You can’t really go to Sri Lanka and not touch one of the points on the Golden Triangle. But with beaches, wildlife and Ayurvedic spas, there are endless activities.
White sands, swaying palms and all year round heat in the high 20s makes Sri Lanka beach bliss. There are, in fact, 1,600km of beaches here.
As if Sri Lanka didn’t ooze magic from every pore already, blue whales are jumping out of the ocean to upstage the other natural wonders for a few weeks between February and mid March.
Buddhism is often at the heart of cultural holidays in Sri Lanka, whether you are visiting the ancient sites, a contemporary temple or just just meeting local people.
From the Sri Lanka blue magpie to the Sri Lanka leopard, the great Asian elephant to the ginormous blue whale, Sri Lanka has stupendous wildlife.
Sri Lanka is a culinary paradise, where fresh local ingredients, sizzling spices and recipes bequeathed by a history of colonisation create a diverse and delicious culinary scene.
Sri Lanka translates as ‘resplendent island’ in Sanskrit and after years of conflict both north and south are now united and gloriously resplendent.
Read about tea plantations in Sri Lanka, including which hill towns to visit, why you should give tea picking a miss, and what else there is to do in marvellous, misty Hill Country.
Not for those with vertigo, Sigiriya is a 200m-tall rock fortress that sprouts out of the plains of northeast Sri Lanka.
Yala National Park steals the show on many a Sri Lanka holiday.
Yala National Park is the key destination that big cat safaris in Sri Lanka focus on, as it's home to a higher concentration of leopards per square kilometre than anywhere else on the planet.
If you want a trip to the tropics that combines culture, history, nature and incredible Indian Ocean vistas then look no further – Sri Lanka and the Maldives are your perfect twosome.
Travelling in Sri Lanka with kids is not only a journey through ancient culture, wildlife central and beach bliss, it is also a wonderful island of wonderfully welcoming families.
There are many issues to take into account, sadly, when it comes to responsible tourism in Sri Lanka, and we encourage you to read on for more details.
Find all of our Sri Lanka guides in one place, for particular types of holiday we offer such as culture, cycling, wildlife or more. Choose from all our Sri Lanka guides
