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Family Fun in Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka Family Vacation

Sanjeewa Padmal (Seerendipity)
family fun in Sri Lanka

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Sri Lanka Family Vacation

Wildlife tours, rainforest exploration, action, and adventure activities, with plenty of fun with the sun, sea and sand, make the Sri Lanka family vacation perfectly fit for an unforgettable family holiday.

Sri Lanka fulfils all conditions to be a first-class family vacation destination: Sri Lanka family holiday are affordable compared to other Asian holiday destinations. But the most important reason, why this tropical island is so popular as a holiday destination for all travellers in the world is the plentifulness of fun-filled activities on the beach, adventure, mouthwatering Asian cuisines, and wildlife encounters.

Udawalawe national park is a popular one-day trip location in Sri Lanka and it is also a place to visit other road trips such as 5 days Sri Lanka tour package.

Cost of Sri Lanka family vacation

Food in Sri Lanka is reasonably priced, and travel there may be done on a tight budget. Furthermore, there are a ton of locations to explore in Sri Lanka, each with its own distinct qualities, so you might be wondering how long to stay there. Therefore, don’t underestimate the time you should spend visiting this stunning island. Regardless of your choice, we can assist you in organizing your travel so you can make the most of your stay here. Let us tailor your vacation to your preferences, needs, and goals. We’ll plan the best itinerary for you and take care of all the details, including booking lodging, transportation, and activities like sightseeing and adventure.

How long is needed in Sri Lanka?

How many days needed in Sri Lanka? is a very common question among tourists. However, it is a very tricky questions to answer. The answer depends on many factors, such as budget, time availability and what they wish to see and do in Sri Lanka. As an idea about the duration of the family trip, we would like to suggest a 7-day Sri Lanka trip. A one-week Sri Lanka trip allows tourists to engage in many interesting activities, such as visiting historical monuments, exploring hill country, doing safaris and having leisure on the beach.

What to See in Sri Lanka?

Not many places in the world can offer families such a striking combination of stunning landscapes, pristine palm-fringed beaches, captivating historical monuments and remarkable wildlife encounters within such a minimized area, That’s why family travel in Sri Lanka is so popular among travellers in the world.

There are eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Sri Lanka’s wonderful coastline exceeds 800 miles (a lot of it pristine oceanside), two dozen national parks showcasing bountiful wildlife, miles of rich tea estates and botanical gardens, and 350 waterfalls, a culture that dates back more than 2,500 years.

Sri Lanka, a teardrop-shaped island in the Indian Ocean, lies south of India and is a short distance from the Maldives. This wonderful holiday destination is on the radar of most travellers, and it is a popular destination among families too. Sri Lanka is where the original soul of Buddhism exists. Sri Lanka is also an ideal destination for families who love nature, where fauna and flora are plentiful and pristine.

8 best places for Sri Lanka Family Vacation

Family Travel in Sri Lanka: History and Culture

Staying a few evenings in cultural triangle cities like Anuradhapura, Sigiriya, Habarana, and Dambulla gives you the perfect opportunity to get to know the fascinating bygone era of Sri Lanka. You can arrange many road trips to different sites in the north-central province of Sri Lanka to visit many historical sites. Interesting activities include cycling through the old capital Anuradhapura; a bicycle tour of Polonnaruwa, wildlife safaris to observe elephants in Minneriya and leopards in Wilpattu; voyages through the old engineering marvels like the gigantic Kalawewa reservoir; investigation of the ruins in Ritigala and Sigiriya Rock Fortress, and visits to archaeological and historical sites in Dambulla.

Family Travel in Sri Lanka: Anuradhapura

Begin your excursion in Anuradhapura, which is viewed as the first capital of Sri Lanka. Rich with culture and history, it is home to old Buddhist monasteries and ruins. It is home to the biggest stupas of the ancient world, Jetawanarama Stupa species, residences dating back to the tenth century CE, and Anuradhapura is considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Exploring Sigiriya Rock Fortress

En route to see Anuradhapura’s attractions, stop to see one of the oldest landscaped gardens in the world, dating back to the 5th century AD, the Sigiriya rock fortress. The enormous citadel built by the rebel King Kashyapa, Sigiriya, is a wonder of stone that has tourists glued to it. Gardens, bathing pools, rock carvings, and a royal residence built on top-acre monolithic grand stone, as well as bright Sigiriya frescos on the stone walls, are the features of this historical site.

