6 Unique Things to Do in Colombo, Sri Lanka

An Intro to Colomb

An Intro To Colombo

Colombo, Sri Lanka is the country’s largest population center. It’s an important shipping hub, with a active harbor and a constant influx of travelers at its international airport. The artificial port is one of the largest built in the world.

Colombo has a deep colonial and native history, seen in the intermixing structures and styles throughout the city. The city is further defined by a network of canals, long beachfronts, tropical wildlife, strange foods and the enormous Beira Lake found in the center.

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Advice When Visiting Colombo

Colombo is a great entrance point for Sri Lanka. It’s handles traffic well and there are plenty of trains, buses and cars leaving the city. I don’t recommend spending much time in the city, but it’s a good launching point when heading further out.

Go Slow

Colombo and Sri Lanka are both slow paced. There isn’t a culture of urgency, so be patient when waiting for buses, getting food or getting around. .

Sri Lanka is developing and growing very fast due to foreign investors and rapid political changes. The result is a considerable amount of construction throuhgout the island. Additionally, double check with locals to verify information. Even recent web resources can be outdated due to route changes every few months.

The people in Sri Lanka are incredibly friendly. They enjoy trying out their English while sitting on trains and buses. They’re generally very polite and willing to talk about nearly anything. Expect to be approached somewhat frequently.

Transport Around Colombo

Make sure to carry small bills around Colombo. The best way to get around the city is by tuk-tuks, but these rarely can handle large bills and provide change. The same is true for the dozens of hole-in-the-wall restaurants found on various streets.

Be wary of taxis. There are a fair number of scam stories about them.

Public transportation in Sri Lanka is an extremely effective way to get around, but they’re rarely on time. Buses tend to be louder and crowded. Trains are famously old, clattering but pleasant, with doors and windows open to see the scenery outside. If given the option, travel by train.

Weather

Dress for wet weather. Sri Lanka is notorious for rapid, powerful rain showers rolling in from the ocean. This is especially true during monsoon season (roughly May to September). If you plan your trip outside of Monsoon season, you’ll have far better, safer weather but larger crowds.

Holidays

Be aware that Sri Lanka bank holidays are based on the lunar calendar and lunar holidays. During these bank holidays, alcohol is not sold and some shops may be closed down or operate on a different schedule. These are called poya days.

Using Money in Sri Lanka

Cash is the only way to pay for most things in Sri Lanka. Cards are rarely accepted and are mostly used for ATM withdraws. Sri Lankan Rupees are the standard currency, but they are difficult to get from outside the country, so it’s best to exchange upon arrival. Get small bills, as most places have trouble providing change. US dollars, Pounds, Euros and even Chinese Yuan are often accepted at tourist sites, but these bills are preferred to be flat and without wrinkles.

Tipping isn’t necessarily a part of Sri Lankan culture, but it’s sometimes expected from foreigners, especially in the hotel and expat restaurant industry. The tip rate is about 10 percent, but it’s not required. Some taxi drivers and tuk-tuk drivers will refuse tips outright. Haggling for goods, especially fruit, is expected throughout the country.

Visiting Temples

If you’re traveling Sri Lanka as a male, bring attire with long sleeves. This is necessary to enter various religious sites. If you’re a woman traveling, bring or purchase a sarong for the same reason. Shoulders and knees must be covered when entering temples.

Be cautious about depictions of Buddha. Depictions of Buddha are venerated and respected in the country. While tattoos of Buddha and clothing depicting Buddha aren’t strictly illegal, people are very sensitive about it. Keep iconography covered and don’t pose disrespectfully for photos in front of Buddha statues. It is also considered disrespectful to purposefully turn a person’s back towards a statue of Buddha.

Photography in Sri Lanka isn’t allowed in all places. Pictures of certain temples and monks is prohibited. Photos of military sites are illegal. Taking pictures of the famed stilt fishermen or tea cultivators is fine, but expect people to demand payment, as they do this work for tourism.

