Most essentials are available in the cities, items are cheap and laundry services generally speedy. Take light cotton clothes – it is a good idea to have some very lightweight long sleeve cotton tops and trousers in pale colors for evenings, as they also give some protection against mosquitoes. It can be cool at night in the Central Highlands and some warm clothing is essential.
Dress is usually informal, though one or two clubs and hotels expect guests to be formally dressed at evening meals. In Colombo short sleeved shirts and ties are often worn for business. For traveling, loose clothes are most comfortable.
Trainers or canvas shoes are good options for protecting feet against cuts and so on. Women should dress modestly. Even on the beach, very revealing swimwear attracts unnecessary attention.

Helpful checklist

• Toiletries, including barrier contraceptives and tampons
• Personal medicines and inhalers and a copy of a prescription
• International driving license
• Photocopies of essential documents – flight ticket, passport identification and visa pages
• Spare passport photographs
• Hat and sunglasses
• Insect repellant
• Sun protection cream
• Swiss army knife
• Torch
• Wet wipes
• Zip lock bags
• Contact lens cleaning solutions