The past weekend saw the Sri Lankan New Year celebrations, so we decided we’ll provide a halal friendly insight into this awesome little country.
Located off the tip of India, Sri Lanka’s subtle nuances set it apart from it’s famous neighbour. This compact island has a multi-ethnic culture, combining Buddhist culture, with Tamil, Malay, Dutch, Portugese and a significant Muslim population.
Boasting eight world class UNESCO heritage sites, including the Imperious Sigiriya rock (a must see on any trip to Sri Lanka), the fortified city of Galle, and the virgin Sinharaja Rainforest; Sri Lanka is so much more than a beach and flop destination. Surprisingly, Sri Lanka is also home to some of the best wildlife experiences outside of Africa. Yala National Park hosts the highest density of Leopards anywhere in the world, and spotting one of these elusive cats is a thrill not to be missed. Along with the largest land mammal on earth; the Elephant, Sri Lanka also is one of the best places on earth to view the world’s largest mammal; The Blue Whale. Some of the best sightings have been seen off the south coast and provides nature lovers with an unparalleled experience for exceptional value.
Heading inland, the hill country of Nuwara Eliya lies 2500m above sea level, a great place to cool down and sample some of the best tea in the world. Kandy, a town full of hubbub and culture is only a couple of hours away, as is Pinawella Elephant Orphanage, home to sixty placid giants and a must do on a trip to Sri Lanka.
Why we like Sri Lanka
Unlike its larger neighbour India, Sri Lanka doesn’t feel claustrophobic or over-populated even in the capital Colombo. The main attractions lie away from the coast and strongly recommend spending 4 or 5 days exploring the interior of the country and the rest of your time on the coast to get a real feel for the country.
Halal Friendly Sri Lanka
All the hotels we suggest provide halal food, however note that they do serve pork in some of the hotels. Rest assured, they do cook and prepare pork products separately to halal products as many of their guests are Muslim from the Middle East, and Muslims in Sri Lanka. Ensuring the hotel food is halal is important as with many of the hotels we suggest there are limited food options outside the hotels unless you’re in a main city such as Colombo.
There are many mosques around the country, however sparse in the rural areas north of Habarana. In the coastal areas, Colombo, Galle and the East coast there are significant Muslim populations.
There are only a handful of hotels providing private swimming pools in individual rooms, and they do fetch a premium. We suggest Serene Pavilions with their large one bedroom pavilions, or the Saman Villas in Bentota as an alternative.
Overall, Sri Lanka is very accessible for Muslims to enjoy a halal friendly holiday
For more information or for a suggested itinerary, visit our website for halal friendly travel inspiration.
Halal Friendly Travel 