Some temples and shrines are for practitioners only. Others have gender requirements. Listen to the guides out front regarding specific rules before entering.

Sri Lanka is full of Hindi, Buddhist and several Muslim temples. It is also home to stupas, ruins, monasteries and other holy relics. Nearly all of these have the same rules for entry. Headgear must be removed. Knees and shoulders must be covered. Shoes cannot be worn inside, though socks are sometimes allowed.

Manners

Eat with your right hand. Eating with the left hand is considered uncivilized. Traditionally, the right hand is used for eating and greeting others. The left is used for wiping in the bathroom.

Health and Safety

Do not drink or use Colombo’s tap water.

Bring bug spray. This is the tropics and there are mosquitos, after all.

Colombo in general and Sri Lanka at large is famous for it’s beaches and waves. However, the country is surrounded by strong currents. Be sure to go swimming in areas that have lesser currents or natural shelters, like bays and coves.

Food in Colombo

The tea and food in Colombo are obscenely good. This includes local specialties such as rice and curry street cart meals. There’s also Kottu Roti, which is veggies, spiced herbs and godamba roti diced on a hot surface. Independent salesmen on trains also sell something called Wade (Whayde), which are deep-fried dhal cakes. If you hear a jingling sound, similar to bells, it’s likely a man on a cart-bike selling local bread around neighborhoods.

Unique Things to Do in Colombo

Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque

A truly stunning and visually arresting mosque. This building is covered in ornate stripes and checkered with bright red and pale white.  Located in one of the oldest districts of Colombo, it’s visible from all surrounding neighborhood streets.  (Women may enter, but hair, arms and legs must be covered).

Pettah Floating Market

This floating market has been established by the Urban Development Authority to somewhat greenify Colombo. The market occurs on Beira Lake, with a number of floating stalls. The main venue is where a canal connects to the waterway. The area has been cleaned and renovated to provide an area for outdoor shopping, craft goods, tourism sites and food.

Urban Habitats

Colombo has unique freshwater bodies of water, park sanctuaries and wetlands scattered throughout the city. Many of these were designed as flood detention areas and rice paddy water sources in the 1500s. Now, these reservoirs are tucked away as refuges for native animals to live in the city.  Purple faced leaf monkeys, otters, land monitors, common monogeneses, Ceylon jackals and porcupines exist in and around the city. The most famous of these creatures is the elusive urban fishing cat, usually only spotted at night. Though there isn’t a single, specific urban habitat, Thalangama Lake and Lake Diyawanna are two of the more famous habitats.

Kelaniya Temple

The oldest and most sacred religious temple in Sri Lanka. The temple has a deep history regarding the development of Sri Lanka as a Kingdom power, prior to colonialism. It was also allegedly the site of Buddha’s third and last visit to Sri Lanka, eight years after gaining enlightenment. The temple is more than 2500 years old.

Kotte Raja Maha Viharaya

This ancient Buddhist Temple is somewhat quieter than other tourist locations.  It is an active temple with monk caretakers. Photography of the monks is generally not allowed. The temple also hosts a unique ironwood tree, also called a “Na Tree”.

Gangaramaya Temple

Gangaramaya Temple is a hybrid temple, incorporating Indian, Thai and Chinese architecture styles alongside traditional Sri Lankan Buddhist building techniques. The temple is the most famous in Colombo. It is situated atop a lake. The temple is home to dozens of seated Buddhist statues, and some other odd features, such as a stuffed elephant, ivory artwork, various styles of Buddhas and rows of seated figures.

Temple of Sri Kailawasanathan Swami Devasthanam Kovil (Captain’s Garden Kovil)

Colombo’s oldest Hindu Temple is covered in deities in a complex, visually bamboozling spectacle. The temple has major Hindi elements, including a vast array of colors, multitudes of gods, ornate shrines and carved elephants. Photos aren’t generally allowed unless explicit permission is secured prior to arrival.

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