Family Travel in Sri Lanka: Safari

Sri Lanka is considered to be one of the best places for wildlife tours in the world outside of Africa. Two dozen national parks in Sri Lanka offer travelers a memorable experience with their fascinating combination of fauna and flora. So, don’t forget to plan a safari for your family to travel to Sri Lanka.

A network of National parks, wildlife sanctuaries and safe passages between them Known as “Elephant corridors,” they provide a very safe environment for wildlife that delights animal lovers of all ages. However, it is not that easy to spot animals and birds in the jungle due to their elusive behavior; usually, the children have no patience to find them—unless you have an idea where to look.

Udawalawe elephant orphanage and Conservation Center is a grassroots elephant conservation operation located next to Udawalawe National Park. It occupies the land between the Udawalawe Wildlife Reserve and Udawalawe Lake, which is one of the best places to include in the Sri Lanka family vacation, Most importantly, it is a place for kids.

The conservation centre is under the management of the Sri Lanka wildlife conservation Department, and it is maintained by the funds allocated by the government. The elephant orphanage is a conservation centre and a research centre that acts as a safe house for sick, orphaned and old animals.

Minneriya National Park

Minneriya National Park, well known for the yearly gathering of its elephants—one of the world’s biggest recorded congregations of elephants—is teeming with wildlife and ought not to be missed.

Wilpattu National Park

Wilpattu National Park is the spot to go to see Sri Lankan elephants, slippery panthers, sloth bears, spotted deer, bison, sambar, mongoose, and more than 30 types of creatures, extraordinary birdlife, reptiles, and creatures of land and water. The park is spread over an area of roughly 500 square miles.

Family Travel Sri Lanka: -Exploring Yala National Park in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has one of the biggest and most established chains of national parks and passages between wildlife reserves, known as elephant corridors. Yala national park is the most popular for Sri Lanka safari and boasts to be most extravagant in biodiversity, boasting 44 distinct occupant warm-blooded creature species and one of the greatest leopard population densities in the world. There are additionally many reptile species, including turtles, crocodiles, flying snakes and rich fan-throated reptiles. With respect to birds, Yala has something like 215 inhabitant and transient species, of which the flashy peacock is one of the most widely recognized.

Family travel in Sri Lanka: spotting leopards in Yala

Yala has one of the greatest leopard population densities in the world. Ruhuna National Park, widely known as Yala. Here you’ll find semi-deciduous and thistle woodlands, grasslands, freshwater and marine wetlands and sandy sea shores where the main footprints you will see have a place with foraging birds and creatures.

Family travel in Sri Lanka: spotting elephants in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka will feel like an experience for the entire family, from creature experiences with elephants, panthers and child turtles hatching on the shores of the Indian Ocean, to a lot of culture and history tossed in.

Family travel in Sri Lanka-Whale Watching Tours Sri Lanka

Aside from Yala and its satellite parks, other nearby attractions include the Incomparable and Little Basses reefs, which is an optimal spot to see blue and humpback whales as well as dolphins.

The elephant is declared an endangered and protected animal in Sri Lanka since 1975, The population of the wild elephant is shrinking day by day due to many reasons, such as human-elephant conflict, habitat loss, killing the animal for tusks, etc.

The opening of Udawalawe and Pinnawala conservation centers, as well as making them protected animals, has created a positive picture of the existence of these Asian jumbos. Despite the many hardships for the animals, they have been able to maintain a high population in the wildlife reserves during the last several decades, numbering more than 5800 wild elephants.

At the Udawalawe elephant orphanage, visitors can see a large number of freely wandering wild elephants of different ages. The best time to visit the orphanage is feeding time, During feeding time, a large number of animals are gathering to get their milk portion. The orphanage of Pinnawala has created an impressive result by rescuing thousands of orphans, sick and old animals since its inception in 1995.

From the main entrance of Udawalawe national park, which is about 1 km from the orphanage, local jeep drivers and guides organize Udawalawe jeep safari for visitors, which allows the visitors to have an up-close introduction to groups of elephants residing here. 

