Asia · South Asia, Indian Ocean

Sri Lanka

Capital · Colombo

Tea-terraced hills, Sigiriya rock fortress, and a train ride through Ella worth the whole trip.

🇱🇰Colombo
The essentials

Sri Lanka at a glance

Capital
Colombo
Region
South Asia, Indian Ocean
Currency
Sri Lankan rupee (LKR)
Languages
Sinhala · Tamil
Dialling code
+94
Plan around it

Public holidays & key dates in Sri Lanka

Dates shift year to year where a holiday follows a lunar or religious calendar. Check locally before you book flights or count on offices being open.

Feb 4Independence DayFrom Britain, 1948
Apr 13–14Sinhala & Tamil New Year
MayVesak date varies date variesLantern-lit streets
MonthlyPoya days date varies date variesEvery full moon is a holiday
Getting in

Visas for African passports

Entry rules for Sri Lanka differ sharply depending on which African passport you hold — visa-free for some nationalities, e-visa for others, embassy application for the rest.

The AfricAsia Passport Index checks every African passport against this destination, with the current route and a plain-language note on what officers ask for.

Check your passport →
On the ground

Ask before you land

Rent, agents, hospitals, halal and African groceries, church and mosque, where people actually meet on a Sunday — the answers live with the people already there.

The Sri Lanka channel in the Hub is free, open, and moderated by members who live in the country.

Open the Sri Lanka channel →