Indian travel insurance for visiting Sri Lanka

Location / Language of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is the island country in South Asia, located in the Indian Ocean to the southwest of the Bay of Bengal and to the southeast of the Arabian Sea. The island is geographically separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait. Spread over an area of 65,000 sq km, it is home to around 24 million Sri Lankans and other expatriates. The largest city and the capital of Sri Lanka is Colombo.

Several languages are spoken in Sri Lanka within the Indo-European, Dravidian and Austronesian families. Sri Lanka accords official status to Sinhalese and Tamil.

Visa Requirements / Currency (please note these procedures / exchange rates can changed from time to time…please get an update from the embassy prior to travel)

Visa Requirements / Currency (please note these procedures/ exchange rates can changed from time to time…please get an update from the embassy prior to travel) Indian Passport Holders visiting Sri Lanka for business or holidaying purpose including visiting friends, medical treatment- Ayurvedic, yoga, visiting relatives etc., should obtain a Sri Lanka ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation) approval prior to his/her intended visit to Sri Lanka.

Currency : Sri Lanka Rupee (LKR)
Conversion :Rs.1 INR = 2.56 LKR
1 LKR = Rs.0.389 INR

Top 10 Tourist Attractions in Sri Lanka

1. Dambulla cave Temple - The largest temple complex in Sri Lanka, its statues and paintings date back to 12th Century AD. The temple complex has five rooms with Buddha statues in different positions looking calm and peaceful.
2. Yala National Park – It is home to a host of wildlife and birds – you are bound to run into a group of elephants bathing in streams, tossing their trunks wildly or leopards nestling lazily on tree branches.
3. Galle – Galle is an important city in Sri Lanka and is a one-stop destination where the Galle Fort has wide cobblestoned roads and a number of eateries and cafes.
4. Temple of Tooth at Kandy - The temple of the tooth in Kandy is iconic because it houses the relic of the tooth of the Buddha and is now a Heritage site.
5. Nuwara Eliya – It is famous for its tea gardens and with misty clouds, lush green sloping hills and a train, this is a hilly paradise in the Central Province of Sri Lanka.
6. Muthurajawela Bird Sanctuary – A day trip from Colombo to the urban sanctuary of Muthurajawela which is a popular bird watching destination and these pristine marshlands are located in the southern end of Negombo Lagoon.
7. Arugam Bay – Sri Lanka has a coastline of over 1600 km and is ideally suited for windsurfing, speed boating, and other water sports and Arugam Bay with its azure skies and slanting coconut trees, is one such spot.
8. War Cemetery - A different one in the list of best places to visit in Sri Lanka, the war cemetery is well maintained and the grounds are well kept and it is a very humbling experience.
9. Jaffna – If you’re in Jaffna, you cannot miss Temple Nallur Kovil, Jaffna Fort and the Nagadipa Purana Vihara, the temple can be accessed by boat.
10. Sigiriya - Sigiriya or the mount of remembrance is a World Heritage Site - this giant formation of rock rises out of nowhere towering over everything in its vicinity and provides a great panoramic view of the nearby sights and the Sigiriya fort.

Things You Must Do in Sri Lanka

1. Surf the Indian Ocean waves at Hikkaduwa – As one of the best surf towns of Sri Lanka, Hikkaduwa offers a combination of sand and reef and some of the best surfing and scuba diving spots in the country.
2. Take a scenic train ride – Kandy to Ella, also called the Eastern train route is a must do, this journey takes you from Kandy to Nanu Oya, on to Ella and Badulla.
3. Dolphin and Whale Spotting at Mirissa – These whale and dolphin watching tours in Mirissa are exhilarating.
4. Go Hiking to Adam’s Peak – For those looking at getting some exercise while on a holiday, a 1000 metre climb (around 3-5 hrs) up the famous Adam’s Peak(Sri Pada) which is the country’s most sacred mountain in southwestern Sri Lanka.
5. Drive around the East Coast of SL - East Coast of Sri Lanka is a popular self drive route covering places like Trincomalee, Nilaveli, and Pasikuda.

Food on the Plate

Sri Lankan cuisine has been shaped by many historical, cultural and other factors. Influences from Indian, Indonesian and Dutch cuisines are most evident with Sri Lankan cuisine sharing close ties to other neighbouring South and Southeast Asian cuisines. Today, some of the staples of Sri Lankan cuisine are rice, coconut and spices.

One must try the following Sri Lankan food delicacies:

• Rice & Curry - A typical Sri Lankan meal consists of rice served with curry of fish, meat or poultry, several other curries made with vegetables and pulses such as lentils (Dhal).
• Kiri Bath & Sambola - The dish is prepared by cooking rice with coconut milk and is normally served with Onion Sambola, a fiery hot mix of red onions and spices, or bananas.
• Kottu - Kottu is very popular street fast food in Sri Lanka. It is made of shredded pieces of Sri Lankan paratha bread that are stir fried with an assortment of spices and a choice of other meaty (or vegetarian) ingredients.
• Pol Sambol – Pol Sambol is prepared with grated coconut, onions, red chilli powder, lemon, salt and Maldive fish and is usually eaten with rice.
• Sweetmeats – Kavum, Kokis, Asmi – made mainly from rice flour