Sri Lanka Family Holidays

Take the Family is a travel agency specialising in active, adventure and luxury holidays. Your personal travel advisor will create the perfect Sri Lanka holiday for your family, with expert advice and dedicated support throughout.

Why Sri Lanka is perfect for family holidays with kids

If you’re looking for something different, Sri Lanka is your place. As well as plenty of picture-postcard beaches for easy days spent splashing in the shallows, there’s the cultural side of the island with its impressive ancient cities (a legacy of the melting cultural pot of Muslim, Tamil and Sinhalese), temples and ruins, all made more attractive to kids by the wildlife dripping from the trees (mainly birds and monkeys). And animals only previously seen in school textbooks make their home here – the promise of a glimpse of a leopard or elephant will stir even the most recalcitrant of teenagers from their sun-lounger.

Family holidays to Sri Lanka

Book a holiday in Sri Lanka with Take the Family and meet friendly people, feast on fantastic food and enjoy cheap and fun transport – your children will love the experience of getting from A to B in a tuk tuk, trundling past lush tea plantations by train, or taking a bike tour of the sights. There are plenty of organised trips to Sri Lanka to that will keep kids entertained, and lots to enjoy even if you come to Sri Lanka with toddlers or visit Sri Lanka with a baby.

Sri Lanka is easy to combine with glitzy Dubai or the tropical paradise of the Maldives for an interesting two-centre holiday. Ask us about combining Dubai with Sri Lanka, or about Sri Lanka and Maldives holiday packages.

As a specialist UK travel agency, we can tailor-make the perfect family holiday in Sri Lanka for your family. Contact one of our travel advisors now and let's discuss your dream trip.

Below is everything you need to know to inspire the most memorable of Sri Lanka family holidays.

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The best things to do in Sri Lanka with kids

Wildlife in Sri Lanka

Yala National Park Safari

Ask us to book you a Sri Lanka Jeep safari in Yala National Park; you might get to see a leopard.

Kosgoda Turtle Hatchery

Don't miss the Kosgoda Turtle Hatchery, one of 18 turtle care centres along the south coast. Five species of turtle that are seen around Sri Lanka nest in Kosgoda, making this the best spot to see the different kinds, help feed them and perhaps even watch hatchlings be released into the ocean.

Hikkaduwa Beach and Marine Life

Discover Hikkaduwa Beach, one of Sri Lanka's best beaches, protected by a reef with shallow waters; you may get to swim near leatherback turtles and dolphins, or you can see them on a glass-bottomed boat trip.

Activities for Adventure Holidays in Sri Lanka

Kitulgala: Outdoor Adventures

Head to Sri Lanka's adventure hub Kitulgala for outdoors adventures particularly great for those travelling in Sri Lanka with teens, including whitewater-rafting, kayaking, canyoning, abseiling and jungle treks.

Surfing in Sri Lanka

Go surfing in Sri Lanka, on the south-west coast around Ahagama and Weligama Bay, or in the east around Arugam Bay; some surf schools offer kids' tuition.

Culture and History in Sri Lanka

Dambulla Temples

Head to Dambulla with its impressive temples to Buddha (including a vast golden one in the lotus position in the square) then on to the reclining Buddha and cave paintings. Hawkers along the route sell melons if you need cooling down.

The Cultural Triangle

Amble around the Cultural Triangle of Kandy, Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa, all ancient capital cities. As well as housing Buddha’s tooth (in the Temple of the Tooth), Kandy, historical bastion of Buddhist power, has a small but good National Museum, botanical gardens to run around, and local arts and crafts to browse. Polonnaruwa, a backdrop for Duran Duran’s Save a Prayer video, is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Sigiriya Rock Citadel

Don't miss the UNESCO-listed, 650m-tall rock citadel of Sigiraya – one of the wonders of the world.

Galle and Colombo

Discover Galle, the former capital, with good beaches, good shopping and an ancient fort that’s fun to clamber around. Its incongruous Dutch appearance is a reminder of its colonial heritage. The current capital Colombo is a bustling city also with beaches, shopping, museums and markets, but it can get very crowded.

Flamingoes in Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan food: what families and kids will enjoy eating

Fresh Seafood by the Coast

Kids love watching their supper arrive by boat along the coast, making mealtimes fun and interactive.

Sri Lankan Hoppers

Kids (and adults) tend to also love Sri Lankan hoppers - bowl-shaped pancakes made out of rice flour and coconut milk and served with various fillings that can include a fried egg or curry.

Learn to Cook Sri Lankan Food

How about learning to make Sri Lankan food while you're here? Many places, including home stays, offer immersive cookery classes. We can include one on your tailor-made Sri Lanka itinerary, or hands-on cooking lessons are often included in the organised Sri Lanka family holidays we can book you onto with one of our well-established partners, perhaps preceded by a tour of a local market.

Traditional 'Short Eats'

Don't miss ‘short eats’ – traditional café fare descended from British-rule high tea: you're served a plate of sandwiches, sausage rolls and pastries and pay for what you eat.

Train travel in Sri Lanka

The best time to visit Sri Lanka with kids

Peak season: December-April

The best time to go to Sri Lanka is from December until the end of April, but note that it can get extremely hot here, even in the cool seasons.

Monsoon seasons in Sri Lanka

The amount of rain in the monsoon seasons varies on where you’re going, and we can help you plan your Sri Lanka holiday accordingly - the monsoon in the north-east lasts December-March, in the south-west it's June–October.

Elephants in Sri Lanka

How to get to Sri Lanka from the UK

Flights from the UK to Sri Lanka include non-stop options taking around 11 hours. We can book flights, direct or indirect (and often cheaper), as part of your bespoke Sri Lanka holiday.

Sri Lanka is GMT+5 hours 30 minutes so you will probably experience some jet-lag on the outward leg.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Family Adventure Holiday

Shangri-La Hambantota

Earl's Regency

Heritance Tea Factory

Wild Coast Tented Lodge