LK7.0°N · 81.0°EPhoto: Dinusha Chathuranga · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsSouthern Asia travel guide
Sri Lanka
Tea hills, leopards and the Ramayana trail
Sri Lanka packs ancient cities, misty tea country, wildlife parks and beaches into an island you can loop in ten days. For Indian travellers it is close, culturally familiar and easy to reach.
For Indian travellers. Several Ramayana-linked sites, such as Seetha Amman Temple near Nuwara Eliya, draw Indian pilgrims.
Places worth your time
Photo: Wrobell · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons Sigiriya Rock Fortress
Central Province
Fifth-century palace on a 200-metre rock, with frescoes halfway up.
Temple of the Tooth
Kandy
Holds Sri Lanka's most important Buddhist relic.
Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Ella and the Kandy-Ella train
Uva Province
One of the world's most scenic train rides through tea estates.
Photo: Ranmith Welikala · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Yala National Park
Southern Province
Among the world's highest leopard densities.
Photo: Rovin Shanila · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Galle Fort
Galle
Colonial-era fort town with cafés and ramparts at sunset.
Know before you go
- Book train seats in advance for the hill country route.
- Remove shoes and hats at temples and never pose with your back to a Buddha statue.
Key facts
- Official name
- Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
- Capital
- Colombo
- Currency
- Sri Lankan rupee (LKR Rs රු)
- Languages
- Sinhala, Tamil
- Calling code
- +94
- Area
- 65,610 km²
- Region
- Southern Asia
Who can get in easily
189 of 198 passports can enter Sri Lanka without arranging a visa in advance.
- Visa-free
- Visa on arrival
- eTA
- eVisa
- Visa required
Visa requirements for Sri Lanka by passport
IndiaVisa on arrival30 days
United StatesVisa on arrival30 days
United KingdomeTA30 days
United Arab EmiratesVisa on arrival30 days
ChinaVisa on arrival30 days
SingaporeVisa-free30 days
PakistanVisa on arrival30 days
BangladeshVisa on arrival30 days
NepalVisa on arrival30 days
NigeriaVisa required
PhilippinesVisa on arrival30 days
CanadaVisa on arrival30 days
AustraliaVisa on arrival30 days
GermanyeTA30 days
Pick any passport above to see the full requirements, or use the selector at the top.
Nearby countries
Source: Wikipedia contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0). Updated weekly. Cover photo: Dinusha Chathuranga · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons.