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Sri Lanka
Travel Guide
The cost of travel in Sri Lanka
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Food
Don't expect to pay more than 500 rupees (£2.60) for a slap-up street dinner of curry, dhal or string hoppers. Snacks, such as kottu are even cheaper. A sit down meal in a nicer restaurant will cost around 1000 rupees (£5.50).
Drinks
There are plenty of local bottle shops and bars in Sri Lanka. A local beer will cost you around 300 rupees (£1.50). Imported brands, and spirits will set you back a bit more.
Taxis
A taxi in the capital of Colombo will cost you around 50 rupees per kilometre - that's less than 30p! For a 10 km taxi or rickshaw ride, don't pay more than £5.
Other transport
A three hour bus journey in Sri Lanka will cost you up tp 400 rupees (around £2). A train ticket from Colombo to Kandy is 100 rupees for 2nd or 3rd class, or 500 rupees (just £2.50) for 1st class air-conditioned.
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Hotels
Sri Lanka has some absolute bargains when it comes to hotels. You'll be able to find a spacious, clean en-suite room in a 3* hotel for an average of £20 per night. Larger beach resorts can cost upwards of £100.
Hostels
A bed in a hostel or cheap, family run guesthouse will set you back £5-12 per night.
Sri Lanka Fast Facts
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Languages spoken
Most Sri Lankans speak Sinhalese, with another large proportion speaking Tamil. Many locals can effectively communicate in English, whist those working in tourism are often fluent.
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Currency
Sri Lankan rupee (LKR).100 LKR is approximately 50p.
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Time Zone
Sri Lanka is on the same time zone as India: GMT+05:30, meaning the island is five and a half hours ahead of the UK.
Getting around Sri Lanka
Compared to neighbouring India, Sri Lanka is a much more traveller-friendly size, meaning you can see and do it all in a relatively short space of time. Local transport comes in the form of rickshaws (much like tuktuks) for shorter journeys, and a dependable network of colourful busses for the longer ones. Not to be missed, is the jaw dropping train journey through the hills and tea plantations between Colombo, Kandy and Ella. Be sure to book yourself a window seat!
Short on time? Our Tailor Made Itineraties provide travellers with a driver.
Sri Lanka's highlights
Colombo
Kandy and the Hill Country
Sigiriya and the cultural triangle
Sri Lanka's beaches
Sri Lanka adventure tours
The Sri Lanka Experience & Adventure | 15 days
One Life Sri Lanka | 12 days
Sri Lanka Express | 8 days
Sri Lanka beach breaks
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When is the best time of year to visit Sri Lanka?
Like in other countries in the region, the Monsoon makes an appearance in Sri Lanka every year. Despite the small size of the island, the weather patterns vary depending on your location. The south and west coast and hills (so we're talking Marissa, Arugam Bay, Udawalawe, Adam's Peak, Kandy and Ella) experience rains from May to August. The north and east however (Sigiriya, the Cultural Triangle and Trincomalee), are dry and hot during this time. There can be exceptions to these rules, and nowhere is off limits at any time of year.
Average temperatures in Sri Lanka are in the high twenties on the coast and high teens in the hills. It's worth nothing that Sri Lankan new year falls in April, and so accommodation and transport get very booked up this time.
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