- Explore the lost city fortress of Sigiriya
- Discover the ancient cave temple of Dambulla
- See elephants in their natural habitat
- Cycle through lush paddy fields
- Spot wildlife in Yala National Park
- Relax on palm-fringed tropical beaches

Tropical Island Wanderer Family Holiday
Post-trip Extensions
Maldives
If you are keen to end your trip on a relaxed note, we can arrange a visit to the Maldives for you.
The flight from Colombo is around one hour and upon arrival you will be transferred by speedboat (approximately 20 minutes) to the Paradise Island four-star resort. Paradise Island is a beautiful coral island, covered with tropical vegetation and palm trees, surrounded by a wide sandy beach and an azure lagoon.
You can choose to add as many extra nights to your trip as you wish; your time on the island will be at leisure for you to do as you wish. The accommodation has a swimming pool, restaurant, bar, room service and all rooms are air conditioned. There is also access to scuba diving and snorkelling or the chance to swim in the wonderful, calm waters. Either way, it is a veritable paradise and a memorable end to the trip.
If you choose to take advantage of this opportunity, we can arrange flights for you to Malé and book the hotel and speedboat transfer to the island. Please be advised, all accommodation booked at the Paradise Island four-star resort is based on minimum half-board basis but full-board and all-inclusive upgrades are available for a supplement fee.
Please ask your sales representative for more details. Prices listed are starting prices.
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Reviews
Add your own reviewTropical highland wanderer
A good family holiday to Sri Lanka. We certainly saw many aspects of the island, though due to the group size at times it felt more of a bus tour than a cultural experience
Most Inspirational Moment
Fear going to sigyris rock
Thoughts on Group Leader
He coped reasonably with a large and varied group. Birthdays for part members were well felt with. He did not manage to engage the whole group at all times.
Advice for Potential Travellers
I'd advise going on a smaller group. Ours was too large
Suggestions
As above. Time on buses wasted time. It took away from opportunity to see more of the country. In towns when alone we safely wandered and saw the towns as they are. More of this and less of the tourist trail would be appreciated. We were warned by another tour operator about the safari. Never believed we would witness the 50 jeeps to a herd of elephants that we saw. It all felt manufactured and there for the paying customers. All very safe and sanitised
Best holiday ever!
From a warm welcome at the airport to a sad goodbye at the end, this was the best holiday we have ever had!
Our tour leader ensured we experienced the real Sri Lanka in a responsible way with numerous activities and something to suit everyone. Our group of 8 adults and 8 children (aged 10-17) became great friends and the organisation of our leader meant we could relax and enjoy our holiday. Be warned – going back to work is difficult after such a great trip!!
Most Inspirational Moment
Kandy festival Elephant safari Bike ride
Thoughts on Group Leader
Sujeewa was friendly, organised and knowledgeable - all you want in a leader, but so much more. He went out of his way to ensure every single member of the group had a fantastic holiday. He was particularly attentive to the needs of a family tour. Like he said 'if the children are happy, he parents are happy'. We couldn't have asked for a better leader.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Don't miss the optional elephant safari - it was the highlight of our trip in August. All rooms are air conditioned (can be noisy) with only sheets on the bed (can get cool). No need to pack an adaptor (hotels will have UK sockets or an adaptor), but a 4-way plug would be useful for charging all the gadgets. Teenagers - yes, there is wifi!
Suggestions
This is a fantastic trip offering the best of Sri Lanka for families - temples, festivals, historical sites, friendly people and great food - and of course elephants!
Tropical island Wanderer
Sri Lanka is lush, vibrant and colourful and our trip had some fabulous highlights but there is a lot of time on the coach!
Most Inspirational Moment
Climbing the Rock fortress at Sigriya before breakfast and so in the cool of early morning with very few other tourists around. This excursion offered everything: an exhilarating climb, stunning views, enticing ruins and exquisite paintings.
Tropical Island wanderer
the tour was a great introduction to this very beautiful and exotic island. It was well organized and well paced providing a balance of culture and nature, with plenty of relaxing time too.
Most Inspirational Moment
The temple visits and learning about buddhism from our excellent tour guide.
