Your Sri Lanka questions, answered

We listen to what you want, design the journey with you, arrange stays, transport, guides and activities with local partners, and support you before and during your trip.

This website is available in English and Italian, and you can use the Plan my trip form and the contact form in either language.

A travel specialist shapes a route and pace around you, and stays, transport, guides and activities are arranged with local partners. You then have one point of contact before and during your trip.

In the Plan my trip form you can choose a tailor-made private trip, a ready-made journey adjusted to you, or selected services only.

Please do not send passport details, payment-card information or medical records through the website forms. How we handle your information is explained in our Privacy Policy.

We then talk it through to clarify what you really want. After that we prepare an itinerary and a quotation, reviewed by a person, that show what is included and what is not.

Our team reviews your request and discusses your preferences with you, and can then prepare a proposal and a quotation.

The sample journeys on this website are illustrative, not guaranteed packages, and are adjusted to your dates, pace and interests. The price, what is included and the payment schedule are set out in the quotation we prepare for you.

A draft itinerary, a supplier's availability or a payment that has only been started does not confirm a booking on its own.

Whether a change or a cancellation is possible, and any charges or refunds, depend on the services booked, the suppliers' conditions and the timing. The cancellation and refund terms that apply to your trip are given in your quotation or booking documents before you commit.

We do not publish fixed prices. Your quotation sets out the price and what is included once we know what you want.

Unless agreed in writing, Thambili Tours does not provide insurance. Travellers are responsible for valid passports, visas and entry permissions.

Sri Lanka has two monsoons, so the south-west and the hill country are wetter from May to September, while the east is wetter from December to February. Because the weather differs by region, we shape the route around your dates. Our guide on when to go explains the seasons in more detail.

The rules depend on your nationality and can change, so please check the official Sri Lanka immigration website and your own government's travel advice. Our guide on entering Sri Lanka lists the details we have checked.

Yellow fever vaccination is required only when arriving from a country where it is a risk. Dengue is present in Sri Lanka, and official advice also covers bottled drinks, sun protection and rabies after a bite from a stray animal.

A ticket is valid for a single entry on the day, and payments are not refunded. We tell you what applies to your route when we plan it.

• About a week: a focused trip, for example the cultural heartland, Kandy, the hill country and a few days on the south coast.
• Ten to fourteen days: a more relaxed pace, with room for Galle, a safari, or the east or north.
• Longer: time to slow down, add wellness or beach days, or go deeper into one region.

Distances look short on the map but journeys are slow, so fewer bases with more time in each usually works better. Tell us your dates and what you love, and we will shape the route around them.

Sightings are never guaranteed. Whale watching is regulated, but monitoring has been reported as weak, so we advise choosing an operator with care.

The Department of Wildlife Conservation decides this each year and the dates change. We check the current position before confirming a safari.

The climb is still possible outside the season, but bring a torch.

Six are cultural: Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya, Kandy, the Old Town of Galle and its Fortifications, and the Dambulla Cave Temple. Two are natural: the Central Highlands and the Sinharaja Forest Reserve.

The ETA must be requested online before arriving. Other nationalities should check the rules for their own passport on the official immigration website.

• Cards: Visa and Mastercard are the most widely accepted. Tell your bank you are travelling and ask about foreign transaction fees.
• Cash: carry rupees, in small notes, for small shops, markets, tuk-tuks, entrance tickets and tips.
• ATMs: easy to find in cities such as Colombo, Kandy and Galle, but less reliable in small towns, so withdraw before heading to rural areas.
• Changing money: use banks, airport exchange counters or licensed money changers only, and keep the receipts.
• Hotels: licensed hotels generally bill guests from abroad in foreign currency, so ask yours how to pay before you check out.

Check the bill first: many restaurants and hotels already add a service charge of about 10%, and then no extra tip is needed. These amounts are indicative, not fixed rates:

• Restaurants without a service charge: about 10%.
• Hotel porters and room staff: around 500 to 1,000 LKR.
• Safari drivers and local guides: around 500 to 1,000 LKR.
• Private driver or guide: on a multi-day trip, roughly 5 to 20 US dollars per day for the whole group, given at the end of the trip.
• Tuk-tuks and cafés: round up the fare or the bill.

Tips are easiest to give in rupees, and US dollars or euros are usually accepted for drivers and guides. Tip according to the service you received.

• Wi-Fi: widely available in hotels and many cafés.
• Tourist SIM: sold at the arrivals area of Colombo airport and in town by operators such as Dialog and Mobitel. Bring your passport, because the SIM is registered in your name.
• eSIM: some operators and travel eSIM providers offer one you can set up before you fly, which helps if you land late.
• Data: ask at the counter which package suits the length of your stay and how much you use maps and video.
• Us: you can message Thambili Tours on WhatsApp at +94 71 745 0858.

• Drinking and brushing teeth: sealed bottled, boiled or filtered water.
• Drinks: the Italian foreign ministry advises bottled or canned drinks without ice.
• Bottles: check the seal when you buy, and ask for drinks without ice in cafés and small restaurants.
• Food: freshly cooked, hot food is the safest choice, and fruit you peel yourself is better than pre-cut fruit or raw salad from street stalls.

If a stomach upset does not pass, see a doctor.

Wildlife, weather, road conditions and travel times are outside anyone's control, so sightings and conditions cannot be promised. Our journeys are shaped around the best places and times to look, and we will tell you about material changes and help find practical alternatives where possible.

Sri Lanka Railways runs its own online seat-reservation portal, and the Italian foreign ministry warns about fraudulent resale of train tickets, so we point you to the official site only. Our trains guide explains more.

This is one reason many travellers prefer a trip arranged with local partners. Our safety and health guide has the details and their sources.

Tell us how you like to travel and we will plan around it, including the pace and the kind of stays.

Sri Lanka Tourism runs a hotline for tourists on 1912 and an ambulance service for tourists on 1990. Your own embassy can also help, and you will have one point of contact from us during your trip.

• Clothing: light, loose, light-coloured clothes work best in the heat, and white is traditional. Avoid shorts, short skirts and sleeveless tops.
• Easy fix: carry a light sarong or scarf in your day bag to cover up quickly.
• Respect: do not pose for photos with your back to a Buddha statue, keep your head lower than a statue or monk where you can, and keep your voice down.
• Buddha images: avoid clothing or tattoos that show the Buddha. They are considered offensive and visitors have been expelled over them.
• Photos: ask before photographing people, and check the signs inside shrines.

Some Hindu temples have stricter rules, so ask your guide.

• Best time: go early, when it is cooler and quieter.
• Bring: water, a hat and sun cream, and wear shoes with good grip.
• Tickets: issued by the Central Cultural Fund, which also offers online eTickets.
• If you prefer not to climb: the gardens and museum at the foot of the rock are on level ground.

Tell us and we will plan the visit for the best time of day.

Other favourites:

• Kottu roti: chopped flatbread stir-fried with vegetables, egg or meat.
• Hoppers and egg hoppers: bowl-shaped rice-flour pancakes, with an egg cooked in the middle.
• String hoppers: steamed rice-noodle nests, usually eaten with curry and sambol.
• Seafood curry: fresh fish, crab or prawns, especially on the coast.
• Pol sambol: a spiced coconut relish served with many meals.
• To drink: king coconut water and Ceylon tea.

Sri Lankan food can be spicy, but restaurants and hotels used to visitors can usually make a dish milder if you ask. Tell us about any dietary needs and we will plan around them.

Tattoos showing the Buddha are considered offensive in Sri Lanka, and foreign visitors with them have been expelled from the country. Using a drone needs authorisation from the Civil Aviation Authority, and drug laws are very strict.