Yes you need a visa and the same can be obtained before entering the country via - etaslvisa. A pre arrival visa will cost you USD 50. Visa on arrival is also available for all nationalities except for specific countries at a cost of USD 60. For further information regarding the existing visa process in Sri Lanka please read our blog on it.- All you need to know about the Sri Lankan Visa

The country is accessible right around the calendar year since the land is very diverse and the geography changes every 100 kms. The only time that you need to keep in mind is when getting yourself based for a beach stay. The west and south beaches are best to enjoy from November to April while the east beaches are accessible from February to October. So, when you really look at it, the country doesn’t have a best time to travel to. The more popular months however in general would-be December to March moving into July and August. So, if you want to avoid the crowds, knowing these months comes in handy.

Transportation within the country is quite diverse so it can be a bit tricky. The cheapest forms of transport would be the railway and local bus schedules. For train ticket reservations you can use - Train Ticket Reservation search while for the bus schedules its always best to physically check with each bus stand. In general travel times are long inside the country. If you ( + or – ) couple of minutes or hours in some instances, to the google maps indication travel times between locations you should be fine. You also have the option of self-driving inside the country. The trendiest and most adventurous way for this would be to rent a self-drive tuk tuk from - Tuk Tuk Rental . If none of these options help you do not worry, at Soulful we have a pool of qualified and skilled set of drivers who you can hire along with their vehicles to enjoy a private trip around the country. All you need to do is get in touch with us and we will get it arranged for you. Nothing better than having someone safe navigate you amongst the organized chaos on the roads.

The currency used in the country is the Sri Lankan Rupee. It would be much easier if you can exchange your foreign currency at the airport counters when you arrive since there aren’t many exchange points once within the country apart from the centers in Colombo. Unlicensed money changers are a common sight on the streets of major cities. While these often seem to offer much better exchange rates than banks they’re best avoided unless you want to be scammed. The island has many ATM’s spread across the country. ATM operators in Sri Lanka charge a fee for every transaction. This is usually between Rs200 - 300. Sri Lankan ATMs also have a daily transaction limit. The daily limit is usually between Rs 80,000 – Rs 100,000 depending on the bank. Credit and debit cards are widely accepted in Sri Lanka, even in smaller towns. Visa and MasterCard are the most commonly accepted cards. However, it’s always a good idea to carry some cash with you when travelling across the island as the local vendors prefer accepting cash.

The official languages are Sinhala and Tamil while English is also commonly spoken inside the country. Since English is a compulsory language, the younger folk can speak and converse well more than the elderly generation. Most of the signage would also be in this language order with all signs, names of the roads and even bus routes starting with Sinhala, Tamil followed by English.

When visiting religious sites its always polite to remove your shoes, hats and be also dressed in long clothing. Also bear in mind that you need to cover up when visiting these sites so always best to carry a wraparound or sarong which might come handy. 

The local food is very flavorsome and colorful. The options are numerous and we must say it’s a paradise for vegetarian/ vegan travelers as well. Most hotels and places of accommodation can accommodate dietary restrictions so please make sure to pass this information to them. The street food is an absolute delicacy even though the spice levels need to be managed. Sri Lankans live on the spices so make sure to instruct your waiters about your spice levels when ordering food.

As its Summer all year around, we advise you to pack lightweight clothing which is comfortable to wear. You will need a pair of trainers and comfortable sandals A hat, sunscreen, mosquito repellent always would come handy while personal medication is an absolute must. A travel adapter would also come handy since recent years, only the type G plugs (3 rectangular pins) are installed at almost all hotels, restaurants and cafes.