Her we will look at the additional information and factors when travelling to Sri Lanka as a single woman. We will begin from the most helpful information while traveling to that destination up to the interesting culture in eating and even drinking that tourists should have in their minds to make the trip a success.
Why You Need to Travel to Sri Lanka Solo.
I find it necessary to explain why Sri Lanka is fit for single tourists before going straight to the planning section.
Safety: Sri Lanka destination is considered safe to many in South Asia. It is a safe country with safe people and less crime hence safe for the solo traveler.
Accessibility: Sri lanka has well established transport means therefore travelling within the country is not a challenge. Trains and buses exist for the single traveler together with tuk-tuks and taxis for them to use in travelling around the country.
Diverse Experiences: Sri Lanka as a country has a lot to offer despite being small in size; from temples to elephants and from surf boards to sand. Sri Lanka is located in the southern part of Asia and it is a perfect destination for everyone from history admirer to nature lover or even someone who just want to taste good food.
Affordability: Regarding the prices Sri Lanka may turn out to be a low-cost destination for tourists as compared with other destinations. The rooms and food and transport and even entertainments can be of that quality without even charging a penny extra to a single traveler.
Hospitality: By and large all Sri Lankans are very much helping and hospitable to the visitors. Most of the times even when a person is traveling alone people welcome with great will and sometimes they may even request you to join them in their customs and traditions.
When to Visit Sri Lanka: Weather Conditions and Season.
The climate in Sri Lanka is characterized by two main monsoon seasons: southwest monsoon and northeast monsoon; may to Sept; october to january. However, due to unequal distribution of climate within the country some parts of this country can, actually, experience opposite weather conditions from another part of the country during the same season.
The best time of making tour to Sri Lanka is from December to March when weather is dry. Probably at this time the weather is pleasant and there is sun shine and this the right time for sight seeing. Still, it should be remembered that during this period of time it becomes possible to see many touristic attractions, and, accordingly, these places may be rather crowded.
Those who prefer to be somewhat more isolated and at the same time save money on hotels and travel should plan their vacation in Sri Lanka not during the high season but for April-May or September-November. These months while having some rainfalls do not have many tourists and hence the prices are not very high and hence one is able to have the real experience of traveling.
How Long Should You Stay in Sri Lanka.
If you are pressed for time there is no right or wrong duration of stay you should be in Sri Lanka. The first segment of clients is clients who are content with a brief getaway while the second segment is clients who would like to tour the country.
A good duration of time that should be spent in Sri Lanka is seven days. This duration provides the time to visit standard destination like Colombo, Kandy,Sigiriya, Gallee, and still have time to relax on the beach or at the country side.
Those who have time can even plan to stay for 2 weeks or more to enable them tour some small towns to see in detail how people live. To conclude, your length of stay depends on what you want to out of your holiday.
Preparing for Your Trip: Flight tickets / hotel booking & transfer.
Well now that you have determined when to travel and for how long I am assuming you are now on to the details of the trip. Here are some essential considerations to keep in mind:These are some of the factors that one should consider: .
Flights: When booking your flights to Sri Lanka these factors should be considered cost, availability and the quality of the airline. Skyscanner and Google Flights are useful for the said purpose and display the price. Last but not least, it is to be mentioned that a person can book his/her air tickets in advance in order to get cheaper prices and/or better rotes.
Accommodation: Now a days it is very easy to find different kind of accommodation like Hotels luxury guest house for every traveler in Sri Lanka. For the people who desire to spend their vacations in high class resorts or in luxury hotels there are sufficient numbers of such hotels all through the country and for the people who expect a bit modest hotels or even a guest house there are also sufficient hotels and guest houses all over the country. Websites like Booking. Today with com Agoda and Airbnb it is possible to enter the destination select the hotel or apartment by price or availability of the room and the list of amenities.
Transportation: Sri Lanka transport system is well developed and it is not so difficult to travel around the country. There are so many means of transport from one point to another in the Philippines alone train or bus to Tuk-Tuks and Taxi’s. Flexibility and availability of the trip may be achieved by using both public and private methods of transportation.
Currency and Financial Considerations
Sri Lanka currency is LKR the Sri Lanka Rupee, it is advisable to carry some cash for basic survival. Therefore, major credit cards are extensively accepted in hotels and restaurants and other larger business premises while the petty traders and local markets completely operate on cash basis.
When doing plenty of business with cash it is better to make exchange of the notes in authorized counters of exchange or in banks or ATMs in order to eradicate threat of fair treatment and counterfeits. It is also advisable to use travel card or prepaid card that does not have foreign transaction fee that leads to currency exchange fee and ATMs withdrawal fee.
Language and Communication
Sinhala and Tamil are the main languages in Sri Lanka though one can manage to talk English in areas of tourist attraction and the big cities. The English language as one of the official languages in this country is perfectly mastered by almost all people working in the sphere of tourism and can include such hotel employees, guides, waiters, and so on, which will not create any difficulties in communicating in this country.
