This year we spent almost two weeks in Sri Lanka with our kids – and it honestly turned out to be one of those trips that just flows.
Not everything was perfectly planned (we didn’t even have a return flight when we landed 🙃 – it was cancelled because of the world situation), but somehow everything worked out.
Our route looked like this:
- Negombo (arrival & slow start)
- Tea plantations near Nawalapitiya
- Udawalawe (safari & nature)
- South coast (beach time & slow ending)
In this post, I’ll give you an overview of the trip + practical tips, and you’ll find links to detailed guides for each stop.
Practical notes for Sri Lanka with kids
- Flight route: Berlin – Paris – Mumbai – Colombo
- Airlines: mostly Air France (KLM + Air France = same group), smooth experience overall
- Transfer time: long layover in Mumbai (7h – not ideal, but manageable)
- Time difference: +3.5h (still felt the jet lag after such a long journey)
- First tip: start slow after arrival – it really makes a difference
- Useful app: PickMe – we used it all the time for requesting shorter and longer transfers with TukTuks and normal cars, prices are really good
Local buses – chaotic, loud and so much fun
We mostly used tuk tuks and cars to get around, but we really wanted to try a local bus at least once.
And wow – what an experience. Tickets are incredibly cheap. The driving is… intense. If you’re not sitting, you’re basically being moved around the bus the whole time 😂
There’s music chosen by the driver, and in the evening the main lights go off and colorful lights turn on – it almost feels like a mini disco. But what stood out the most were the people.
Everyone was so kind. The conductor always remembered where we needed to get off, and people kept offering us their seats.
I would absolutely recommend trying it at least once.
Sri Lanka with kids – our route and stops
We did a loop through the country, mixing nature, experiences and some slower beach time at the end.
