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John Forsyth and Aileen Collins welcome you to their world of unique travel ideas.
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Sri
Lanka
"Handy Info"
Entry
A valid passport is required. We recommend this to be valid
at least 6 months beyond your date of arrival. For Australians
and most other nationalities, a tourist visa is stamped
into your passport on arrival enabling a stay of 30 days.
Currency
The Sri Lankan rupee (Rs) is divided into 100 cents. U.S.
Dollars are more readily accepted than Australian currency
in Colombo but rupees are commonly used throughout the island.
You can use your credit card when staying at hotels, but
take U.S. dollar travellers' cheques and exchange them for
rupees on arrival (there are a number of banks in the arrival
hall of the airport) and throughout your holiday. Retain
exchange forms to convert left-over currency on departure.
Click here for an estimate
of current exchange rates.
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Climate
Being a tropical country, the low-lying coastal regions
have a year-round temperature of about 27 Degrees Celsius.
Kandy averages 20-25 C and Nuwara Eliya 16-20 C. The hottest
time is March to June and coolest November to January. The
southwest monsoon (May to July) affects the southern, western
and central areas. The northeast monsoon (Dec to Jan) affects
the eastern and northern areas. As we know, weather patterns
are changing radically and it can rain when it "shouldn't"
and vice versa. Rarely is the weather so extreme as to spoil
your holiday.
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Language
Sinhalese and Tamil are the national languages but English
is spoken nearly everywhere (often better than us!)
Religion
Mostly Therevada Buddhism (70%). This form of Buddhism
was developed in Sri Lanka and is today practised in Thailand,
Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Other religions include
Hinduism (15%), Christianity (7.5%) and Islam (7.5%).
Ethnic
Mix
Sinhalese (74%) Tamils (18%) Muslims (7%) Burghers (descendants
of Dutch & Portuguese colonists) and others (1%).
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Electricity
230/240 volts, 50 cycles A.C. British-style three-pronged
plugs are used.
Innoculations
No innoculations are compulsory coming from Australia
- we suggest vaccinations against typhoid, polio and hepatitis
A together with a course of anti-malarial tablets but
please consult your doctor or nearest Travellers Medical
Vaccination Centre.
Customs
Allowance
Free import of 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars or 375 g. of
tobacco, 2 bottles of wine and 1.5 litres of spirits.
Go through the Green Channel if you have nothing to declare.
Antiques cannot be taken out of the country.
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Clothing
Cool cottons are best, and casual clothing is fine for
the beach. However beachware is not appropriate for visiting
temples and shrines - once inside, shoes and hats must
be removed. Take a jumper for evenings and early mornings
in the hill country.
Time
difference
4 hours behind Aust. Eastern Standard Time.
Water
We recommend drinking boiled or bottled water, not tap
water. This is readily available - usually a thermos of
boiled water or bottled water is in your hotel room.
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Dining
Distinctive, delicious Sri Lankan curries are available
but western-style foods are never far away. Fresh fruit
is abundant - try mangoes, pineapples, coconuts, mangosteens
and rambutans. Seafood is fresh and cheap. An average
meal in a hotel would cost between A$7-10.
Tipping
Although a service charge is usually included in restaurant
and hotel bills, as wages are very low, it is customary
to tip those people providing good service.
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Airline
Check-in
International flights should be reconfirmed 72 hours prior
to travel date. For security reasons, SriLankan Airlines
have a check-in policy of 3 hours prior to flight departure.
Business class check-in is 2 hours. Once checked in, it
is also required to identify your luggage before boarding
the flight.
Embarkation
Tax
When leaving Sri Lanka internationally, a departure tax
of Rs. 500 is payable at the airport.
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