But at least some simple expressions in Sinhala or Tamil language studied for the future travelling would be beneficiary and would be the expression of respect towards the country. If the tourist attempt to communicate in their language natives are happy and will welcome such a person.
Cultural Etiquette and Customs
Hence while travelling in Sri Lanka the tourist must follow the rules of society. Here are some key etiquette tips to keep in mind during your travels:Some of the etiquette tips that should be adhered to during tour include the following; .
Dress Code: They have to be polite when they want to enter temples and mosques by not wearing some clothes for example they can not show their shoulders and knees. Remove your shoes before entering holy places and follow other indicated code of clothing or other guidelines of the local government.
Public Displays of Affection: According to the fact, the Sri Lankan people are very warm and embracing, thus, they kiss and hug family members, and friends, readily, and, it should not be carried on public places. However do not display too much affection in public zones.
Greetings: In the case if one has to meet another person for the first time he or she should smile and slightly bow the head. They also make handshakes particularly in formal interactions between two people. Use title and last name of the person and then Sir/Madam and continue until they tell you to call them by their first name/name.
Bargaining: A lot of bargaining is done particularly in the markets and the street shops. However, it is important to negotiate in a way that does not imply much aggressiveness or even some kind of intimidation methods. Start by greeting them and asking if they would be willing to take a lower price and be willing to negotiate and can meet halfway.
By following these cultural etiquette, you will be promoting the culture and the practices of the particular country and subsequently have positive contact with people.
The Luscious & Copious Heritage of Sri Lankan Food & Cuisine.
The Sri Lankan food is something that one should not miss out on if they are visiting Sri Lanka it is packed with flavours has a lot of spices and includes a lot of different cultures. Whether it is spicy dishes or sea food dishes or snacks or deserts Sri Lankan food is really a feast to the tongue.
Here are some must-try dishes and culinary experiences to add to your Sri Lankan food itinerary:These are some of the meals and food destinations every food traveller must try in Sri Lanka:
Rice and Curry: Sri Lankan food habitally consists of rice and curry which is white rice accompanied by a combination of curries and sambols, which are spicy condiments and other side dishes. One of this is rice and curry which is a common food in Sri Lanka and another there are difference in recipe for the curry in every region and difference kind of meat and verities of vegetables and differences spices in the curry.
Hoppers (Appam): Hoppers are a kind of pancakes which are of crisp variety are made from rice fermented batter with the inclusion of coconut milk. They are normally puffed in the centre and has a crisp around the edges which makes it perfect for mopping up the curry and the sauce.
Kottu Roti: Kottu roti is one of the much loved street foods in which chopped roti is fried in vegetables, eggs and meat or seafood. The sizzling crispy sound of splattering of the ingredients on a flat pan is a perfect music that Sri Lankan street food stalls are often filled with.
Seafood Specialties: Sri Lanka being an island in the ocean gives the best seafood one could get. Sea foods are served in the restaurant and shacks around the beaches that goes from fresh fishes and prawns to crabs and lobsters.
Sweets and Desserts: Finish off with some of Sri Lanka’s desserts such as – wattalapam which is a coconut custard, kiri bath which is coconut milk rice, kavum- which is deep fried sweet. They are rich and sweet and consumed when there are festivities.
Cultural Life and Heritage – Sri Lanka.
Besides good food, Sri Lanka is a country with historical and religious sites. If it happens that you are interested in an ancient temple or you would want to go to a concert hall then culture will be there to quench your thirst of travel needs.
Ancient Cities: These are ancient ruins, thousand years old temples, ancient stupa’s in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Sacred Temples: The other religious places that one should visit are Sri Lankan temples like Temple of Tooth in Kandy and such sacred places as Dambulla Cave temple and Adam’s Peak. are holy places for the Buddhists and Hindus and other religious groups and shed light on religious practices of Sri Lanka.
Cultural Festivals: Sri Lanka cultural festivals are Kandy Esala Perahera, Navam Perahera in Colombo and Duruthu Perahera in Kelaniya. They are vivid parades with songs and dancing accompanied by religious ceremonies that attract throngs of tourists each year.
Traditional Arts and Crafts: Check out Sri Lanka’s ancient craft legacy from Batik textile to Wood carvings, pottery & Handloom. Purchase hand made souvenirs from artesian workshops and craft villages where real products made by real artisans are sold.
Performing Arts: Sri Lanka’s performing arts include the usual dancing and folk music but most of all – theater. Dancing and mask drama are some of the cultural shows which depict the art values of the country.
Play and the Utilization of the Environment.
Sri Lanka is definitely a heaven for many adventures and nature lovers. The country has natural attractive features such as rain forests, Mountains ,beaches and wildlife reserves.
Here are some outdoor adventures and nature experiences to add to your Sri Lanka itinerary:These are some of the outdoor activities and natural things you can do or see in Sri Lanka: .
Wildlife Safaris: Track wild animals in one of Sri Lankan national parks or nature reserves and play hunting games. Yala National Park, Udawalawe National Park & Wilpattu National Park- Elephant & leopard & sloth bear hundreds of species of birds.