Summer Family Adventure

Summer Family Adventure 13 Days / 12 Nights

This Summer Family Adventure includes loads of options for different ages and energy levels, ensuring a really special experience for everyone. With hands-on activities, fuss-free relaxation, engaging cultural highlights, eye-popping wildlife experiences and chilled-out beach time, you’ve got all the ingredients for creating some unique, grin-inducing family memories.

Highlights

  • Get hands-on at a working coconut farm
  • Drive through Wilpattu at dusk as leopards wake to hunt
  • Spot for elephants on a Minneriya safari
  • Feast on coconut roti with locals in the Cultural Triangle
  • Explore unspoilt beaches and tantalising caves
  • Watch dolphins and whales in coastal waters
  • Pick tea high in the hills & learn the science behind the brew

Horathapola Coconut Estate, Wilpattu National Park, Minneriya National Park, Cultural Triangle, East Coast Beach, Hill Country


Sample Itinerary

Day 1
Sri Lanka

On arrival in Sri Lanka, you'll be met by your private guide, who will accompany you to the Horathapola Coconut Estate in Wadumunnegedara.

 

Day 2
Relax & explore

Your day is at leisure to explore the coconut estate, visit nearby rural villages or simply relax by the pool. Kids will enjoy the ox cart ride around the estate and there is plenty of space within the grounds for them to play.

Day 3
Drive to Wilpattu National Park, dusk safari

Morning departure for Wilpattu - the largest of Sri Lanka’s national parks and home to a wide array of wildlife, including leopards, and a dense population of Sri Lankan sloth bears that exist only on the island. Having checked into your camp there will be time to freshen up before joining your guide and tracker for a dusk drive through the park.

Day 4
Dawn safari, drive to the Cultural Triangle

Rise early to join your guide for a last dawn drive through Wilpattu, keeping your eyes peeled for wildlife as the park's inhabitants noisily greet the day. After breakfast, head for your Cultural Triangle hotel; a cosy base for exploring the region. Having arrived, the remainder of your day will be at leisure.

Day 5
Sigiriya Rock, Rural Experience, Minneriya National Park safari

After an early breakfast visit the rock fortress of Sigiriya – one of Sri Lanka’s seven UNESCO World Heritage sites. This immense rock dominates the surrounding landscape, rising 650 feet above the ground, and the view from the flattened summit is spectacular. Those without a head for heights can stroll around the ramparts and pleasure gardens, or take in the famous Sigiriya frescoes found partway up the rock, as your guide tells you some of the legends surrounding the site. In the late morning you will have the chance to experience traditional, rural life, away from the ruins and try your hand at preparing Sri Lankan food. In a small village close to Sigiriya Rock you will be welcomed into the modest, mud-walled home of one of the families, where you will assist your host in the preparation of a typical Sri Lankan lunch, using authentic cooking methods and traditional clay pots. Late afternoon take a safari through the stunning Minneriya National Park, famous for its 200-strong elephant population, keeping your eyes peeled for some of the park’s 24 species of mammal, including sambar, spotted deer, those elusive leopards, sloth bears and toque monkey as well as water monitors, swamp crocodiles and over 160 species of bird.

Day 6
Explore Polonnaruwa by bike, drive to Passekudah

Make a morning visit to the ancient capital of Polonnaruwa, built over a thousand years ago with carefully-engineered reservoirs that still provide the region's water. In its day, Polonnaruwa was a thriving commercial and religious centre and as you explore the ruins by bicycle, you’ll get a feel for what life was like back then. Late morning, depart the Cultural Triangle region, leaving the tourist trail far behind and heading east. Arrive at your beach resort by mid-afternoon to enjoy an afternoon at leisure settling into the area’s serene rhythms.

Days 7 to 9 - Family R&R time

Spend the next few days at leisure: playing on the beach, splashing in the pool, and enjoying unhurried time together.

