People & Languages

Ethnic Sinhalese people make up around 74% of the population; therefor, Sinhalese language is the most common language in the island country of Sri Lanka. Sinhala is spoken by about 16 million people in Sri Lanka, about 13 million of who are native speakers. It is one of the constitutionally-recognized official languages of Sri Lanka, along with Tamil. Tamil is a classical language and the oldest of the Dravidian language family and spoken by the Tamil population of Sri Lanka. It is also spoken by Tamils in India, Malaysia and Singapore.

Weather

Sri Lanka is situated just three degrees north of the Equator, meaning the weather is constantly hot, humid and tropical. Sunny skies are the order of the day; even in the brief monsoon season there is always a daily spell of sunshine. Low Lands – tropical, average 270C Central Hills – cooler, with temperatures dropping to 140C. The south-west monsoon brings rain to the western, southern and central regions from May to July, while the north-eastern monsoon is from December to January. Sri Lanka climate is ideal for holiday-makers throughout the year.

Shopping

Extravagant is one word that can explain your shopping experience at Sri Lanka. The island is filled with shopping malls that cater all your essential, leisure, frolic & entertainment needs. The worst thing that could happen to you is to run short of time. There is enough and more to shop around for all you got to have is time and cash.

Visa

Tourist Visa rules & regulations for visiting Sri Lanka are simple. Tourists can visit the country with minimum formalities. Nationals of most countries can obtain the visas on arrival for 30 days. If one wants to extend the tourist visa, one can contact the Department of Immigration and Emigration. COUNTRIES EXEMPT FROM VISAS : All the countries falling in the SAARC region are exempt from visa these countries are India, Bangladesh, Pakistan Bhutan , Maldives, Nepal and. ELIGIBILITY : A foreign national who wishes to visit Sri Lanka, who holds a return air ticket and sufficient funds for maintenance. Funds should not be less than US $30 per day. Funds can be in currency / travelers cheques / credit card. MODE OF ISSUE : Tourists residents of the countries listed in Schedule 'A' shall be granted landing visa for 30 days on entry in Sri Lanka. Power of granting two months extension beyond 30 day rests with the Department of Immigration & Emigration (Head Office). Note that if you are visiting Sri Lanka for purposes other than tourism, you would need to obtain prior visas. Application for extension of tourism visa beyond 30 days shall only be considered with valid reasons. However ex-Sri Lankans will be free from this restriction. Citizens of countries not classified under the Schedule 'A' countries should possess a valid visa, obtained from the respective Sri Lanka Diplomatic Missions before entering the country regardless of the purpose of the tour. Sri Lankan embassies/consulates abroad can grant tourist visas up to a period of three months for bona-fide tourists after receiving necessary fees.