Confidence Guarantee - Read more
11 days

Sri Lanka with Children

Bring your children to Sri Lanka, where the time difference is reasonable and the distances are manageable. Discover the golden beaches of Negombo, the breathtaking highlands of the town of Ella and the wild elephants of Udawalawe.

Sri Lanka with Children
Sri Lanka with Children
11 days

Sri Lanka with Children

Bring your children to Sri Lanka, where the time difference is reasonable and the distances are manageable. Discover the golden beaches of Negombo, the breathtaking highlands of the town of Ella and the wild elephants of Udawalawe.

HomeAsiaSri LankaSri Lanka with Children
What is included in the price?
This package includes the following
  • Return flight from the UK to Colombo
  • 8 nights at 3 and 4-star hotels incl. breakfast
  • 2 x dinner (days 11-12)
  • Local English-speaking driver/guide on transfers and excursions
  • Travelling in a car or minibus with air conditioning
  • All transfers and excursions mentioned are in international groups of up to 14 people, and TourCompass’ own guests only.
  • 24-hour manned emergency hotline throughout the tour
  • ATOL certificate included
  • Departure guarantee – the tour goes ahead regardless of the number of participants

Extensive excursion package:

  • The Llelama fish market in Negombo
  • Scenic train ride from Nanu Oya to Ella
  • Hikes to Little Adam’s Peak and the Nine Arch Bridge in Ella
  • Visit to a tea factory in Ella
  • Ravana Falls and Buduruwagala Temple
  • Safari in Udawalawe National Park
  • Admission and fees to the sights and attractions mentioned

THE TOUR IN SHORT

Sri Lanka is a fantastic country to visit with children. The time difference is reasonable, the distances are manageable, and the experiences are extremely child friendly.

We’ve selected family friendly hotels with a swimming pool. An array of exciting experiences for the whole family are also included on the itinerary, but not too many, so you have plenty of time to relax along the way.

You get off to a gentle start in Negombo, where you’ll be staying right on the beach. Lie down on a sun lounger under the palm trees and build sandcastles in the warm, golden sand.

Your tour continues from here to the scenically situated city of Kandy, which through the generations has managed to maintain its unique traditions and culture, which can be experienced through music and dance in particular. This is also where you can visit the country’s most sacred temple, the Temple of the Tooth.

You’ll then go on a scenic train ride from Kandy through Sri Lanka’s highlands to the cosy, small town of Ella. In Ella, you’ll experience Little Adam’s Peak and the Nine Arch Bridge, as well as a tea factory, as Sri Lanka is world famous for its Ceylon tea.

The tour rounds off with an exciting jeep safari in Udawalawe National Park, where you keep a lookout for animals like the park’s numerous elephants.

If you haven’t had your fill of Sri Lanka, you can choose to extend the tour to include a beach holiday in either Mirissa or Hikkaduwa.

Why choose this tour

  • A great trip for the whole family, as the time difference is manageable, the distances are doable, and the experiences are world-class.
  • Get off to a gentle start on Negombo’s wide, golden sandy beaches, where you can enjoy the sun, swim and build sandcastles.
  • Experience Sri Lanka’s cultural capital, Kandy, and look forward to a scenic train ride through the fairy-tale highlands to the city of Ella.
  • Keep an eye out for elephants, bears, and crocodiles on an exciting Jeep safari in the Udawalawe National Park

Our prices always include

  • All international and domestic flights
  • All destination transfers
  • All specified excursions and activities
  • All accommodations
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Departure from selected airport

The day has finally arrived! Today is the day you set off from your selected airport and head to Sri Lanka with connecting flight(s) on the way.

Day 2: Arrival in Colombo – Negombo

You land at Sri Lanka’s international airport, Bandaranaike in Colombo. On arrival, you pick up your luggage and go through immigration. Your driver/guide is waiting for you in the arrivals hall, holding up an Asia Tours sign, and you will immediately sense the warm Sri Lankan hospitality. You will be driven to your beach hotel in Negombo, just a short drive away.

After check-in, you can relax after the long flight and get used to the warmer climate.

