I recently took my tween (11) and teen (14) on a trip to Sri Lanka with kids alone, without my husband.
No, I’ve not been there before. No, I don’t know anyone there. But I was drawn to the destination because Sri Lanka offers safaris, whale watching, dolphin watching, scuba diving, snorkelling, tea plantations, and old trains.
It is an “all-year” country with two distinct monsoon seasons.
A Holiday to Sri Lanka with Kids
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When planning a visit to Sri Lanka, it is good to bear in mind the time of year and the direction of the Monsoon winds. When it is the North-East Monsoon (October to March), go to the South and West Coasts. When it is the South-West Monsoon (May to September), go to the East Coast.
Since it was June, we planned a visit to the Sri Lanka East Coast, with nine days to explore various stops along the coast.
Only Singapore Airlines and Sri Lanka Airlines offer direct flights from Singapore to Sri Lanka, with prices ranging between $600 to $800 for a round trip (3h 45 min). To save costs, we took a flight from KL to Sri Lanka and paid $280 round trip on Batik Air and AirAsia.
Arriving in Sri Lanka
On arrival at Bandaranaike International Airport, you can drive north for about 10 minutes to the city of Negombo or south for about 40 minutes to the executive and judicial capital city of Colombo.
When visiting Sri Lanka, you will want to download the PickMe app on Apple App Store or Google Play Store. It is more widely used than Uber and enabled us to tuk-tuk everywhere!
Unfortunately, I had tummy trouble on the KL-to-SL flight and had to make a detour to St Joseph’s Hospital in Negombo. It was clean, pleasant, and efficient. I received my meds and all was done within half an hour. I paid $18 in total for consultation and meds.
Ready to continue our journey, we headed to the Colombo Railway Station, which felt rather dim and dated.
Be prepared for the train not to be on schedule. However, onboard, the air-con carriage seats offered ample space and comfort, and I felt safe.
There were many stops along the way to Trincomalee, our destination.
Two Nights in Trincomalee: Pigeon Island, Deer Park & Mirissa
Trincomalee is a port city that is known for its white-sand beaches. Sperm whale watching, dolphin watching, snorkelling, and scuba diving at Pigeon Island (National Park, USD $35 entrance fee for foreigners) or Navy Island (no entrance fee) are the top things to do in Trincomalee.
Popular accommodation spots in Trincomalee are either at Uppuveli (an area with easy access to food) or Nilaveli (a beautiful, quieter beach close to Pigeon Island). These two areas are approximately 15 minutes apart. We chose the Golden Beach Resort, Uppuveli.
At Trincomalee, we went snorkelling at Pigeon Island, setting off from Nilavali beach by boat. This cost us $75 USD/ person and was inclusive of admission to the National Park.
In the clear blue waters, we were able to spot reef sharks, turtles, and many different kinds of fishes.
Short distance from where we were staying was the Trincomalee Deer Park, close to Fort Federick. You can pick up a plate of food for $2 or $4 to feed the deer.
Mirissa in the South of Sri Lanka is the best spot for blue whale watching. While we were hoping to see a sperm whale, we were unable to due to the monsoon season.
However, we did spot tons of dolphins! There were grey dolphins and black dolphins, leaping and spinning in mid-air, showing off their acrobatics!
We also got a chance to go scuba diving. Our hotel provided us a contact, Blue Water Sports which was a PADI certified company.
It cost us 15000 LKR/ pax (approx. SGD $58) and they started by teaching us the basics on land. Then we were brought to a shallower beach for instruction on clearing the mask, breathing, clearing ear pressure and signalling before going deeper towards Navy Island.
We saw lots of strange fish, including pufferfish. My 11-year-old could not take the ear pressure, so they kept him in shallower waters.
Two Nights at Sigiriya
We had arranged for a driver to take us on the two-hour drive to our next destination, Sigiriya, home to the Sigiriya Rock, a 5th-century fortress and palace built on a rock and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Also nearby is the Minneriya National Park, known for gatherings of wild elephants.
In Sigiriya, people typically choose between staying in Habarana and Sigiriya. Habarana is a small town with a train station and affordable accommodation. Sigiriya is more touristy.
We chose to stay at Hotel Sigiriya because of its central location and the kids appreciated the hotel’s swimming pool.
Take note that PickMe drivers will not do short distances in Sigiriya. So, it is advisable to stay close to where you want to head or get the hotel to help you get a tuk-tuk.
We wanted to head to a laundry shop about a 5-minute drive away. None of the tuk-tuks responded. We finally had a driver accept only to text to tell us off for wanting go such a short distance. The hotel later explained that drivers do not do short distances.
Minneriya National Park & Sigiriya Rock
At Minneriaya National Park, the highlight was seeing the elephants while on an afternoon safari. They were free roaming and, as we were there during the right season, we did not need binoculars to get a good look at them!
Sigiriya Rock, also known as Lion Rock, is made up of the water garden, terrace garden, and the lion rock. The forgotten palace was discovered and excavated by the British.
