Expect the Unexpected on a Family Holiday in Sri Lanka
From the Pool to the Beach And Then A Safari To Find What’s In The Elephants’ Poop
Sri Lanka is an island of spectacular contrasts.
Watch the sun sink across an enormous sky, as you loll around by a pool listening to swaying coconut palms, only to see it rising the next morning as you walk along a green rice field in Sri Lanka with your kids, watching farmers harvest their paddy. A few hours later, you might be on safari inside a Sri Lanka wildlife park, with an expert naturalist keeping your kids enthralled with stories of how baby elephants grow and the scoop on their poop!
Whether you’re looking for a summer family holiday to Sri Lanka or an Easter break, expect the unexpected with Ayu in the Wild. Specialists in tailor made family holidays in Sri Lanka for the curious family, these private holidays have all the luxury you need, juxtaposed with immersive adventures that won’t disappoint.
Take a look at three unique family holiday ideas below.
SRI LANKA ITINERARY 1:
Beaches and Rainforests, Elephants and Ceylon Tea Mountains
Sri Lanka will make you wonder whether any other family holiday can match its diversity.
Here is an island in South Asia that has all the right ingredients to make a good family holiday destination. Mountains with train rides, rainforests with wide eyed monkeys, temples that reach the skies, elephants everywhere and beaches within easy reach of everything. With beautiful family resorts and villas generously scattered across the island where bedrooms that are sun dappled magnificent living spaces open onto spacious gardens that then roll away to infinity pools; a family adventure holiday to Sri Lanka hits all the sweet spots, for all ages. See below for 14 day family adventure holiday itinerary overview.
14 DAY FAMILY ADVENTURE HOLIDAY IN SRI LANKA
Days 1-5: Beach and Rainforest Adventures:
Explore the beaches of Galle, Mirissa, Tangalle or Bentota to help your kids kick off jet lag. Paint masks. Spend your mornings learning to surf or be surprised by the sight of a turtle while you snorkel. Canoe in lagoons or sail away on a yacht to see the tail fluke of a gigantic Blue Whale. Take your kids cycling through rice paddies, walk through rainforests to identify endemic monkeys and colourful birds, lizards and frogs. Splash around in cool streams, listen to the cacophony of the bird-wave in Sinharaja and fall asleep to the sound of night Crickets.
Days 6-9: Wildlife Photography Adventures:
Learn great photography tips for wildlife on privately guided safaris with a specialist guide searching for leopards at sunrise and elephants at sunset in Udawalawe national park and an uncrowded block of Yala national park. Enjoy bush dining by a river and walks through sugar cane fields.
Days 10-12: Mountains and Ceylon Tea Adventures:
Meet mountain farmers and their young families on a low carbon footprint adventure that supports our ‘Trees For A Purpose’ Campaign. Chug along the railway tracks on epic train rides and explore green upon shades of green on soft treks through Ceylon tea mountains. Meet the faces of Ceylon tea and learn about faith and traditions in their communities.
Days: 13-14: Heritage Adventures:
Spend your days on a learning holiday with food, faith, traditions and spices. Cultural heritage adventures in Sri Lanka can be tailor made depending on the interest levels of kids. Be awed by a Poojah at the Temple of the Tooth Relic, relish the colours and smells on a local market walk, enjoy delicious street food or dabble your hands in a spice and curry experience.
ACCOMMODATION
Each family holiday can be tailor made with a lovely choice of luxury family villas, detached boutique lodges with interconnecting rooms or resorts perfect for rest and relaxation.
HOW TO BOOK THIS FAMILY HOLIDAY IN SRI LANKA
If you’d love this as a tailor made summer family holiday to Sri Lanka, please email us and mention: Beaches and Rainforests, Elephants and Ceylon Tea Mountains
SRI LANKA ITINERARY 2:
The Island Life – An Immersive Summer Family Holiday in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is captivating, and the people, even more charming. These are not your usual islanders living an island life. This is an island with a centuries old heritage - where faith, traditions and beliefs intertwine and animals and people live off the land. Here’s an Ayu in the Wild family holiday in Sri Lanka where stories from locals give this family holiday an edge beyond the usual tourist highlights. It’s one where your kids will be inspired by something very different to what they experience back home and yet find so much that they can relate to. Mountains and beaches will leave you in awe but it’s the people you meet and the stories they tell, that makes this experiential family holiday to Sri Lanka, unforgettable. See below for 12 day experiential family holiday itinerary overview.
12 DAY EXPERIENTIAL FAMILY HOLIDAY IN SRI LANKA
Days 1-7: A Week of Culture and the Mountains:
Sri Lankans love to interact with kids. You will meet some great locals like onion farmers, meet rural school kids, learn the traditional Kandyan arts with dancers and drummers, explore cloud forests in the morning and take Loris treks at night with expert naturalists, and walk or cycle through world heritage sites with guides who keep kids of all ages engaged.
Days 8-10: Beach time in the East:
A week of adventures is followed by lazy days of doing nothing except lots of time spent in pools and soaking up sun by the beautiful east coast beaches in Sri Lanka.
Days 11-12: Luxury in the Royal Kingdom
Sri Lanka’s first Royal Kingdom where luxury by night and luxury in the earthy adventures by day make you feel like royalty. Enjoy farm to table foodie adventure, a sunset tour of magnificent World Heritage Sites and spend a day inside Wilpattu National Park. This Ayu in the Wild family holiday in Sri Lanka is diverse and particularly suited for children who want to stay active.
