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Planning a trip to Sri Lanka? Get essential travel tips from someone who’s been there and done it – save time, avoid mistakes, and make the most of your family adventure!
Sri Lanka is one of those places that the more you plan, the more you’ll get out of your trip. A lot of the information online is a bit out of date, so doing your research now will save you time when you’re actually in Sri Lanka. Trust me on that one.
I’ve been to Sri Lanka a couple of times now – once on our honeymoon a few years ago, and more recently as a family of three. I’m not going to pretend that I am an expert on the country, but there are some things I learned from both trips that I wish I knew before I travelled there. That’s why I wanted to write this article, to help people actually planning a trip to Sri Lanka.
I really can’t stress this enough, but the more you research now, the better. And even if you don’t have kids, I think you’ll find this article useful. From whether you should hire a driver for getting around to what to wear at temples, this article is jam packed with useful travel tips from someone who has been there and done it. So if you’re looking for some Sri Lankan travel tips, then keep on reading!
Contents:
Don’t get a driver
One of the things Chloe and I were deliberating over was whether to hire a driver for two weeks on our honeymoon. We wanted the ease of getting around by car, and assumed the best way was with hiring a driver.
Our problem was what would the driver do on days we didn’t leave the hotel, or when we wanted to explore places on foot? We felt there were a lot of days like that, so in the end decided a driver wasn’t quite right for us.
It was only when we got to Sri Lanka that we discovered how easy it was organising transport around the country. At each hotel we stayed at, we just spoke to the front desk and they always had someone on standby who could drive us, even over long distances. Each driver was very prompt and some even took us to local restaurants for lunch. Obviously we saved a lot of money by just booking transportation when we needed it, but we felt like it was a more authentic experience when travelling around the country too.
Relax your standards
One thing I would say when planning a trip to Sri Lanka is to relax your standards. Obviously Sri Lanka is a developing country, so things are going to be different to what you’re used to at home (that’s why we travel after all!)
For us as a family, that meant relaxing our standards on hygiene, what our son ate, and keeping to any sort of schedule. One of the things our son Cooper loved doing at all the temples we visited was playing in the sand/dirt on the ground. No matter how many times we told him not to, it was all we wanted to do, so in the end we just let him. I think when you’re somewhere like Sri Lanka, it’s very important to be as flexible as you can. It’ll make life much easier for you.
Take a little travel high chair
If you’re travelling with a baby or toddler, then I would really recommend this little travel high chair. It packs down small enough that it doesn’t feel like a hassle carrying it around, and it really helped out in some situations. In fact, we used it every day.
In restaurants, a lot of the highchairs don’t come with straps, so it is very easy for your child to slide straight out. With this travel high chair, you can attach it to any seat so they can sit securely at the table.
As we didn’t travel with a car seat, this chair doubled up as one. Each day we would fasten it to the chair so it was tightly in place. We found this to be a bit safer than using a seat belt that didn’t fit our son. Also, the slightly elevated height meant he could stare out the window easier than if he was in the seat. It’s not ideal, but it really helped us out in a bind.
When driving, stop every two hours
One thing I would suggest, especially when travelling with kids, is to stop every two hours on long journeys in the car. The mountain roads are Ella and Nuwara Eliya are notoriously windy. At times if feels like you’re on an alpine rollercoaster being thrown from side to side. If you think it’s bad for adults, it’s even worse for kids.
Unfortunately Cooper found all the jolting around a bit too much and was sick a couple of times. We quickly worked out that 2 hours was his cut-off point – as long as we stopped every 2 hours for 10 minutes of air and for him to walk around, we were safe. You have been warned!
Research journey times
Sri Lanka might look like a little island, but it’s surprisingly long to get to some places. For example, Jaffna at the very north of the island is a 8-hour drive from Colombo, so it’s really important factoring this in when planning your Sri Lanka itinerary.
For our first trip to the country, we didn’t want any mammoth journeys in the car, so they furthest north we got to was Kandy in the centre of the island. We felt this was important so we spent less time in the car and more time outside exploring.
Speak to the locals
You will probably read this and think “who travels to somewhere like Sri Lanka and doesn’t speak to any of the locals?”, but there are some groups who prefer staying in their 5* hotels instead of seeing the real Sri Lanka. The people are very much a part of that.