The story behind Sigiriya Rock goes that a second son murdered his father, the king. In a bid to flee from his older brother’s fury, he came to Sigiriya as it offered a good vantage point to look out for his brother.
Eventually, the older brother fled out of the country, thinking his younger brother would come for him next. The younger brother then built an extensive palace for himself at Sigiriya.
I thoroughly enjoyed hearing this and other stories from our guide and driver.
It is said that if you visit in December, there will be water coming out of these holes, as a fountain garden.
After visiting the gardens, you will reach the foot of the lion rock.There is a narrow path from the foot to the top; approximately 295 steps. We counted 1,350 steps to reach the top of the rock from the lower gardens entrance.
At the very top, you can indeed see a great distance to keep a look out.
Pidurangala Rock
This rock used to be a place of meditation for the Buddhist monks. To enter, you pass through a temple, so women must cover their shoulders and their bottoms must cover the knees.
There are steps along the way. However, the final stretch resembles an obstacle course.
This is the view from the top of Pidurangala Rock. We saw people waiting to catch the sunset from here.
Going down from the rock also has to be be done with care. We are so thankful for our guide, Mindika, from Traumland Tours. Having a local and male guide was a blessing.
Two Nights in Wilpattu
The drive from Sigiriya to Wilpattu takes about two hours and 15 minutes. Our reason for visiting Wilpattu is to see leopards and sloth bears in Wilpattu National Park.
We stayed at the Mahoora Tented Safari Camp and loved the eco-camping feel of the accommodation. The afternoon feels very warm in the tent. However, the nights and mornings are delightful.
They organise guided walks in the afternoon, and bush walks at night to see nocturnal animals.
There is afternoon tea out in the open and people gather to play badminton, basketball or cricket. Australian and Indian tourists taught my kids to play cricket.
In the evening, they will have a campfire to roast marshmallows. Dinner is a sit-down four-course with BBQ meats.
Wilpattu is the oldest and biggest National Park in Sri Lanka. Wilpattu translates to “land of lakes”, villu (lakes) and pattu (land). Because of its size, animals might not be the easiest to spot, but that also means the density of jeeps is lower.
For us, a half-day visit was sufficient, as our objective was to see leopards. Leopards do not venture out when it’s hot. So, we chose a morning safari.
Unfortunately, we did not see a leopard because it had rained the day before, but we did see a sloth bear. Someone at our camp went on a full-day safari and did not see any leopards either.
According to our guide, if you have your heart set on seeing leopards, consider Yala National Park instead as the chance of sighting them is higher.
Nonetheless, we did see painted storks, peacock water buffalo, monkeys and deer. However, the sloth bear was definitely the highlight.
One Night in Colombo
From Wilpattu, we headed to Colombo, passing through Negombo. It was a three-hour-30-minute drive.
Along the way, we made a pit stop for a toilet break at Cargills Food City, a supermarket chain found throughout Sri Lanka. This, and fast-food outlets, turned out to be our default toilet pit-stops locations because of their clean toilets.
In Colombo, we bid our guide goodbye and checked into a small boutique hotel near Pettah Market.
The next morning, walked around Pettah Market, which reminded us of Bugis Street in Singapore. We stumbled across the M.D. Gunasena bookstore and picked up some books, and also came across a red and white mosque.
There are nice cafes in Colombo that offer a spot of relaxation.
We then rode an old-school train from Kollupitiya to Bentota Beach. The journey took nearly two hours.
At Bentota Beach, you can find little crabs just scurrying around the sand.
To cap off our trip to Sri Lanka our time, we chose to go para-motoring at Bentota Beach.
I told my daughter not to tell her dad about it until we have safely completed the ride but she video-called him mid-air! Well played.
Food in Sri Lanka
If you are curious about the food, Sri Lanka has lots of different curries. Sri Lankan curry comes in big portions. Fried rice can be commonly found in Sri Lanka and egg hoppers are a popular breakfast dish.
There is no McDonald’s in Sri Lanka (it closed in 2024 after a legal dispute) and KFC is slightly pricier than in Singapore.
Cafes can cost between 1500–2300 LKR ($6 to $11).
Tips/ Cash
There is a tipping culture in Sri Lanka. When we forgot, nothing happened. Most of the time, they are grateful for tips.
Cards are accepted at bigger shops. Bring cash; standby USD if you need to exchange for more.
Traveling and Experiencing Sri Lanka with Kids
Sri Lanka is a country that has much to offer, with very friendly people. We slept and woke up to the sound of waves. We also slept and woke up to the natural sounds of a forest.
There were so many different experiences!
Sri Lanka is a Buddhist nation, distinct from India and Indian culture. The Sri Lankans we met were really hospitable and friendly. The only time I felt nervous was entering the dim Colombo train station at night as there were some homeless people sleeping just outside.
My kids and I thoroughly enjoyed this Sri Lanka trip!
