Sri lanka luxury family tour

Planet

Whilst on game drives in Sri Lanka’s national parks please do not encourage your driver to get too close to the animals or depart from the usual track. You should be as quiet as possible and do not make any noises to attract or frighten the wildlife. Of course you’ll be excited if you spot a leopard in Yala National Park or a herd of elephants in Gal Oya National Park, but you should try to express your excitement quietly.

Whilst visiting national parks please ensure that you don’t leave any litter – everything you carry in you must carry out. Aside from the environmental damage, litter can be harmful to the wildlife.

Entrance fees to Sri Lanka’s national parks are quite high, however this is an essential way for them to protect their incredible landscapes and wildlife (note: national park entrance fees are included in your holiday cost).

By including a visit to a national park in your itinerary, you are showing the Sri Lankan government that tourism within protected areas is thriving, thus encouraging more funding, employment opportunities etc.

Elephant trekking is a popular tourist activity in Asia, especially in countries such as Thailand, Cambodia, India and Sri Lanka. The elephants used for trekking are often mistreated and harshly trained, therefore we do not offer this activity on tailor made holiday with us.

In Sri Lanka there are a number of elephant sanctuaries which claim to care for orphaned elephants, however the elephants are not orphans at all, but are bred within the ‘orphanage’ and they’re trained to interact with tourists in an unethical way.

If you wish to see elephants during your time in Sri Lanka we encourage you to visit the national parks, such as Yala, Minneriya, Kaudulla and Gal Oya, where you’ll have a chance to see huge herds of these magnificent creatures in the wild instead.

Our Top Tip: Include a stay at Gal Oya Lodge on your itinerary. This wonderful wildlife lodge is located on the edge of Gal Oya National Park, one of Sri Lanka's least visited national parks. The park is home to a large number of elephants which can be seen swimming from island to island in Senanayake Samudra Lake.

People

We ensure that our local guides are paid fairly, our partner accommodations take responsible initiatives and our tours have ample cultural interactions.

This itinerary includes a visit to a tea factory with a resident tea planter with the outcome of learning more on the history of tea, the process that goes into creating the perfect cuppa and the locals' lives working and living in tea plantations.

During your time in Sri Lanka, you may see local children from disadvantage families begging in and around the touristic areas. We advise against giving gifts, money or sweets to children or even buying anything from them.

Sweets may seem like an ideal gift for children, but access to dentists is extremely limited to rural dwellers and the last thing you want to give them is tooth decay. You might think it helps to give children gifts, money or sweets, but unfortunately it encourages begging. It is much better to just play or interact with them and support a local or international NGO.

Please ensure that you are respectful when taking photos, especially of women and children. It is polite to ask for permission first and if they indicate that they do not want you to, please respect this. Do not offer money or push the issue.
If you’re visiting religious sites please ensure that you do not take photos of sacred statues – selfies with Buddha are not likely to go down well.