Sri Lanka Family Holidays

As Sri Lanka is a relatively compact destination, everything is fairly close together and journeys between stops are shorter. Apart from being a real bonus when travelling with kids (as all parents know, long journeys with littlies can be tough!), this means you can mix it up a bit and include several stops on your family holiday itinerary. You’ll get to the best of the beaches, wildlife watching and bustling city sights without spending too much time on travel!

One of the reasons Sri Lanka is a natural choice for a family holiday is that it is a genuinely great year-round destination. From December to April, you’ll find the best weather overall. The east coast and north of the country are dry and sunny from May to September, so ideal for UK summer holidays. For winter sun and Christmas breaks, head for the west and south west.

Yes, in general Sri Lanka is very safe country for families to travel in. After the events of Easter 2019, Selective Asia’s founder Nick spent time with our ‘in-country’ teams and local guides to get a first hand understanding of the security situation, and start mapping out a recovery plan. The country was quickly open for business again, but we urge you to read Nick’s insights for a well-rounded, first-hand report, and if you have any questions, please do give us a call.

Having an experienced, knowledgeable and welcoming local guide on hand during your trip is absolutely invaluable. They’ll meet you upon arrival, act as translator, transfer you between locations, and generally make everything go as smoothly as possible. They’ll leave you to your own devices as much or as little as you wish, but we think a good guide is essential for a successful family holiday. We pride ourselves on using only the best guides in a given region. All our guides are trained to the highest level, and fully certified and licensed. Sri Lanka is unusual in that you will be with the same guide throughout your entire trip. This gives continuity to your family during their holiday, and builds a warm relationship that makes your visit truly special.

When planning a trip to Asia, it’s important to consider the possible requirement for vaccinations and immunisations. Most importantly, we stress that you should contact your doctor or medical practitioner well before you depart to get their advice on any vaccinations you may need for your trip. If you’ve travelled recently and believe that you are already up-to-date, it is still worth checking as vaccinations have a varying life span. The NHS Travel Vaccinations site has up-to-date travel health information.

Yes. All foreign nationals (excluding Singapore & the Maldives) require a visa or an Electronic Travel Authority to visit Sri Lanka. From 01 August 2019 for a period of 6 months only, tourists from 48 countries (including UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand & most European countries) are entitled to a FREE tourist visa for a maximum 30 day stay. You will still need to either apply for your ETA online or queue at the airport, but there will be no fee. If you are arriving in Sri Lanka by air, you can obtain your Electronic Travel Authority in advance of your departure with the easy-to-use online visa service. Alternatively most nationalities can obtain their visa on arrival at Colombo Airport.

Though you can pick up some stuff you need in the cities, we’d recommend taking supplies of any essentials, such as favourite nappies, formula etc., as well as your preferred brand of sunscreen and insect repellent. Light, long sleeved shirts, a light scarf or two, and long trousers or skirts will mean that you’re prepared for any modest dress code requirements. They’ll also help provide valuable protection against strong sunlight and mosquitoes. If you’re travelling with tinies, consider taking a really good baby carrier, as push-chairs might be more difficult to get about with.

You can’t obtain Rupee outside of Sri Lanka. You will find ATM machines in most major cities and there are several in the arrivals area at Colombo Airport. There are also a number of money changers at the airport offering fair rates of exchange on most major currencies. Hotels will also change currency and will often also accept payment in £, $ and Euro. In most shops and restaurants only Rupee cash and credit card payments are accepted. Travellers cheques are no longer accepted in Sri Lanka.