Day 10
Drive to Ashburnham Estate, Elkaduwa

 

Journey west through the hilly landscape of inner Sri Lanka to Elkaduwa (an hour north of Kandy) and the Ashburnham Estate, set in its own 100-acre tea plantation. Having been warmly welcomed, the remainder of your day is at leisure to investigate the range of activities on offer, including trekking out to discover the secrets behind tea production. The surrounding forests offer unbeatable bird-watching, and Ashburnham’s resident naturalist will be on hand to help you identify the species fluttering overhead.

 

Day 11
Tea estate tour, Victoria Lake view walk

Join Ashburnham’s estate manager for a guided tour of the tea fields, where you’ll learn about the growing process, and meet some of the pickers. Continue to the tea factory at Bandarapola to see the leaves being processed and appreciate the science behind the above-average cuppa! Explore a few scenic walks from a book of suggested routes that resort has put together - we particularly love heading up toward Hunasgiriya and the Knuckles mountain range, passing small villages and local temples, to a viewpoint with panoramic views of the mountains, tea plantations and Victoria Lake Reservoir. It’s the perfect spot for a well-earned picnic lunch too. Take time to rest tired legs and soak up the views, before walking back to Ashburnham Estate where the remainder of your afternoon will be at leisure.

Day 12
Drive to Kotugoda or Makandura

After a leisurely breakfast descend from the hills in the direction of the west coast. Your destination is a boutique property, conveniently located within 45 minutes drive of Colombo airport, yet set within peaceful surrounds. Not your typical airport hotel!

Day 13
Kotugoda / Makandura, depart Colombo

 

Your day is at leisure until your transfer to Colombo Airport for your onward flight

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Personalised design
We’ll plan your trip around your specific interests, tastes and preferences, providing helpful tips and honest advice based on firsthand knowledge of the destionation.
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Authentic Experience
Our expert guides and brilliant travel concierges are hand-picked to provide a genuine experience, bringing you destination to life with care and passion.
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Responsible Travel
Our luxury trips are designed with responsible travel principles that priorities travel experiences that are both good for you and good for the planet.
It is easy to customize your Summer Family Adventure tours with us

What our clients say about us

Leslie
Feb 2023
star star star star star
An amazing trip out together by Stephen at My Way Travel! This was our second trip ( went to Vietnam and Cambodia 2019). Stephen is great to work with- very flexible and listens to what we wanted to do. This trip was originally scheduled for April 2020. A honest company that asked if I wanted my deposit back and I said no - that I would use it in a future trip! How many companies around the world did this???? We had great guides In Bangkok and Chiang Rai and Chiang Rai. Fon was full of energy and fun in Bangkok. Ann was one of the best guides I have ever had- she took us to a couple of places not noted on the tour. We went for a hike at a waterfall and visited the cave where the Thai boys were rescued in the cave. Both Ann and Fon gave us wonderful suggestions for restaurants. I would absolutely recommend Stephen and My Way Travel! We plan to use him again in planning Bali!
Lida
April 18, 2023
star star star star star
Our group of 26 people traveled to Japan & Thailand with My Way Travel, and had an incredible time. This was our third trip with My Way Travel and the trip was planned perfectly with every detail accounted for. Our tour guides were exceptional in every way. They exuded a warmth and friendliness that immediately put us at ease, making our trip more enjoyable. Not only were they amiable, but they also had extensive knowledge about the places we visited. We would highly recommend My Way Travel to anyone planning a trip to Asia.
Erik
July 28, 2023
star star star star star
We have just returned from a 16 Day/15 Night trip to southeast Asia including stops in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand planned by Stephen at My Way Travel. We reached out to My Way Travel with quite a tall order asking them to arrange a trip for us that included visiting 9 cities in 15 nights! From the first point of contact, our experience with My Way Travel was absolutely fantastic. Stephen was very attentive and let us customize our tour however we pleased. All of the hotels he booked for us were incredible and the tour guides and drivers made us feel like family. It was very easy to keep in touch with Stephen throughout our trip via Whatsapp. The only thing we really needed during our trip was to add baggage for one of our flights and he was able to take care of it the day before we arrived at the airport. All the drivers/guides showed up on time and made transferring from airport to hotel to tour to wherever extremely easy. I will definitely recommend this company to anyone that plans on traveling to Asia.
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