Family Holiday: Sri Lanka & The Maldives Bespoke Holiday Itinerary / Experience Tour

Day 1 depart the uk

Fly from Heathrow to Colombo direct with Sri Lanka Airlines (departures from regional airports also possible).

Day 2 gampaha

Arrive be met by your chauffeur/guide who will transfer you to your first hotel The Hideaway– a gorgeous inland villa on a working farm estate – good food, relaxing pool and a great introduction to Sri Lanka – far away from the beaten tourist trail.

Day 3 & 4 cultural triangle

Travel to the ‘cultural triangle and check in at your hotel in time for lunch. Over the next few days visit the magnificent rock fortress of Sigiriya. It is important to climb Sigiriya either after or before the heat of the day has passed.

Also visit the ancient capital of Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka’s best preserved ruins and including the towering artistic achievement of the sleeping Buddha at Gal Vihara.  If your family is active, we can arrange for the site-seeing to be done by bicycle which is great fun and very feasible as the site is fairly compact.

You might with to visit the Cave Temples of Dambulla or perhaps by the pool in the grounds of The Sorrowa. The choice is yours!

Day 5 habarana

This morning we take an early morning elephant ride at Habarana, taking your elephant through the jungle and into a lake.

In the afternoon, transfer to your hotel in Kandy, before heading out to explore Kandy. We include a trip to the Temple of the Tooth that evening.

Day 6 kandy

In the afternoon, Peradinniya Botanical Gardens are an absolute must see; if the children are not interested in the beautiful flowers and plants, they are likely to be excited by the giant bats.

Day 7 tea country

Take the train this morning from Kandy to Haputale to stay at the picturesque Kelburne Estate Cottages. The train is a great experience as it trundles through the amazing scenery into the tea clad hills. Depending on the age and patience of your children you can either take the train for the whole duration, or drive to Nuwara Eliya and pick it up then for the shorter second section of the journey.

Day 8 tea country

There is much to enjoy up in the hills and breakfast overlooking one of the best views in Sri Lanka is not to be missed. However, we strongly recommend a short hike to ‘Lipton’s Seat’ another famous viewpoint where if you are lucky you’ll see all the way out to sea. We can also arrange a tour of Thomas Liton’s old tea factory at Dambatenne, which still uses machinery from a bygone era.  

Day 9 yala national park

Drive down out of the hills past the waterfall, Rawana Heights to the plains below and your hotel next to Yala National Park, and stay at The Safari.

Relax in the afternoon.

Day 10 yala national park

We have included one safari in Yala National Park, though for those keen on wildlife you might want to go in twice of increase your chances of exciting wildlife sightings.

Day 11 colombo

Today, you do the long drive back to Colombo. We suggest an early start – though remember it is your holiday and your choice!

Arrive in Colombo where you’ll have time for some shopping (Colombo has great bargains) and perhaps an afternoon city walk, which is one of our favourite activities in Sri Lanka. Stay at the centrally located  Lake Lodge.

Day 12-16 depart sri lanka for the maldives

This morning, take the short flight to Male where you’ll connect with your seaplane to take you to Lux* Maldives, your base for the next 4 nights. 

There is something for everyone here: a lagoon for swimming, a house reef for snorkelling and amazing diving nearby for divers. The facilities are brilliant too and the two rooms are fully interconnecting!

Extras in the Maldives are expensive – there is no getting away from that which is why we always suggest that families go in on an all-inclusive basis. Kids and grown-ups can eat and drink all they like without the fear of the bill at the end of the stay.

 Fly Home Day 16.

 - Direct International Flights with Sri Lankan Airlines

- All accommodation and meals as stated.

- Private vehicle with driver and airport transfers

- All taxes and surcharges.

Please note that the price of flights in particular can be higher during peak travel periods.