No doubt you’ll want to take your fair share of holiday snaps when in Sri Lanka. The country is extremely photogenic with its many historic and cultural relics, vibrant culture and beautiful wildlife and scenery. With smartphones and social media the desire to take that perfect holiday pic is as great as ever!

With this in mind, there are a couple of things you need to keep in mind when you’re taking photos in Sri Lanka.

Firstly, if you’re trying to capture the warmth nature of locals and their unique culture, please do ask permission before taking photos of them. The Sri Lankan people are well known for their welcoming nature but you should seek permission and sometimes be prepared to pay a tip.

Secondly, you should never take a picture of someone with their back to a statue of Lord Buddha (this should be stressed with the advent of the selfie!). This is deemed disrespectful to Lord Buddha and there can be penalties for doing so. Standing sides on is okay and probably the best way to go.

Being an island surrounded by rich pickings of the Indian Ocean, the seafood in Sri Lanka is to die for. The crab, lobster and prawns are like nothing you will have experienced at home and are highly recommended. Rice is the staple food of the island and if you order a curry you will receive a healthy portion of rice with a verity of different tasty curries made from various vegetables and seafood.

The island also has a rich assortment of fruits, such as coconuts, bananas, avocados, pineapples, mangoes, durian, mangosteen and gulsambilla.

A trip to Sri Lanka wouldn’t be complete without a ride on a tuk tuk (a three wheeled rickshaw). Of course, like many tourists spots you need to take some small measures to ensure you don’t overpay. We always advise people to speak to their hotel before using a local tuk tuk as they’ll usually be happy to advise the sort of price you’d expect to pay for a journey so you know you’re not paying over the odds. Also, it’s smarter to negotiate a price with the tuk tuk driver before a journey if its unmetered (i.e. there isn’t a display which shows the cost like a taxi) to leave no room for any surprises at the end! The vast majority of tuk tuk drivers are very friendly and respectful and it’s a great way to tour a city.

The buses in Sri Lanka are cheap but be advised that they are often quite crowded so they’re probably best for short journeys.

The trains in Sri Lanka provide a unique experience and we highly recommend the train ride from Pattipola through the tea plantations to Ella which showcases the best of Sri Lankan scenery.