Travel guide Sri Lanka

#Ayurveda

Originally a traditional Indian medicine, Sri Lanka has developed over the centuries its own techniques of this discipline which uses medicinal plants to heal. Many establishments offer cures, fitness sessions, massages... However, be careful about the quality of the treatments offered.

#Cargills Food City

Founded by William Miller and David Sime Cargill in 1844, this commercial chain, whose first establishment was in Colombo on York Street, now has a small supermarket

in every town and village on the island. Very practical and popular with tourists, the brand is undoubtedly part of the country's heritage.

#Cinghalais

They account for 75% of the population and are said to be the descendants of Prince Vijaya, who arrived from Bengal in the ^6th century BC. The vast majority of Sinhalese are Buddhists. They are particularly proud to speak a language distantly derived from Sanskrit, Sinhalese, which is spoken by no one else in the world.

#Elephant

This pachyderm is the island's emblematic animal. During your stay, you can observe it in the wild in one of the country's many national parks or on the roadside. Bear in mind that these animals, despite their majestic serenity, can be unpredictable and dangerous. Don't approach them carelessly.

#Lipton

In 1890, Sir Thomas Lipton founded this brand, now internationally renowned for its teas from different countries. However, Ceylon was the birthplace of his first plantation, near Haputale in the Highlands. Previously considered a luxury product, he was able to democratize tea and make it accessible to all.

#LTTE

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. The memory of this Tamil organization is still fresh in the minds of the Sri Lankan people. Formed as a small army, financed mainly by European and Canadian Tamil immigrants, the LTTE enjoyed solid logistical support and even possessed a naval air fleet.

#Coconut

Coconut is ubiquitous in Sri Lankan daily life. Yellow coconut (king coconut) contains a refreshing juice, coconut milk and shredded coconut are used to make delicious dishes, and arrack, the national alcoholic beverage, is made by distilling fermented coconut blossom sap.

#Rice and curry

This is the country's most popular dish! It consists of a curry of meat, fish or seafood, a generous portion of rice, several vegetable curries offering different palettes of flavors and textures, all accompanied by papadum (a deep-fried cake made from bean flour) and condiments. A real delight.

#Sari

Women wear this colorful piece of cloth girded around the loins and draped over the shoulder. While modern Sri Lankan women, particularly in Colombo and Kandy, dress in Western style, the sari is still widely worn in the rest of the country. It is de rigueur for all official ceremonies, especially weddings.

#Tamoul

The word Tamil in French designates both a people and a language from southern India. The Tamils of Sri Lanka are either indigenous or descendants of Indian populations brought over by the British to work on the tea plantations. Mostly Hindu, they now account for around 15% of the population.

#Ceylon Tea

The tea produced on the island is one of its main treasures, and the plantations scattered across the hills of the Highlands offer exceptional scenery. However, the tea plant is not indigenous to the island: its cultivation was introduced in the ^19th century by the British, who imported trees from northeast India.