Due to the location of Sri Lanka, within the tropics between 5o 55' to 9o 51' North latitude and between 79o 42' to 81o 53' East longitude, the climate of the island could be characterized as tropical.

You are allowed to bring into the country duty free 1.5 litres of spirits, two bottles of wine, a quarter-litre of toilet water, and a small quantity of perfume and souvenirs with a value not exceeding US $250. The import of personal equipment such as cameras and laptop computers is allowed but must be declared on arrival. However, personal equipment must be taken out of the country upon the visitor's departure. The import of non-prescription drugs and pornography of any form is an offence.

On leaving the country you are allowed to export up to 10kg of tea duty free. No antique, defined as anything more than 50-years-old - rare books, palm-leaf manuscripts and anthropological material - can be exported without permission from the National Archives and Department of Archaeology. For more details, please visit www.customs.gov.lk

Visitors to Sri Lanka bringing in more than US$10,000 should declare the amount to the Customs on arrival. All unspent rupees converted from foreign currencies can be re-converted to the original currency on departure as long as encashment receipts can be produced.

The local currency is the Sri Lankan Rupee, divided into 100 cents (you rarely come across cents today). Currency notes are Rs.5,000, Rs 2,000, Rs 1,000, Rs 500, Rs 100, Rs 50, Rs 20 and Rs10. Beware of mistaking the Rs 500 note for the somewhat similar Rs 100 note. To check whether notes are genuine when not given at a bank, look for the lion watermark. Coins, should you receive them, will be in denominations up to Rs 10.

Sri Lanka Standard Time is five and a half hours ahead of GMT. (Allowance should be made for summer-time changes in Europe)

230 - 240 volts, 50 cycles AC. If you travel with a laptop computer bring a stabilizer.

Minor health problems can always be treated by doctors with practices in the resorts and elsewhere in the country. If you have a more serious problem, Colombo now boasts a selection of modern, well-equipped private hospitals offering the latest in conventional medical and surgical therapies. A growing number of foreigners are taking advantage of affordable, high quality private healthcare in Sri Lanka, and combining it with the chance to take a holiday.