Sri Lanka Family Adventure

You and your family will be met on arrival into Colombo Airport and transferred to Negombo, where you can check into your hotel and spend the rest of the day chilling out on the pretty palm-backed beach, living the tropical life. Negumbo is famous for its huge fish market, and if you can drag the kids out of bed, you can observe (or even participate in) the fish auctions and chat to local fishermen - just remember to hold your nose!

After breakfast, continue to Sigiriya to see the famous Sigiriya Rock Fortress. Here, you’ll enjoy a guided tour of this towering 200-metre-high rocky outcrop, with its vertical walls leading to the ancient remains of a palace on its dramatic flat-topped peak, which offers a rather fabulous view of the jungle. The next day is yours to explore – perhaps pay a visit to Hiriwarduna to look for birds and monkeys and learn more about rural life and farming in this forested area (extra cost).

After checking out of your hotel, head to the World Heritage Listed Dambulla Rock Temple, where you’ll enjoy a guided tour of the magnificently decorated caves and giant Buddha statue. Later, stop at a Batik factory on the way to Kandy. In Kandy, you’ll admire the blooms in the Peradeniya Royal Botanical Garden and call in at some of Kandy’s highlights, including the temple and the lake, before enjoying an evening cultural show.

Hop on board your train to Nuwara Eliya, where you’ll be met on arrival. Nuwara Eliya is a beautiful hill town with a refreshing climate and luscious scenery, understandably popular with those in search of some peace and quiet. Brilliant green tea plantations stretch over the rolling hills, as far as the eye can see, making this a great place to sit and relax with a cuppa or two. Luckily for you, on arrival in town you’ll be driven to the Grand Hotel for high tea, with the rest of the afternoon yours free to explore.

The next day, join your guide for a tour of Nuwara Eliya, including the Racecourse, Hill Club Hotel and Gregory Lake before continuing to Udawalawe National Park. Here, you’ll join a guided safari through the park, which covers 30,821 hectares. Children will love looking out for elephants, sambar deer, buffalo, mongoose, bandicoots and foxes, as well as monitor lizards, crocodiles, sloth bears and if you are really lucky, leopards.

The final stop on your Sri Lanka adventure is Bentota, a beach town with a long sweep of golden sand. While you’re here, you’ll visit the Tukkawadu mask factory in Ambalangoda, famous for its colourful (and slightly creepy) kolam masks. You’ll also call in at the turtle hatchery in Kosgoda, where you can learn about the conservation of the local sea turtles, see the tiny babies and, if you are really lucky, watch them hatching, a wonderful experience for children.