TIPS FOR TRAVELING TO SRI LANKA (AND NOT SHIT)

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If you are preparing a trip to Sri Lanka and you are a little lost… don't worry, feel free! You have reached the right place: we are going to give you these Tips for traveling to Sri Lanka (without shit). We have visited the so-called “tear of India” on two occasions and it certainly seems a complete, exotic and super interesting destination for each type of traveler.

:: Tips for traveling to Sri Lanka ::

It's as easy as connecting to this page and following the instructions (pay, receive mail and start dreaming about your trip in Sri Lanka). It has a cost of 30$ and a duration of 30 days. There is also option to take out the Visa on arrival (upon arrival) but it costs $ 5 more.

At the exit of the airport there are stalls of telephone companies that sell SIMs at quite low prices (about € 5). We first caught the Dialog company (which they gave away) and the second time we bought it with Etisalat (nobody gave anything away anymore). The process is quick, just leave the passport and make a copy, you activate the SIM in your device (remember to take a free mobile) and throw miles. It usually comes with some balance in calls and data.

It will help you to communicate with hotels, tuktuk & co. National calls are VERY cheap. Also with the SIM you can have data connection and surf the internet.

If you travel with budget backpacker eye to the entrances: most tourist attractions are paid… and not very cheap! If you want advice on which ancient city to visit, read this post.

Sri Lanka is reputed to have some of the best beaches in Asia. We are left with the area of Unawatuna! They say the Pigeon Island, on the coast of Nilaveli is spectacular, but we were caught in the middle of the monsoon so we could not visit it. Too Hikkadua He is reputed to be very cool, especially if the snorkeling theme is cool.

Unawatuna, the best beach in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is a paradise for lovers of Natural Parks, we were super happy with our safari in Yala, where we met a few leopards. The "tour" to see the whales is fine, although it can be a long and boring tad if you can not see (and even if they see!). But beware, these attractions are usually more and more exploited and you will have the sensation of going out “hunting”, although you will not take the piece, but some other photo.

But don't worry ... if you want to see animals you will see them, it will be they who will come to you, as happened in Haputale!

If you have a limited budget, it is best to opt for travel with public transport and eat in restaurants and street stalls (Although Sri Lankan cuisine is quite poor). That will help you spend little. In addition absurd experiences are guaranteed! And it is much much more fun! If you want to see a summary of our expenses click here.

For us there are 4 unique stops: Sigiriya (If you don't want to spend the $ 25 of the climb to the Lion's Rock, get on Pidurangala), Haputale (explore the surroundings and highlands of Sri Lanka), the Yala Park Y Unawatuna (After so much trekking and climbing ... a dip in the beach is what you deserve!).

If you only stop or spend a few days in Colombo you can do some other excursion. Galle's is our favorite.

The December 26, 2004 It is a date that no one in Sri Lanka can ever forget: the tsunami that devastated the life of 29,957 people will not allow it. People are still very affected, because almost everyone lost someone in this tragedy. We were able to discuss the issue with our friend Amila and the truth is that it makes the hair stand on end. In all coastal towns there are signs of escape in case of tsunami ... the most important thing: do not lose your temper, do not waste your time and escape inland and in higher areas.

But it is not only natural disasters that have stained the country with blood: man is the greatest enemy of himself and Sri Lanka is one of the clearest examples.26 years were those who lived the country in a civil war. The why? As often happens: religion, or rather the religious hatred.

After the independence of Sri Lanka in 1948 the new state of "good" considered to bring some modification to the political situation ... we will try to reduce a little what happened: as the Tamils (of Indian origin and religion hinduist) they had enjoyed some economic and political privileges during the British colony, the Sinhalese (originating from the island and religion buddhist) decided to start taking them off. For example they denied citizenship to those of Indian origin, as well as proclaimed Sinhalese and Buddhism as official language and religion.

The Tamils reacted with protests and the most radical part was unified in an armed struggle group (Tamil Tigers) that required the creation of an independent state (Tamil Eelam).

They were many years of blood and terror, until in 2009 the last Tamil tigers were killed. The estimated victims, at the end of the conflict, were 80,000-100,000.

Obviously today Tamils are not discriminated, although relations between India and Sri Lanka remain tense (An example is that in Tamil Nadu, in South India, while we were riding a motorcycle, a man stopped us to tell us that Lety had to change her shirt, since she put the writing “Sri Lanka” and that it bothered many people: -S)

Forgive us to summarize so much but it is a very complicated issue. If you want to know more about the subject you can see here.

We always recommend using a card when traveling. Both for payments and to get money. It is not very cool to carry large amounts of cash on top, let alone having to change it in destinations whose currency is not €. But watch out for commissions! Here we tell you the solutions to have money abroad, and more about the cards we use: the Bnext card and the N26 card.

Sri Lanka, with how small it is, has two different monsoons, which can ruin your trip: -S So plan with head where and when to go!The best time to go is from October to March (At this time the monsoon affects the northeast area) while in our summer the south is what is affected.