Is Sri Lanka safe to travel?
As a female who travelled Sri Lanka alone, I can confirm that Sri Lanka is a pretty safe country to travel. I’m not into fear-mongering, or warning anybody against travel. But, there are some issues to be aware of. It’s always good to be aware of potential hazards, so that you can best avoid them. With that in mind here are some dangers of travelling Sri Lanka that you should consider, along with tips on preventing them…
10 dangers of travelling to Sri Lanka…
1. Getting followed by local men..
A lot of solo female travellers in Sri Lanka experience being followed and harassed by local men at some point. Particularly in the beach towns. Now if you’re travelling in a couple or as a guy alone, or in a group you’re likely not to experience this. However, if you’re a solo female traveller it is something to be aware of.
Luckily I was warned by quite a few female travellers who shared their personal experiences and it made me adapt my behaviour. For example, I was careful not to go out alone at night for this reason. I didn’t get followed, but did notice that by the beach the men seemed more… predatory.
Top tip: Stay in hostels in a central location where you’ll meet other travellers to enjoy nights out with. Make sure someone knows where you are going if you do go out alone at night. Guest houses are lovely but often located in more remote areas. They also don’t always follow basic procedures e.g. taking your passport number or a copy of it. So if something did happen, there’d be no record of you having ever been there.
Be mindful of how you dress. In the streets and on public transport don’t wear revealing clothing. You are giving off the wrong impression and you will attract more unwanted attention. Yes it’s the 21st century. Yes, that other woman is wearing tiny shorts. But trust me, you’ll feel much more comfortable in so many ways if you cover up. I wore loose cotton trousers and a t-shirt most of the time. I wear sunglasses to avoid eye contact, and wasn’t a target for any harassment.
2. Falling down the kerb and into the gutter.
I know, I know it sounds absolutely ridiculous. But I met no less than three travellers in 10 days in Sri Lanka who had to get medical treatment for injuries from falling down these lethal kerbs and into the gutter. Some are a few feet deep and often have sewage and dirty water at the bottom.
At night a lot of streets aren’t lit up. Imagine the scenario: you’ve had a drink or two, it’s dark, you walk off the pavement and boom, you have a twisted ankle or worse!
Top tip: Carry a torch at all times. I just take a little keyring LED one in my bag and it does the trick.
3. Be careful with your drinks.
There have been reports of locals spiking women’s drinks, particularly in the southern beach towns.
Tip: Ask for a bottle and open it yourself, or watch your drink being poured. I was also warned about this by a few locals as well as reading it online.
4. Crazy bus drivers.
Usually buses are the slowest vehicle on the road. Well, not in Sri Lanka. Some of these buses hurtle down the roads at genuinely frightening speeds, honking their horns at anyone in their way.
Tip: Use the trains where possible.
5. Mozzie bites.
Well, I’m not great at remembering to spray myself with chemicals or citronella and so ended up with quite a few bites. No-one wants to be covered in itchy red lumps and bumps. I’m not sure if this happens at every time of year, but certainly in March/April they were out in force!
Although malaria has been eradicated from Sri Lanka, dengue fever is a problem, and the mosquitos carrying these are most active during the day.
Tip: Bring an effective repellant (and actually use it!)
6. Sunburn and Sunstroke
The heat is intense– Sri Lanka is very close to the Equator. I saw a lot of people with lobster red sunburn.
Tip: Bring a high factor suncream, sunhat and wear loose, light clothing such as the awesome elephant pants which are sold everywhere here.
7. Injuries from the trains.
I myself had a close call with train travel when I nearly lost my foot (read about that here). But really, although it is cool to hang off the train, and it seems as though everyone does it, the trains can and do break down, change speed and occasionally even derail!
There aren’t strict regulations about walking on tracks here, other than the odd sign warning you that it is dangerous. Its not illegal to walk on the tracks as far as I’m aware, and you regularly see both locals and tourists doing it, including at the major stations.
Near the famous Nine arch railway bridge (which many people walk to along the tracks from Ella station, read more about that in my post here ). Now, I walked down to it and I was told by a local that the next train would be along at 1.30pm. Well it actually came a good 45 minutes before that and there was another shortly after. Train times, even the ‘official’ ones are not reliable and not always on time, so just be aware of that before walking down the tracks.
8. Strong Ocean Currents.
Over 1,000 people in Sri Lanka die each year from drowning in the ocean. Rip tides can be lethal. There are surprisingly few lifeguards on the Sri Lankan beaches and rules are rarely enforced. Despite beaches having red flags up, I saw many people swimming quite far out and nothing was said or done.
Tip: Obey the red flags!
9. Wildlife can be dangerous.
Sri Lanka has its fair share of wild animals. In the Unawatuna safari park, I had the most incredible encounter with elephants. However, the fact the cars get so close can lead to accidents and injuries, see this article. There are also a lot of stray dogs and monkeys around. Again just be wary of getting too close.
Tip: Make sure your tetanus vaccination is up to date just in case you get bitten.
10. Sickness and Diarrhoea.
The age old traveller problem of ‘Delhi belly’ can strike when you’re least expecting it. I was lucky enough to not be affected by it on this trip, but I met those who had been.
One thing I noticed in Sri Lanka was the amount of power cuts they had. This made me wary about how food was stored safely. Particularly in smaller places that won’t have their own generator. There are also flies everywhere.
If you’re not by the coast, think twice about how your prawns and fish have been stored. In a country where consumption of red meat is relatively low due to religion and cost, think twice about how it has been stored. I’d recommend avoiding meat altogether.
Although you can’t avoid it, you can minimize your risk. Take precautions: don’t use the local tap water to brush your teeth, close your mouth when you shower, don’t eat salad as it may have been washed with local water, eat fruits you can peel.
The local public toilets are also often disgusting and very unsanitary. Bathrooms often don’t have soap, sometimes not even running water. If the person preparing your food hasn’t washed their hands properly..hmm let’s not go there.
Tip: Take hand sanitizer and wet wipes everywhere. Even after washing your hands use hand sanitizer.
Final note:
Don’t let the potential risks put you off travelling. Just be aware of them. Everywhere has certain dangers and hazards and its important to know about them, but not to let them spoil your trip.
Please, please always take out adequate travel insurance which covers you for medical emergencies.
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