Thoughts on Group Leader
He was excellent, well organized, calm, very well informed, thoughtful and a very nice person. (Sujan)
Advice for Potential Travellers
The hot and very humid weather is tiring and there are several long drives on winding roads. Remember to pack mosquito repellent and use it liberally.
Suggestions
We were all very impressed with the quality and variety of food available. The safari trips were great fun, binoculars are a must.
Tropical Island Wanderer
We had an amazing time on this trip; all of the members of our family- 2 adults and 3 children aged 16, 14 and 12 enjoyed it hugely. It was a great mix of culture, wildlife and beaches! Sri Lanka is a gorgeous island, the people are incredibly friendly and welcoming, and the food was fantastic- we especially enjoyed the food made by local families, which we lucky enough to try several times
Most Inspirational Moment
Climbing the rock fortress at Sigiriya was a definite highlight, as was coming pretty much face to face with countless elephants on the game drive near Polonnaruwa. The kindness of the people we met was definitely inspirational.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Absolutely brilliant -hugely enthusiastic, friendly, cheerful and informative. Neelaka made everyone feel immediately at ease, and took care of all of the little details for us. We couldn't have asked for a better group leader.
Advice for Potential Travellers
If you can afford the trip, don't hesitate to go!! It is definitely worth taking up the guide's offer to set up a "kitty" to cover tips for all of the meals and hotel staff, and for buying bottles of water every day - this makes life a lot easier. Although it is tempting to just sit by the pool (or the beach towards the end of the trip) when there is any free time, we would recommend fitting in as many of the optional activities that you can. It is also easy to organise your own activities - at Ahangama, we organised a group trip by tuk tuk down the coast to Weligama, and had a superb afternoon of surfing (or trying to surf!).
Suggestions
Thank you to the other members of the group- we had a great time on holiday with you. Loved everything about the trip- if we were to add one thing, we would have enjoyed trekking.
Family Tropical Island Wonderer Sri Lanka
Such an amazing holiday from start to finish. Was an excellent opportunity for our us and our son to experience the culture of this wonderful country with like minded families.
Most Inspirational Moment
Without a doubt, it was the opportunity to bathe one of the elephants in the river. Such majestic creatures.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Wasanta was magnificent. A very knowledgeable and likeable man with a willing to please. He made things happen for the group and maintained a 'happy camp'!!
Advice for Potential Travellers
There is a lot of time spent on the coach as there is so much to see and this may be an issue for younger travellers especially. Also a few roads are very 'winding' and if you do not travel well it would be most advisable to obtain a travel sickness solution that works for you. Also invest in decent mosquito repellent - we did and did not receive 1 bite!! Be prepared for visiting the temples with appropriate clothing to cover shoulders and knees, this applies to everyone, even children, and remember not to pose in front of Buddha.
Suggestions
Would just like to thank everyone on our trip for making it a happy and memorable one.
Tropical Island Wanderer - Family
This is a full on trip where you feel like you’ve had a real taste of Sri Lanka. It ticks all the boxes – wildlife, adventure, culture, food, local life and makes you fall in love with a very beautiful country.
Most Inspirational Moment
We thought that cycling around the locality of Sigiraya rock one day and then climbing up it the next was phenomenal. It built everything up and fired the imagination once we were on top of the rock, taking in the tremendous views. We were lucky enough to be in Kandy when the Esala Perahera was on and our wonderful guide, Sujee, arranged seats for us to watch. The significance of this ceremony to the Sri Lankan people and their mass involvement was inspiring. Visiting the spice garden and seeing all the things green and growing that are bottled and dried in the kitchen cupboard at home. The oils and remedies are wonderful too.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Sujee, our group leader, was brilliant. He was full of information, avidly promoted responsible tourism and was always available if we needed anything - or had more questions. He was wonderfully flexible too - helping our group to arrange alternative trips to the usual optional ones. We all loved how he bought us unusual fruits etc from the roadside for us all to try. He was greatly complemented by Nisha, who looked after us excellently too, and Gama, our very, very skilful and safe driver.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Water is provided on the bus so you don't need water bottles. Take lots and lots of high factor sun cream and insect repellent. Hotel standards way exceeded our expectations - so no 'roughing' it! The trip is quite exhausting with lots of travelling so the time on the beach at the end is much appreciated. Opportunities to obtain cash from ATMs are identified by the guide so you can plan withdrawals.