Accommodation:
Possible upgrades:
Day 3: Negombo on your own

There are no excursions planned for today, so the day is yours to do as you please. There is plenty of time to swim, play, build sandcastles and relax in the sun with a good book or podcast.

The beach in Negombo is wide and golden, and the palm trees sway gently in the light breeze. The sea can be a bit choppy, but luckily the hotel has a nice swimming pool.

If you fancy seeing a little, you can visit the lagoon south of the city, which is a unique wetland where you can experience the abundant wildlife or the 100-km-long Dutch canals that run through the city and which were originally a supply route for the Dutch administration during the colonial era.

In the evening, you can go for a lovely stroll along the beach and enjoy the beautiful sunset and colourful fishing boats with their batik sails.

Accommodation:
Day 4: Llelama fish market in Negombo – Kandy

Negombo is in fact an old fishing village and has been for many years. Early in the morning, you’ll be picked up from the hotel and driven to the city’s renowned fish market, Llelama. At the crack of dawn, the fishermen land the catch of the day, which is sold both at the market and to the rest of the island.

After the visit, you’ll be driven back to the hotel, where breakfast awaits.

You then check out before being driven to Kandy, which takes roughly 3 hours. Lean back, make yourself comfortable, and soak in all the new sights as they zip past the window.

On your arrival in Kandy, you check in at the hotel, and then the rest of the day is yours to do as you please.

Kandy is scenically located in a valley encircled by green mountains, tea plantations, rivers and waterfalls. The city has many wonderful, old colonial buildings, and at its heart sits Kandy Lake. We warmly recommend a stroll around the lake. On your way round, you can sit down on a bench and enjoy the view. At the northern end of the lake is Sri Lanka’s most sacred Buddhist temple, the Temple of the Tooth, which helped put Kandy on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1998.

Kandy is also known as the city that clung to its freedom long after the rest of the island came under colonial rule, and because Kandy managed to preserve its unique traditions and culture, which are alive and kicking to this day through music and dance.

Accommodation:
Possible upgrades:
Day 5: Kandy – Scenic train ride from Nanu Oya to Ella

In the morning, you can, if you so wish, help make your breakfast alongside the hotel chef.

Later in the morning, you check out, and your guide/driver picks you up from the hotel to drive you to Nanu Oya, where you’ll take the train to Ella. All you have to do is bring your hand luggage, as your guide/driver will drive your luggage all the way to Ella by car. We also recommend that on the day before your departure, you ask the hotel in Kandy to make a packed lunch for you (extra charge). However, it is possible to buy fruit, snacks and beverages from the local vendors walking around outside the train at the various stations.

Travelling by train in Sri Lanka is a wonderful experience. These are not modern trains like those we’re used to at home, but we can guarantee you the experience of a lifetime. Not only do you get close to the local people, but you also get to experience the enchanting nature, so make sure you have your camera at the ready. Through the large windows or from the open train carriage, you’ll see sleepy little villages and green-clad mountains, scenic tea plantations and cascading waterfalls as the train winds its way through the landscape. After around 3 hours, you arrive at Ella train station. Your guide/driver is there to meet you, and he’ll drive you the last stretch of the way to the hotel in Ella, which is absolutely fabulous.

After check-in, you can enjoy the rest of the day on your own.

In the evening, you can head down to town and enjoy dinner at one of the cosy little cafés or restaurants along the main street – where a relaxed and beautiful atmosphere awaits you.

Day 6: Little Adam’s Peak – The Nine Arch Bridge - Tea factory visit

Today, you head out to experience why Ella is so amazing! After breakfast, a scenic hike to “Little Adam’s Peak” awaits you. The mountain is named after its big brother, Adam’s Peak, which stands twice as tall at 2,243 metres.

You are picked up from the hotel and driven to the starting point of the hike. The climb to the top of Little Adam’s Peak is manageable, making it suitable for families. At a relaxed pace, you can reach the top in about 1–1½ hours. The route is relatively flat and takes you along narrow paths and through green tea plantations. You might even be lucky enough to meet tea pickers on their way to and from work. Take your time so you can enjoy the view from the many lookout points. On the last part of the route, you ascend a staircase of 350 steps. This might sound like a lot, but it is doable for most people. At the top, you are rewarded with a fantastic view of Sri Lanka’s enchanting highlands and rolling peaks.

