Sri Lanka is warm, humid and relaxed, but it is also a deeply religious country with clear expectations at temples. Getting both right takes very little effort and makes a noticeable difference to how you are received.
Clothing
Cotton and linen in light colours. You will sweat more than you expect, particularly in the cultural triangle, so bring more shirts than days unless you plan to do laundry. Guesthouses will usually wash and return clothes the same day for very little.
For the hill country, bring a warm layer. Nuwara Eliya sits at 1,900 metres and drops to around 10C at night. Horton Plains at dawn is genuinely cold. Every year travellers arrive there in shorts and regret it for the entire walk.
Temple dress code, which is not optional
To enter any Buddhist or Hindu temple:
- Shoulders and knees covered, for men and women alike
- Shoes off at the entrance, and usually hats too
- A sarong is the easiest solution. Buy one for a couple of dollars on your first day and keep it in your day bag.
Socks are worth carrying. The stone courtyards at Anuradhapura get hot enough to burn bare feet by mid-morning, and you will be walking a long way across them.
Three things that cause real offence
- Never turn your back on a Buddha statue for a photograph. Posing in front of one with your back to it is genuinely offensive, and people have been detained over it.
- Do not get a visible Buddha tattoo. Travellers have been refused entry at the airport for this. If you already have one, cover it.
- Do not point your feet at a person or a shrine. Feet are considered unclean. Tuck them under you when sitting on the floor.
None of this is obscure or hard. It is the local equivalent of not wearing a hat in a church, and people notice when you get it right.
Practical kit
- High-factor sunscreen — you are seven degrees from the equator and the sun is stronger than it feels
- Mosquito repellent with DEET, especially at dusk near water
- A reusable water bottle — refills are widely available and the plastic problem here is visible
- A universal adapter — Sri Lanka uses Type D and Type G sockets
- Motion sickness tablets for the hill roads and the whale boats
- Small denomination rupees for temple donations, tuk-tuks and roadside stalls
- A head torch if you are climbing Adam s Peak overnight
Small courtesies that go a long way
Greet people with ayubowan in Sinhala or vanakkam in Tamil and you will get a warm response almost every time.
Eat with your right hand if you eat with your hands. Ask before photographing people, especially monks. And accept the tea when it is offered — refusing it is the one thing that reliably reads as rude.
What you can leave at home
Heavy walking boots, unless you are doing the Knuckles range. Trainers are fine for Sigiriya, Ella and Horton Plains. A hairdryer, a travel kettle and a towel — every guesthouse has them.
