Local Experiences
City Tours
COLOMBO CITY TOUR
Open Deck City Sightseeing Service
Stops
- Gangarama Temple
- Chapter House
- Independence Memorial Hall
- Arcade Independence Square
- Boat Ride on Diyawannawa Lake
Food and Drink Experience
Sri Lanka offers a rich tapestry of food and drink experiences, blending influences from Indian, Dutch, Portuguese, and British cuisines with its own indigenous flavors. When you’re on a tour of Sri Lanka, there are several culinary highlights and experiences you shouldn’t miss:
Traditional Sri Lankan Breakfast
What to Expect: A typical breakfast may include
- String hoppers (steamed rice noodles)
- Hoppers (a type of pancake made from fermented rice flour and coconut milk)
- Pol sambol (a spicy coconut relish)
- Dhal curry
Where to Experience: Local homestays, boutique hotels, and traditional eateries.
Street Food
Highlights:
- Kottu Roti: A stir-fry of chopped roti bread mixed with vegetables, eggs, or meat.
- Isso Vadai: A lentil cake topped with small prawns, often sold by beach vendors.
- Pani Pol: A sweet treat made with coconut and treacle.
Where to Experience: Colombo, Galle Face Green, and Kandy’s streets.
Seafood
What to Expect: Sri Lanka’s coastline ensures fresh seafood.
Expect dishes like:
- Fish curry
- Prawn curry
- Crab curry
often cooked with coconut milk and a blend of spices.
Where to Experience: Coastal towns like Negombo, Bentota, or Trincomalee.
Tea Plantations
Experience: Sri Lanka is famous for its Ceylon tea. A visit to a tea plantation in Nuwara Eliya or Kandy offers the chance to see the tea-making process from leaf to cup, followed by a tea tasting session.
Where to Experience: Nuwara Eliya, Kandy, or Ella.
Spice Gardens
Experience: Sri Lanka is known for its spices like cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom. Visiting a spice garden provides insight into the cultivation and processing of these spices, along with tasting spice-infused meals.
Where to Experience: Matale and Kandy.
Coconut Toddy and Arrack
Experience: Toddy is a traditional fermented drink made from the sap of coconut flowers, often consumed fresh. Arrack, distilled from toddy, is a stronger spirit and is often mixed with soda or used in cocktails.
Where to Experience: Local taverns, bars in Colombo, or along the southwestern coast.
Sri Lankan Rice and Curry
What to Expect: This staple dish features rice served with several curries, often including fish, chicken, and vegetables, along with condiments like chutneys and sambols.
Where to Experience: Almost everywhere, but particularly in traditional restaurants in Colombo, Kandy, or rural areas.
Desserts
Must-Try Desserts:
- Watalappam: A coconut custard pudding flavored with jaggery and cardamom.
- Kiri Pani: Curd made from buffalo milk served with treacle.
Where to Experience: Dessert cafes, restaurants, and during local festivals.
Cooking Classes
Experience: Participate in a cooking class to learn how to prepare authentic Sri Lankan dishes. Many classes include a visit to a local market to source ingredients.
Where to Experience: Available in major tourist areas like Galle, Kandy, and Colombo.
Ayurvedic Cuisine
Experience: Some wellness resorts offer Ayurvedic meals tailored to balance your body’s doshas, often vegetarian and made with fresh, local ingredients.
Where to Experience: Ayurvedic resorts or retreats in places like Kandy, Bentota, or along the southern coast.
Exploring Sri Lanka’s food and drink culture is an adventure in itself, offering both familiar and exotic tastes, all deeply rooted in the island’s history and traditions.
Cultural Experiences
Sri Lanka, with its rich cultural heritage spanning thousands of years, has a variety of social traditions that reflect its diverse ethnic and religious communities. Here are some notable social traditions of Sri Lanka.
“Ayubowan” is a traditional greeting in Sri Lanka, often used to wish someone good health and long life. It’s a beautiful expression that reflects the warm hospitality and well-wishing nature of Sri Lankan culture.
When you say “Ayubowan Sri Lanka,” you’re essentially extending this greeting to the country itself, showing respect and appreciation for its people, traditions, and natural beauty.
It’s a wonderful way to embrace the spirit of Sri Lanka!
The Influence of Culture on Society
Family Structure
Respect for Elders: Respect for elders is deeply ingrained in Sri Lankan culture. Younger people traditionally show deference to older individuals, addressing them with respect and seeking their advice.. The family is the basic unit of Sri Lankan society, and extended families often live together or in close proximity. Family gatherings are important, and occasions such as weddings and religious festivals are celebrated together.
Religious Festivals
Sri Lanka is predominantly Buddhist, but also has significant Hindu, Muslim, and Christian communities. Each community celebrates its religious festivals with fervor, often involving processions, rituals, and feasts. For example, Vesak (Buddha’s Birthday), Deepavali (Diwali), and Ramadan are widely celebrated.
Hospitality
Sri Lankans are known for their warm hospitality towards guests. It is customary to offer refreshments and meals to visitors, even if they are unexpected.
Food Culture
Exploring new cultures broadens perspectives, encourages empathy, and promotes global interconnectedness and unity.
Cultural Identity
Traditional dance forms such as Kandyan dance and Bharatanatyam (influenced by Tamil culture) are popular. Sri Lanka also has a rich tradition of music, drama, and puppetry.
New Year Celebrations The Sinhala and Tamil New Year (usually in April) is a major cultural event in Sri Lanka. It marks the end of the harvest season and is celebrated with rituals, traditional games, and special foods.
Cultural Diversity
The main ethnic groups in Sri Lanka are the Sinhalese, who predominantly practice Buddhism; the Tamils, who are mostly Hindu; and smaller communities such as Moors (Muslims) and Burghers Religious Pluralism Buddhism holds a prominent place in Sri Lankan society, with the majority of Sinhalese adhering to Theravada Buddhism. Hindus form the largest religious minority, primarily among Tamils. Muslims and Christians (both Roman Catholic and Protestant denominations) also contribute to the religious mosaic.
Language and Literature Sinhala and Tamil are the official languages of Sri Lanka, each with its rich literary traditions. Sinhala literature includes ancient texts like the Mahavansa, while Tamil literature includes classical works like the Sangam literature and modern writings.
Tea and spices
Tea and spices are two significant agricultural commodities that have shaped Sri Lanka’s economy, culture, and culinary traditions.
