Family Compact: a Sri Lanka family tour in 9 days

Drive inland with fruit stops, pool time, then an ox-cart ride and village cooking.

We drive inland through coconut groves and rice paddies, stopping at a fruit stall so the children can try rambutan and mangosteen. After lunch there is time at the pool. In the late afternoon an ox cart takes us to a farmhouse where a family shows how rice and curry is cooked over a wood fire – and we eat together from banana leaves.

Free morning, then an afternoon jeep safari to the elephant herds of Minneriya.

The morning is free for sleeping in and swimming; families with older children can climb Pidurangala Rock at sunrise for the view of Sigiriya. In the afternoon an open jeep takes us into Minneriya National Park, where dozens of wild elephants – many of them calves – often graze around the great reservoir.

Spice garden on the way, Kandyan dancers and the Temple of the Tooth in the evening.

On the way to the hills we stop at a spice garden, where the children smell cinnamon bark and taste pepper straight from the vine. In Kandy we watch the Kandyan dancers with drums, masks and fire walkers, then visit the Temple of the Tooth during the evening ceremony.

Drive to Nanu Oya and take the hill-country train to Ella on reserved seats.

Your driver takes you through the tea hills to Nanu Oya station, where we board the train on reserved seats. For about three hours it winds through tunnels, over bridges and past tea pickers and waterfalls down to Ella. Your luggage travels by car.

Nine Arches Bridge in the morning, drive to Yala and an afternoon jeep safari.

Early in the morning we walk through tea gardens to the Nine Arches Bridge and wait for the blue train. Then we drive about two hours down to Tissamaharama on the edge of Yala National Park. After lunch an open jeep takes you into the park – home to leopards, elephants, buffalo, crocodiles and peacocks.

Short drive to Tangalle, afternoon on the beach, turtle watching at Rekawa in the evening.

Only an hour and a half from Yala, Tangalle is one of the quietest beach towns in the south. The afternoon is free for swimming. In the evening we drive to Rekawa, where sea turtles come ashore at night to lay their eggs – watched with care and red torches by a conservation project.

A free day on the beach, with optional mangrove boat trip or fish market.

A whole day without a plan: swim, play in the shallow water or rest under the palms. If you want, take a tuk-tuk to the fish market or a boat into the mangroves – your guide is a phone call away. In the evening, grilled fish on the beach at sunset.

Last swim, then the expressway to Colombo airport (about three hours).

After a last breakfast by the sea there may be time for a final swim. Your driver then takes you along the expressway to Colombo airport, about three hours with a break. Want more beach time? Simply add a few nights.