Sri Lanka has such an interesting history. Being a former British colony, I know that doesn’t reflect great on Brits, but Sri Lankans has such a curiosity towards British people. Everyone I met had a smile on their face and a story to tell. That’s why I love travelling places like Sri Lanka.
The meat is safe to eat
When I’ve travelled to India, I religiously avoided meat. If you can’t understand where the meat is coming from, then it’s best to avoid it. However, that’s not the case in Sri Lanka. The quality of meat is much better here, so if you see meat on the menu, it’s generally safe to eat. Delhi belly is a somewhat right of passage in India, but the Sri Lankan shits aren’t really a thing.
Street food is some of the best food you’ll eat
A bit more on the above. I always feel that some people avoid street food as much as possible thinking it’s unhygienic or unsafe to eat. I am the opposite – I always think any street food is fair game.
In Sri Lanka, certain delicacies like parippu vada and samosas only come as street food. parippu vada Eat and enjoy – they are out of this world.
Embrace the hotel buffet
If you’re staying half-board in a 3*, 4* or 5* hotel, the chances are you’ll be chowing down on a hotel buffet. Now I am usually dead against hotel buffets are a rule, but I have to admit the buffets here are exceptional.
I genuinely ate curry for breakfast, lunch and dinner while in Sri Lanka. I particularly loved the hotel buffets that had everything from spicy daal to freshly made rotis to local Sri Lankan dishes like black pork curry and pumpkin curry.
Also, as we had Cooper with us, having a number of dishes to choose from for him was really useful. There was always something safe to eat like rice, so we liked the fact we had all bases covered.
Be wary of animal practices
I think this is a really important one to mention, but please be wary of animal practices in Sri Lanka and do your research beforehand. Unfortunately there are still a number of outdated animal practices like elephant riding and animals being kept in captivity. One popular attraction is the elephant orphanage just outside of Colombo where all the elephants are chained up for hours a day. Just by doing a little research beforehand will show how unfairly these elephants are being treated, with them often being beaten with a stick.
These types of attractions and practices like elephant riding only survive by tourists using them, so the more people know how the animals are treated and avoid them, the better. There are two types of tourists – don’t be the other one.
Do a full-day safari
You can read all about this in my blog post here, but I would really recommend going on a full-day safari instead of a half-day safari. Most tour companies sell the half-day safari on the fact that you’re more likely to see animals at sunrise and sunset when they’re more active – all the guides will say the animals sleep during the day, so there’s not much point going out at midday.
However, as I’ve done both, I would say the full-day safari is so much better. Not only do you maximise your time for seeing animals such as elephants and leopards (and yes, you can see them during the day!), but it’s a much more enjoyable experience. No matter what tour you choose, you’ll see a lot of other safari trucks – it comes with the territory. But on a full-day tour you’ll get to go places you just don’t have time to get to on a half-day safari.
When we did a full-day elephant safari in Udawalawe, we watched all the safari trucks turn left as we were the only truck to turn right. All of a sudden we were all alone with loads of elephants surrounding us – we never would’ve had that on a half-day safari.
Cover your arms and knees in temples
Even if the temperature is 35 degrees with 90% humidity, you are still expected to cover your shoulders and knees in temples. This means no singlets for girls and no shorts for boys.
I would recommend packing a sarong. These always double up as a skirt or to drape over your shoulders. For guys, I would say pack lightweight linen trousers in your bag; jeans can be sweltering.
It’s a good idea to tip
Even though a tip isn’t expected, it is greatly appreciated. People like your safari guides, the driver who’s been in a car with you for 4 hours, the guy who’s shown you around a local market – they should all be tipped, so make sure you factor that in when budgeting for your trip. I was always told $5 per day if a good benchmark for tipping in Sri Lanka.
Spend lots of time in the country
In total I’ve spent a month travelling around Sri Lanka, and I still feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface of what this place has to offer. Sri Lanka is such an incredible place to visit, so I really implore you to spend as much time in the country as possible. If you’re planning a holiday for a week, try and make it 10 days. If you’re coming for two weeks, try and visit lesser-known spots to have them to yourself.
Much like planning the trip itself, Sri Lanka is one of those countries where the more you put in, the more you’ll get out of it. I can’t tell you the number of authentic interactions and beautiful moments I’ve had while travelling here – I really hope you have the same!
Are you planning a trip to Sri Lanka? If you have any questions or travel tips you’d like to share, let me know in the comments below. I always appreciate any response!