ACCOMMODATION
Each family holiday can be tailor made with a lovely choice of luxury family villas, detached boutique lodges with interconnecting rooms or resorts perfect for rest and relaxation.
HOW TO BOOK THIS FAMILY HOLIDAY IN SRI LANKA
If you’d love this as a tailor made summer family holiday to Sri Lanka, please email us and mention: The Island Life – An Immersive Summer Family Holiday in Sri Lanka
SRI LANKA ITINERARY 3:
Rewilding - A Family Adventure Holiday with the best of Sri Lankan Wildlife
Inside Sri Lanka’s vast network of wildlife parks, there are giant squirrels and tiny mongoose. Storks the size of monkeys and animals that pose real danger. But wait! They are found abundantly, outside the wildlife parks too.
A perfect summer family holiday where you disconnect from Ipads and connect with nature but with just the right touch of luxury by the beach and the awe inspiring cultural triangle of Sri Lanka. Our guests, both young and old love our mix of boutique luxury villas with private glamping sites and eco lodges that leave a really light carbon footprint but are full-serviced – think piping hot showers, comfortable beds and delicious food whipped out by resident chefs. See below for 15 day low carbon footprint family holiday itinerary overview.
15 DAY LOW CARBON FOOTPRINT FAMILY HOLIDAY IN SRI LANKA
Days 1-3: An Eco Lodge By The Beach
A quick overnight in Colombo on arrival followed by a few days at a unique Eco Lodge where you acclimatize with walks through village roads leading to the beach, talk to locals about their traditional livelihoods or glide on a canoe silently.
Days 4-7: Glamping
During peak summer holidays, you need to know where to search for Sri Lanka’s wildlife. This family holiday in Sri Lanka takes you to some of the remotest wilderness locations. Perfect to get away from it all with our wonderful Naturalists. Where younger kids can create their ‘Jungle Book’ of stories and older kids learn jungle navigation on bush-walks. Some days you only explore by foot with nature walks, cooling off in rivers and bush treks to see elephants roam. Fall asleep in spacious tents lit by hurricane lamps. Be spoilt in your private tented campsite set up exclusively for you. Unlimited Jeep safaris inside Kumana national park, rich with leopard, elephants, sloth bear, crocodiles and bird life make this one of the best Sri Lanka wildlife holidays. Each adventure is tailor made to include age-appropriate activities.
Days 8-11: Luxury by the Beach
Hugging the east coast of Sri Lanka is this island’s most beautiful stretch of beach. Explore the turquoise blue oceans for dolphins, snorkel, dive, set sail on a yacht or divide your attention between the warm waters of magnificent pools or the crystal clear waters of the Indian ocean.
Days 12-15: Deep in the Cultural Triangle of Sri Lanka
Explore three UNESCO World Heritage Sites with licensed community-based guides handpicked by Ayu in the Wild for their wonderful insights into Sigiriya, Polonnaruwa and the unique Dambulla Rock Temple. Spend a few moments learning the art of meditation, be a part of Classrooms in the Wild and Trees For A Purpose, enjoy Loris Night Treks and sleep peacefully in the most amazing Tree Huts!
ACCOMMODATION
Each family holiday can be tailor made with a lovely choice of luxury family villas, detached boutique lodges with interconnecting rooms or eco lodge perfect for rest and relaxation.
HOW TO BOOK THIS FAMILY HOLIDAY IN SRI LANKA
If you’d love this as a tailor made summer family holiday to Sri Lanka, please email us and mention : Rewilding - A Family Adventure Holiday with the best of Sri Lankan Wildlife
Responsible Travel Advice for a Family Holiday in Sri Lanka
As curators of responsible holidays to Sri Lanka, Ayu in the Wild strongly urges you to avoid visiting any Turtle Hatcheries. There are some absolutely stunning family resorts and Villas in Sri Lanka where Turtles can be observed swimming in the oceans freely on some days. As with all wildlife this cannot be guaranteed. Coco Tangalle, The Buckingham Palace, ERA Beach in Thalpe, KK Beach, Ubuntu Beach Villas, Lantern Boutique Hotel, Mirissa, Frangipani Tree in Thalpe, and one of our favourites, the beautiful Sri Sharavi Mirissa can be tailor made into our family holidays in Sri Lanka to try your luck with spotting these beautiful creatures roam free in and out of the oceans.
Avoid elephant back safari rides or paying to watch people displaying captive monkeys and snakes.
Please bring your own reusable water bottle for us to fill your drinking water daily as one of the biggest environmental problems in Sri Lanka is the contamination of Sri Lanka’s oceans through disposed plastics.
For more travel advice before booking your family holidays to Sri Lanka - see here.
What Our Guests Say About Their Sri Lanka Family Holiday
“ The girls loved the Junior Ranger certificates…and when the Rangers got their look up books out.. ,and going in the open sided jeep from the hotel to the Wilpattu NP. We got to ‘smell’ Sri Lanka – and that’s something I had never experience before. Our interaction with village children was heartwarming as they were truly intrigued by my two kids and vice versa. Everyone thought I was totally mad to take such young kids to SL – but it’s so safe, so clean and so reliable that they are totally wrong – it’s so developed and accessible for families”
Emma Scott and kids (aged 7 and 8 years) - London
We believe the future of tourism in Sri Lanka rests, not in higher visitor arrivals, but in aggressively pursuing that difficult balance between conserving biodiversity, respecting animals and engaging with people.
Is it Safe to visit Sri Lanka and other Sri Lanka Travel Advice
For the best tailor made family holidays to Sri Lanka - Email: info@ayuinthewild.com
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Whatsapp us on +94 77 248 1100