Back in the car, you drive on to “Nine Arch Bridge”, which was built during the British colonial era. You have almost certainly seen pictures of the bridge if you have ever searched for pictures of Sri Lanka, as it is one of the country’s most iconic and most photographed landmarks. The bridge is 30 metres tall and built exclusively of brick, stone, and cement – completely without the use of steel!

The trip here is incredibly scenic. Along the railway lines, you’ll see lizards nesting in the grass, as well as squirrels and different bird species hiding in the trees.

There, at the heart of this mountainous scenery, surrounded by lush tea plantations and tall, skinny trees, is Nine Arch Bridge, known in Sinhalese as “Ahas Namaye Palama”, meaning Nine Heavens Bridge. This is because, when you stand under the bridge and look up, you can see “9 heavens” through its nine arches. Remember to keep your camera at the ready in case you happen to see a train go by.

Afterwards, there is a lunch break at a local restaurant.

Sri Lanka is world famous for its tea production, so after lunch, you visit a tea factory, where you’re given a guided tour and experience the entire process from when the leaves are picked, until the tea sits steaming in your cup. Several of the machines used are more than 150 years old, and techniques have changed little since the 1800s – a deeply fascinating process! After the tour, you have the opportunity to taste different types of tea, and to buy some to bring home.

You are then driven back to the hotel.

Day 7: Ella on your own

There are no excursions planned for today, so you can enjoy Ella at your own pace. Relax by the hotel pool and soak in the gorgeous view, or explore more of the area on your own.

Day 8: Ella – Ravana Falls – Buduruwagala Temple – Udawalawe

After breakfast, you’ll be picked up from the hotel and driven towards Udawalawe. Along the way, there’s a stop at the 25-metre Ravana Falls, named after legendary Sri Lankan King Ravana. He was said to have kept Princess Sitha hidden in the caves behind the waterfall, which are now known as Ravana Cave.

From here, you continue to the Buduruwagala Temple, which is renowned for its impressive and well-preserved rock carvings that date back to the 9th or 10th centuries. At the middle of the rock face is a 16-metre-tall Buddha statue, surrounded by six smaller statues showing the Buddha in different meditative poses. The level of detail and artistic precision is simply incredible!

You are then driven directly to the hotel, where you can spend the rest of the day however you want, so you can enjoy the pool and the hotel’s other facilities, etc.

Day 9: Safari in the Udawalawe National Park

Today, you’re going on an exciting Jeep safari to the Udawalawe National Park. There are not nearly as many visitors here as at Yala National Park, and so naturally you enjoy a completely different experience.

The Udawalawe National Park was established in 1972 and covers an area of over 300 km2. The park is best known for its large population of elephants. In fact, Sri Lanka’s biggest concentration of elephants is to be found here in Udawalawe, and the park is said to be home to no fewer than 500 elephants!

The landscape is open and there are several large water reservoirs, which are a major draw for the elephants in particular.

In addition to elephants, you can also see water buffalo, sloth bears, wild boars, crocodiles, Sambar deer, macaques, monitor lizards and pangolins. There are also leopards living here, but you need to be beyond lucky to see them. If you like birds, you have a treat in store for you! Here, you can see hornbills, bee-eaters, kingfishers, rollers, peacocks, owls, storks and eagles.

You drive with a ranger who knows the park inside and out. He knows where the animals go, and he’s an expert in finding their tracks in the open landscape.

Remember your binoculars and camera!

After the safari, you are driven back to the hotel, where you can enjoy one last evening in Udawalawe.

Day 10: Departure day

Today, you start your trip home. You are picked up from the hotel and driven to the airport in Colombo, from which you’ll fly back to Europe, with connecting flight(s) on the way.

Day 11: Arrival back home

You land at the airport of your choice after a memorable, adventure-filled holiday.

Combine with
Choose from the options below
Beach holiday extension in Mirissa
3 nights

The best time to visit Mirissa is from December to April.

Mirissa is a lovely seaside town on the southern tip of Sri Lanka. The town is quiet, with a fabulous, chilled atmosphere where you can really unwind. With its coconut palms swaying over the beach and its clear, warm waters, Mirissa truly is a holiday paradise.

