We spent 10 nights in Sri Lanka with our three children, combining a few nights of safari with a week on the beach. We flew from Singapore into Colombo and arranged a private transfer down to the Yala area, which took around four to five hours.
Nights 1–3: Yala & Flameback Eco Lodge
We stayed for three nights in a lovely two-bedroom villa that we found through Airbnb, which was actually part of Flameback Eco Lodge. This worked brilliantly for a family of five because the safari lodges can become incredibly expensive when you add three children.
We had our own private villa but could still use the lodge’s restaurant, facilities and activities, and they also helped organise our private transfers and safaris.
We did two private game drives, around four hours each — one in the afternoon and one in the morning — and I’d highly recommend doing one of each.
The children were absolutely brilliant. All three sat happily in the jeep for the entire drives, which surprised us, and they loved every minute. We saw leopards, lots of elephants, monkeys, deer, crocodiles and loads of other wildlife. It was genuinely one of the highlights of the trip.
The kids also joined a naturalist activity at Flameback, where one of the guides took them bird spotting around the lodge. It was a lovely way for them to learn about the wildlife beyond the safari itself.
Nights 4–10: The Beach
On our fourth day, we drove down towards Galle and stayed at Salt Beach House in the beach area, around 20 minutes from Galle.
This was the perfect contrast to safari. We spent the next week swimming, relaxing and letting the kids do what they loved most — surfing. They went surfing every day and absolutely loved it.
We also headed into Galle for a couple of evenings to explore the fort area, see the lighthouse and have dinner at some of the restaurants.
Another favourite was a visit to Turtle Beach at Wijaya Beach, where the kids could see turtles in their natural environment.
We also took a day trip to Mirissa, including a visit to Coconut Island, which was beautiful and well worth the trip.
Our 10-night itinerary
Nights 1–3: Flameback Eco Lodge, Yala
Day 4: Private transfer to the Galle beach area
Nights 4–10: Salt Beach House
Activities: Two Yala safaris, children’s naturalist/bird-spotting experience, surfing, Galle, Turtle Beach, Mirissa & Coconut Island
For us, the combination worked perfectly. Three nights of wildlife and adventure followed by seven nights of beach and surfing gave us enough excitement without making the trip exhausting with three young children.
And travelling around Easter was a great time for us to do it — warm, sunny and perfect for combining safari with the beach.
Restaurants/Activities: if you manage to have a kid free date night then Aqua Forte is a cute Italian in Galle, Turtles at Wijiya Beach, Surf lessons at The Shack Beach Cafe, Coconut Tree Hill in Mirissa - great photo spot, Shanti Shanti Beach restaurant- great spot for dinner and rope swinging, tuk tuks everywhere.
