Travel in Sri Lanka

If anywhere deserves the title of a true year-round destination, it’s Sri Lanka.

Botswana is one of Africa’s most stunning safari destinations, famed for its high-end, low-impact tourism model, vast fence-free national parks and spectacular wildlife. And there's good news for travelers: many visitors can get a visa on arrival and start exploring.

Under a pilot program, Sri Lanka will be issuing free tourist visas through next March to visitors from seven countries: India, China, Russia, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia. This initiative is part of Sri Lanka’s broader strategy to revitalize its tourism sector and achieve a target of 5 million arrivals by 2026.

Uber will enable users to book hot air balloon rides in popular Turkish tourist destination Cappadocia as part of its strategy to make further inroads in the tourism industry.

That’s how Kumar opened Booking’s “How India Travels” report release on Wednesday in Delhi, which cited several reasons for the optimism: 

India is looking to institute a “Swachhata (Cleanliness) Rating Framework” designed to evaluate tourism businesses, such as hotels and homestays, according to Tourism Secretary V Vidyavathi.

For sparkling beaches, sapphire-blue waves, lilting palm trees, emerald hills and the scent of seafood hanging on the breeze, come to Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka may be known as the teardrop isle (due to its distinctive shape), but the country’s refreshingly straightforward visa system shouldn’t be a source of too much anguish for travelers. 

Sri Lanka may only be small, but thanks to its jungle-clad mountains, golden sandy beaches, abundant wildlife in their natural habitats, and spice-laden cuisines, the island nation ensures visitors are never bored.

Floating in tropical waters off the southern tip of India, Sri Lanka is defined by its gentle Buddhist culture, friendly people and laid-back way of life, despite its troubled recent history.

Embracing the fervor of the Cricket World Cup in India, MakeMyTrip is diving headfirst into the event that’s expected to attract a massive audience. In its latest campaign, the online travel company is enlisting cricket superfans to ensure the quality and hospitality standards of its homestays and villas.

Anantara Hotels and Resorts has rolled out its ‘Dollar for Deeds’ program at its properties globally, having originally launched the initiative at select hotels in Thailand almost ten years ago.

A recent report ten years in the making recently boldly selected The World’s 50 Best Hotels. So what makes a great hotel?

Ideal conditions await you in Lamu, the island off mainland Kenya, in January: skies are clear, waters are translucent for diving and snorkelling, and afternoon sea breezes keep temperatures balmy. It can be busy early in the month, but the archipelago has plenty of hidden corners where you can find solitude.

Most mornings, around 6:30, Tharshan Selvarajah arrives at the Élysée Palace, seat of the French presidency, and unloads around 30 baguettes into the security scanner.

When I reach Galaha in Sri Lanka’s central highlands, the sun is high in the sky and the streets are clouded with dust. Tuk-tuks rattle around women in red saris flecked with gold, narrowly missing the one-eyed dog sleeping in the road. Amid the honking and coconut selling, I hear a familiar sound — Beethoven’s Für Elise — moving closer, crackling from a tuk-tuk selling fish buns, and bringing with it the smell of freshly baked bread. 

There’s a lot to be excited about in the food world right now, with plenty of anticipated restaurant openings to keep track of. This fall, some of our favorite chefs are expanding to new cities, transitioning pop-ups into permanent spaces, and reviving the restaurants that their fans were sad to see go. In Chicago, a decorated chef will pay tribute to his roots at a new spot serving both traditional and reimagined Ukrainian dishes. And chef Sam Fore, the self-described “Sri Lankan snack queen,” will launch the long-awaited brick-and-mortar location of Tuk Tuk Snack Shop, her pop-up restaurant in Lexington, KY. The menu will highlight the commonalities between Sri Lankan cuisine and the flavors of the American South.

When Kolamba first opened in 2019, many diners who walked into the charming eatery in central London’s Soho district weren’t familiar with Sri Lankan cuisine.

Nothing captures the Indian Ocean quite like rum — and it has a long history in the region. Sugarcane, the key ingredient, has been cultivated for the fiery brew in India for thousands of years, and the spirit has been distilled in Réunion and Mauritius for centuries. Today, the local rum industry is still small, but quality is improving all the time with many producers drawing the eyes of the world.      

While it’s a popular holiday destination year-round, deciding on the best time to visit Sri Lanka can depend on several factors, from the areas you plan to visit to the activities you want to enjoy. The country’s position in the Indian Ocean means it experiences several different weather systems, so travelers seeking sunny climes should be able to find what they are looking for at most times of year. 

Launching its first service from Milan Bergamo in 2009 with operations to Casablanca, the longterm success of the Moroccan route has led to the airline group continually strengthening its presence at the airport.