Suggestions
This was a wonderful trip and we were very lucky that our group got on together so well. It has made me want to visit Sri Lanka again as it was such a great experience.
Island Wonders trip
Not having been on such a trip with our children (16 and 13) before we were not sure what to expect. Truth was, we had a wonderful time with so many experiences it is hard to list them all here but a few to pick out are the cycling around Sigiriya village, whale watching, elephant riding ,tuk-tuk escapades….
Most Inspirational Moment
Elephant ride closely followed by whale watching.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Sujeewa was brilliant, kind-hearted, patient and adaptable to the different demands of our group. His passion for his country shone out brightly.
Advice for Potential Travellers
The pace I would say is medium, be prepared for a few long stretches of travel although I think that even then they were broken up with interesting, sometimes impromptu stops to pick up fruits to try, crafts to show and views to see. Also pack a small umbrella for those torrential albeit short rain storms. The age for the trip I think is more suitable for over 8s although we did have a 6 year old in the group who got on well.
Suggestions
This was a great trip for us, probably our best holiday to date.
TROPICAL ISLAND WANDERER - FAMILY HOLIDAY
Another great holiday from Exodus. A bit less full on than the other trips we have done (Egypt and India) which was good and Sri Lanka is well worth visiting for the scenery, people and food!
Most Inspirational Moment
Watching the elephants from the orphanage in the river when having lunchClimbing Lion's RockTravelling through the mountains - amazing countrysideWent out running a lot - everyone so friendly and amazed to see me running - feels quite lonely going out now I am back in England! (watch out for the dogs though!!)
Thoughts on Group Leader
Suresh was a great tour leader, spent a lot of time and energy making sure all were happy all the time and keeping us all on track, even playing cricket with my son!
Advice for Potential Travellers
As other people have said there is a lot of time spent on the coach - although the roads are generally good and not too much traffic, the tuk-tuks and cyclists and the winding roads through the mountains mean that progress is generally slow (better down in the south of the island)
Suggestions
Go! Is a very relaxing holiday, not too many temples (this is feedback from my children!), elephants amazing, people friendly (and dont hassle you to buy things!) and food very good even for the fussiest of children
TROPICAL ISLAND WANDERER - FAMILY HOLIDAY
Amazing time and great holiday for kids and families.
Most Inspirational Moment
Climbing Sigiriya rock Watching blue whales at Mirissa
Thoughts on Group Leader
She was really nice and considerate. Always smiling and helpful.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Lots of sun-screen
Suggestions
Great country and amazing trip.
Start
Finish
Availability
Adult Price From
Child Price From
Optional Single Supplement
Sunday Saturday
28 Jul 2024 27 Jul 2024
Friday Friday
09 Aug 2024 09 Aug 2024
Availability Available
Adult Price From £ 1,899 £ 3,749 Book with 25% deposit
Child Price From £ 1,424 £ 2,812 Book with 25% deposit
Optional Single Supplement Single Rooms sold out
Availability
This departure is available for new bookings, and will be guaranteed to go ahead once it reaches minimum numbers. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
View Trip NotesSunday Saturday
04 Aug 2024 03 Aug 2024
Friday Friday
16 Aug 2024 16 Aug 2024
Availability Available
Adult Price From £ 1,899 £ 3,749 Book with 25% deposit
Child Price From £ 1,424 £ 2,812 Book with 25% deposit
Optional Single Supplement Single Rooms sold out
Availability
This departure is available for new bookings, and will be guaranteed to go ahead once it reaches minimum numbers. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
View Trip NotesSunday Saturday
22 Dec 2024 21 Dec 2024
Friday Friday
03 Jan 2025 03 Jan 2025
Availability Available
Adult Price From £ 1,999 £ 4,299 Book with 25% deposit
Child Price From £ 1,499 £ 3,224 Book with 25% deposit
Optional Single Supplement Single Rooms sold out
Availability
This departure is available for new bookings, and will be guaranteed to go ahead once it reaches minimum numbers. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
View Trip NotesWould you like to include flights with your booking?
- ATOL protected
- Competitive flight prices
- Full refunds in the event of FCDO cancellations or major disruption at your UK departure airport
- Specialist support to rearrange flights and transfers
- Regional flights available from many UK airports
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