Sri Lanka

Best time to go: October to March best time for the west coast and beaches. April is spring time in the hills. Best value: May – September

The climate of Sri Lanka is typically tropical with an average temperature of 27°C. In the higher elevations it can be quite cool with temperatures going down to 16°C at an altitude of nearly 2,000 metres. Bright, sunny, warm days are the rule and are common even during the height of the monsoon - climatically Sri Lanka has no off season. The south west monsoon brings rain mainly from May to July to the western, southern and central regions of the island, while the north-east monsoon rains occur in the northern and eastern regions in December and January.

Visa requirements

The government of Sri Lanka made an official announcement on the 1st October 2011 with regards to the implementation of the new Visa procedure for all Tourists arriving to Sri Lanka effective from 1st of October, 2011.

The new Visa procedure requires tourists/ tourist agencies (acting as 3rd parties) to submit the Visa application for each applicant via the ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation) to the Ministry of Emigration and Immigration.

Therefore, it is mandatory that all passengers traveling after the 1st October, 2011 to submit their Visa application on-line by logging into www.eta.gov.lk

It was communicated that this is a very simple and requires no additional documents. Passengers are required to fill in the required information and once the Visa is approved, the passenger will be notified with an ETA approval notice promptly. (exact time duration is not mentioned yet).

There will be no charge for passenger arrivals to Sri Lanka from the 1st October to 31st December - however, they are required to submit their application via the ETA and obtain the necessary ETA approval notice promptly.

However, for all passenger arrivals to Sri Lanka after the 1st of January, 2012 are required to make a payment of US$ 50 per person following the same ETA process. The Visa issued will be a Double-Entry Tourists Visa applicable for 30 days from the date of arrival to Sri Lanka.

Health Information for Travelers to Sri Lanka: http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/sri-lanka.htm

Capital: Colombo

Government: Republic

Population: 21,283,913 (July 2011)

Language: Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil (national language) 18%, other 8%

Religion: Buddhism is the major religion; other religions such as Hinduism, Christianity and Islam are also followed.

Electricity: 230/240 V (50 Hz)

Dialling Code: +94

Time Zone: GMT + 5.5

Currency: Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR)

National Day: 4^th February Independence Day

National Anthem: “Mother Sri Lanka’”