Sri Lanka Family Holiday

You and the family will start this adventure holiday on the outskirts of Kegalle, in the boutique hotel Rosyth Estate House, which is also a working tea and rubber plantation. Elevated 1,000 feet above the rolling hills and lush countryside, this 1920s estate house has some seriously beautiful views, which can be taken in from the veranda as mist rises from the valley. You won’t have to tear your eyes away from the scenery for a second, as you can explore the plantation with a guide or even get stuck in and pluck the tea leaves yourself, borrow bikes and cycle through the paddy fields or, great for little ones, go on a tree and spice treasure hunt.

During your stay, you’ll be taken on a white water rafting excursion along the River Kelani, tackling grade 3 and 4 rapids. As it is a holiday, you can tone the energy down a notch in the afternoons with a yoga class, a spa treatment, a leisurely swim in the pool and even a cookery class, and when the kids start to come down from their adrenaline high, a film can be put on in the library while you curl up in a planter’s chair on the porch with a (G&) tea.

A Tuscan-style hotel located right in the heart of Sri Lanka, the Bougainvillea Retreat will be your next stop, where you can explore the surrounding countryside, a natural playground with activity-filled lakes and scenic mountains.

By day, you can venture to Kandy, to walk around its UNESCO-listed streets and its colourful markets and to visit The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, built for the purpose of housing Buddha’s tooth. You’ll have access to the neighbouring golf course, where you can practice your swing, and to the retreat’s bicycles and canoes, which you can borrow to circumference the calm Victoria Lake. Order a picnic to take with you during your excursions, especially if you are considering walking the Knuckles or Hantane mountain ranges.

Get the kids interested in learning with a visit to a local farm that produces delicious cheeses and fresh cream or meet a local artist to hear more about his craft.

Heading directly north, you’ll take a scenic drive into Sri Lanka’s Cultural Triangle for three nights of incredible wildlife and excursions that will make you feel like Indiana Jones as you explore the region’s ancient temples. The Heritance Kandalama hotel is an absolute dream for anyone who’s nuts about nature. Designed by pioneering eco-architect Geoffrey Bawa, it blends seamlessly into the environment, with monkeys scampering over the balconies, birds flitting from the leaf-canopied roof, and other wildlife roaming under the hotel’s stilts.

Enjoy a guided visit to the Sigiriya rock fortress - a fairytale-like wonder which has a winding staircase leading up the 200m column of rock - followed by a jeep safari to see the famous elephant gathering in Minneriya National Park.

Mud huts that are completely open to the elements (except for the coconut leave roofs and mosquito nets) with open-air bathrooms and absolutely no electricity - the Mudhouse is far more romantic than it sounds and is our idea of rustic heaven. From Sri Lanka’s cultural centre, you’ll be driven to the northwest province, where the Mudhouse wraps you up in natural beauty and time-warp village life.

As you’ll be nestled in the Robinson Crusoe-style hideaway scattered within a thick forest, you can spend your two nights here feeling totally removed from the modern world as you cycle to the sleepy villages; go kayaking, or take a trip to the Tonigala rock to see mysterious Old Brahmi inscriptions.

Only an hour away, Wilpattu is the country’s largest national park and you and the family will go on a private Junior Ranger course, a day adventure with game drives, bush walks, and animal tracking lessons.

The last section of this family adventure has you spending three nights along the unspoilt Kalpitiya Peninsula on Sri Lanka’s north-west coast. Use the luxury tented hotel Dolphin Beach as your base to experience some of Sri Lanka’s most pristine and peaceful beaches, with everything about your tent designed to make you feel chilled out and closer to nature. Wake up to the sounds of lapping waves and roam around beaches, surfing, horse riding and snorkelling before relaxing in your hammock on your large veranda.

As your hotel's name would suggest, this is a great place to spot dolphins, which you can do from your kayak or on a beautiful sunset boat ride - the perfect way to end your adventure holiday to Sri Lanka.