Mirissa is also known as one of the best places in Sri Lanka to spot whales, and dolphins are never far away either. The warm Indian Ocean provides these amazing giants with unique living conditions, and you’re in with a chance of experiencing blue whales, fin whales and sperm whales.

The wind and currents can be strong here on this stretch of coast, even in high season. If this is the case, you can head for the pool or visit the nearby Secret Beach, where a small pool has been created from the surrounding rocks, which protect the beach from waves. It’s the perfect place to swim and relax.

If you’re into snorkelling, one of the best places is at Perrot Rock. The water here is relatively calm, as the bay is protected by a reef further out. There is plenty of opportunity to see beautiful, colourful fish here, and if you’re lucky, you’ll also see sea turtles.

Along the beaches, you’ll find a handful of good restaurants where you can enjoy delicious grilled fish and seafood dishes, while the waves lap the shore a few metres away.

A perfect and popular place to watch the sun set is Coconut Tree Hill, which is covered in coconut palms. There is a local bar here where you can enjoy a chilled drink while the sky is painted in the most beautiful colours.

The extension includes a 3-night beach holiday at a hotel with half board as well as transfers.

Beach holiday extension in Hikkaduwa
3 nights

The best time to visit Hikkaduwa is from December to March.

Located on the south-western coast of Sri Lanka, Hikkaduwa is a lovely seaside town buzzing with life. The main street Galle Road runs along the coast and is lined with hotels, eateries, diving schools, small kiosks and shops.

The town’s main attraction is the golden sandy beaches with their fine sand and swaying coconut palms. Stone seawalls have been built off the town’s western beaches, Hikkaduwa Beach and Turtle Beach, to break the waves, making them ideal for swimming and bathing. Out by the seawalls, you’ll find the coral reef which has made the town so popular with those who like diving and snorkelling. Besides the coral reef, you’ll also find colourful fish and large sea turtles. Did you know that 5 out of the world’s 7 species of sea turtles breed in Sri Lanka?

If you’re more into big waves and windsurfing, you should head to Narigama Beach, situated to the east. It offers a surf school and the possibility of renting surfing equipment.

If you’d like to experience another side of Hikkaduwa entirely, you can veer off the main street and head further inland, where you’ll find lush surroundings, children playing the dusty streets and small stalls and shops selling fresh fruit. You’ll enjoy a quietness here that you just don’t get nearer the beach.

After a day on the beach, you can visit one of the cosy beach restaurants, where fish and seafood dishes feature heavily on the menus. Lobster is particularly popular in Hikkaduwa.

At sunset, you can go for a stroll along the beach with your toes buried in the sand to the sound of the waves lapping the shore.

The extension includes a 3-night beach holiday at a hotel with half board as well as transfers.

When would you like to travel?
Departure dates
All prices shown are per person
Special offers for groups of 6 or more. Request a quote today for more info.
REVIEWS
Travellers' tales
BEFORE YOU TRAVEL
Good to know
Asia
Laura Arundell Trelborg

Laura loves to travel and is extremely passionate about helping others achieve their travel dreams.

Opening hours
Monday-Thursday 9-15
Friday 9-13
JOIN THE ADVENTURE
Related tours
WHY TRAVEL WITH TOURCOMPASS?
Why people choose us
  • Personal service by travel experts with first-hand knowledge
  • Dedicated booking team ensures a smooth journey
  • 24/7 assistance while on tour
  • Well-planned itineraries with thoughtfully selected highlights
  • All tours include flights, transfers and accommodations
  • Various options available to tailor your tour
  • Accommodation in great locations
  • Carefully selected local guides with comprehensive knowledge
  • Favoured by thousands of guests since 2006
  • All tours tried and quality checked by our own team
  • Long-term relationships with an extensive network of partners
  • We guarantee you the best prices
  • Excellent working relationships with our partners ensure the best quality and prices
  • We optimise our logistics and processes so you only pay for what matters the most
  • ATOL protected
  • Member of ABTA
  • Personal liability insurance
EXPLORE
Check out all our exciting destinations