The elephants are wild, but they are harmless as long as the visitors stay in the jeep, and more importantly, the jeep drivers have a good idea about where the animals are roaming, so the children can easily see the elephants grazing in their natural habitat.

Along with elephants, the kids can spot many other animal species, such as jackals, wild boars, deer, monkeys, mongooses, monitors, snakes, wild buffaloes, crocodiles, and a large number of avian fauna species. Perhaps you can even spot a leopard and bears; however, it is difficult to spot those varieties at Udawalawe national park.

Ridiyagama safari camp

If you like to see a few other indigenous animal species and African animal species, visit Ridiyagama Safari Camp, which is only a few kilometres away from Udawalawe National Park and takes only 1 hour to reach. This unique 500-acre facility provides a home for a large number of indigenous as well as foreign animals and it is one of the best family trip destinations in Sri Lanka.

Animals such as Lion, Tiger, Zebra, Horse, Camel, Ostrich, African elephant and many other foreign animals can be spotted here. Unlike in the wildlife reserve, it is easy to spot animals here, even though they are roaming in a large area. Kids have the opportunity to see the animals that they can’t see anywhere else on the island.

bit of Action and adventure in Sri Lanka family vacation

Most travellers don’t forget to explore the rich historical attractions in Sri Lanka, along with lush green forests and wildlife reserves. This may not seem exactly like a family vacation, but the fact is that kids also love a bit of adventure, perhaps they like adventure more than adults. Most of the adventure activities available in Sri Lanka may not be suitable for babies and toddlers, but they can easily accommodate kids as well as teenagers.

Usually, the safari camps provide all meals, safari jeeps and safari tours as well, making it very convenient for travellers. Most of those properties offer many activities, such as jungle walking, river kayaking, and safaris, along the border of the wildlife reserve.  

The activities are organized and conducted by well-trained and experienced staff, making them safe for travellers of any age. Guides are well educated and knowledgeable; therefore, the travellers can gather a lot of information about the fauna and flora and the tours will be very engaging for travellers of all ages.

Safari camps and private jungle lodges are available for travellers along the border of most wildlife reserves; most of them are managed by private companies and prior reservation is required to secure your spot. However, few safari camps are available within the border of wildlife reserves, they are owned by the government and under the purview of the wildlife department of Sri Lanka.

Reserving those wildlife camps is difficult due to the high demand and travellers need to reserve such properties well in advance. The on-site accommodation with the availability of tree houses or bathing in an outdoor shower while swimming in a natural pool is also perfect for families and available on the island. The best thing about family holidays is that kids younger than 6 years stay and play for free.

Sri Lanka family vacation and Sun, sea, and sand

Being an island, Sri Lanka boasts clean and sandy beaches suitable for beach holidays at any given time of the year. Sri Lanka is s perfect spot for all kinds of saltwater activities; it is a distinct advantage for the island in the race to be a family-friendly holiday destination because kids like to hang around the beaches.

Surfing, windsurfing, boating, and kayaking are some of the thrilling adventures for older kids. Activities such as snorkelling are offered to kids at the age of around five or six years, enabling them to explore the rich underwater world of Sri Lanka.

There are many family-friendly beach resorts along the west and southern coast of Sri Lanka, which is one of the best-kept secrets to the popularity of Sri Lanka family vacations among travellers; however, Bentota Beach is the biggest seaside resort town and the most popular for Sri Lanka family vacations, with a wide range of activities, a large number of places to visit and a large number of hotels in all budget categories.

The unique location of Bentota beach with saltwater on one side and river water on the other, is ideal for most water sports available on earth. Many water sports centres have set up their activity centres along Bentota River giving easy access to the delightful ground for travellers of all ages.

Most resorts are suitable for a family vacation and offer hours of entertainment for in-house kids with their animation team, This ‘animation staff offers many interesting activities for kids, like children’s yoga sessions, nature walks, cycling tours, and many other activities suitable for little people.

As the day winds up, families can take refuge in a beach cabana or a bungalow that is built in a way to hug the cool breeze of the Indian Ocean, providing perfect settings for a sound sleep of little ones and caretakers.

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