Family Holidays to Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is an island of beauty and contrast and offers an enticing mix of relaxation and adventure for families, with a warmth and friendliness to match. Inland you will find fascinating world heritage sites, wild elephants and cool tea plantations. Whilst on the coast, you will find golden beaches lined with swaying palms and a choice of water sports to keep the whole family entertained. Sri Lanka is the perfect choice for those looking to include a little adventure or activity into their family holiday. It also makes a wonderful two-centre holiday when combined with the Maldives.
Sri Lanka is very good value for money and we can tailor-make an itinerary to suit the whole family. Our personal knowledge means that we can arrange visits to turtle hatcheries, mask-makers or tea plantations and let you know which hotels offer kids’ clubs, rooms specifically designed for families or baby-sitting to give you some well earned time to yourselves.
The best time to visit Sri Lanka is during our winter when the temperatures are more comfortable for sightseeing and humidity is lower. It is still worth considering May to September however, during the rainy season, when the landscapes are at their most green and vivid. At any time of the year, you may catch a local religious festival giving you a colourful glimpse into local life.
Highlights for Family Holidays in Sri Lanka
A jeep safari in a national park. Yala offers the best chance of seeing leopards and sloth bears as well as monkeys, elephants and birds in the wild. Yala Village is a nice place to stay. In the other parks such as Minneriya, Uda Walawe you will see monkeys, elephants and birds, but rarely a leopard. Yala is such a long way from Colombo, that we recommend you are on a 10-day to 2-week holiday to include it. There is also the option to stay in a luxury tented camp in a national park, set up just for your family.
Beaches. Bentota still offers the best range of activities for a beach holiday, with a watersports centre (on a sheltered river estuary/lagoon) and a good beach to play football or cricket, look for sealife and swim in calm waters between December to April. You can also visit a turtle hatchery here. Negombo is interesting for fishing boats, the fish market, canals, fashion shops (lots of cheap clothes for kids) and beach life. Find out more about Family Beach Holidays.
The hotels in the Cultural Triangle offer some good options for activities that children will enjoy. Activities include nature walks, visit to lakes, elephant rides, a jeep safari in Minneriya National Park (to see elephants mainly) and cycling.
Cricket matches. International matches take place in Dambulla, Kandy, Colombo and Galle. As cricket is Sri Lanka’s most popular sport, you are likely to come across a local cricket game on a field or beach.
Masked dance performances in Kandy. Children will enjoy watching the dancers and their intriguing masks.
Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage is popular with families as you can see the elephants bathing in the river and baby elephants playing and being fed.
Touring Holidays in Sri Lanka
We have put together an active family tour itinerary where we have chosen the most welcoming hotels for families. You can spot elephants in the wild or ride on elephant-back through a lake; learn to surf or mess about on the beach; visit a turtle hatchery or go on a whale-watch trip (in season). Alternatively, please contact us to create your perfect tailor-made itinerary.
See the 13-night Active Family Touring Itinerary for more details.