Pool hotels, bicycles, elephants and a shallow sea
Family Sri Lanka, 10 days is a private Sri Lanka tour by Majeste. It costs $1,053 per person for two at shoulder-season rates (for the hotels on this route, 21 to 30 April and 1 November to 20 December), with comfort hotels, entrance tickets and your own car and English-speaking driver included. Prices checked 7 Nov 2026. For 2 adults and 2 children aged 6 and 9, in comfort hotels at shoulder-season rates, it costs $3,080 in total, $770 per person. In its best months, Jan to Apr, it costs $1,026 to $1,218 per person for two, depending on the start date. It stops at Sigiriya (Dambulla and Habarana), Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Ella, Udawalawe National Park, Hikkaduwa, in that order. The longest drive is on day 1, from the airport to Sigiriya, about 3 h 45 min. Nothing to pay now.
The classic loop paced for children: three nights at one pool hotel near Sigiriya, a flat bicycle ride round Polonnaruwa, two elephant safaris, the train, and two nights at Hikkaduwa where green turtles feed close to the beach. Pidurangala replaces the Sigiriya climb by default, because it is shorter and cheaper; the rock can be added for children from about 8 with a head for heights. Jeep safaris have no minimum age, though the tracks are bumpy. There are no elephant rides or bathing anywhere on this tour. The price shown is for two adults; add your children's ages for a family quote.
About 3 hours 45 minutes from the airport, with a stop or two for the children. The afternoon is for the pool. Nothing else is planned.
Pidurangala Rock early, about an hour with a short scramble at the top and the view of Sigiriya. Then a village tour by bullock cart and catamaran with a rice-and-curry lunch. Sigiriya Rock itself can be added for older children: about 1,200 exposed steps and 2 to 3 hours.
Drive 1 hour 25 minutes to Polonnaruwa and cycle the flat ruins for about 3 hours; small bicycles and child seats are confirmed with the hire shop before you travel. Back for lunch and a rest, then a 15:00 private jeep to Minneriya, Kaudulla or Hurulu for elephants.
Dambulla's painted caves (shoes off, shoulders covered), then 2 hours 45 minutes to Kandy. Two hours in the Peradeniya gardens for the giant bamboo and the fruit bats, and a dance show at 17:00 with drums and fire-walking.
About 2 hours 45 minutes of hairpins over the Ramboda Pass; motion sickness is common, so sit the children in the front rows and stop at the waterfall. A strawberry farm on the way in, and boats and bikes at Gregory Lake. Cold at night: pack jumpers.
The 12:30 to 13:00 train from Nanu Oya to Ella, about 2 hours 30 minutes of tunnels and tea; most children love it. Reserved seats go on sale 30 days before travel and in high season can sell out within hours. We buy yours the day sales open, or as soon as you book if that is later. No class or window seat is promised. Train-spotting from the Nine Arch Bridge in the late afternoon.
Little Adam's Peak after breakfast, an easy hour. Then 2 hours 15 minutes down to Udawalawe for a jeep safari of about 3 hours. Elephants are usually seen here, though sightings are not guaranteed.
Feeding time at the Elephant Transit Home, watched from a platform with no contact; we confirm the feeding times with the Department before you travel. Then about 3 hours 20 minutes to Hikkaduwa and the pool or the beach.
Green turtles feed close to the beach in the morning (watch, do not touch or feed them) and a snorkel over the reef, which is degraded but still has fish. A two-hour boat on the Madu River through the mangroves, and Galle Fort for the evening, 35 minutes away.
A last swim before breakfast. The airport is about 2 hours 15 minutes by expressway, so a midday flight is possible.
| Stop | Simple | Comfort (this tour) | Superior | Luxury |
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| Sigiriya (Dambulla and Habarana)3 nights |
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| Kandy1 night |
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| Nuwara Eliya1 night |
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| Ella1 night |
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| Udawalawe National Park1 night |
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| Hikkaduwa2 nights |
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| Per person for two | $904 | $1,053 | $1,299 | $1,747 |
Hotels are named as examples of the standard you will get. If a named hotel is full we book one of the same standard in the same area and tell you which. Bed and breakfast unless the itinerary says otherwise.
| When | Per person | Compared |
|---|---|---|
| June (low season) | $1,024 | Lowest |
| November (shoulder season) | $1,053 | $29 more than the lowest |
| February (peak season) | $1,150 | $126 more than the lowest |
| Christmas and New Year | $1,258 | Highest, $234 more than the lowest |
Priced for a start date in each period. Your dates may fall across two seasons, so check them in the price box. Some stops here cost more in their own busy weeks, such as mid-July to August. The Christmas and New Year price includes our estimate of any compulsory gala dinner on 24 or 31 December.
| Group | Per person | Total | Vehicle |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 adult | $1,749 | $1,749 | Car |
| 2 adults | $1,053 | $2,105 | Car |
| 3 adults | $1,033 | $3,099 | Van |
| 4 adults | $864 | $3,454 | Van |
| 6 adults | $794 | $4,760 | Large van |
| 8 adults | $757 | $6,055 | Large van |
| 2 adults and 2 children aged 6 and 9 | $770 | $3,080 | Van |
Two adults share each room, and an odd adult has a single room at 80% of the double rate. The family row follows the children's hotel rule: Children under 6 stay free sharing their parents' bed. Children 6 to 11 sharing a room pay a small supplement. From 12, hotels count a child as an adult. We pick the smallest vehicle that seats the group in comfort. Per-person figures are rounded up to the dollar.
Three nights in one hotel at the start, two at the end; the longest drive is about 3 hours 45 minutes on day 1 and 3 hours 20 minutes on day 8.
Children under 6 stay free sharing their parents' bed; 6 to 11 pay a small hotel supplement, and children 6 to 12 pay reduced tickets at the heritage sites and parks; from 12 hotels count a child as an adult. Enter the ages in the quote and it shows the family total.
The south-west coast is rough then, and the price shown keeps the beach nights there. Pasikudah on the east coast is a shallow bay where small children can wade far out; to move the beach nights there and route back via Sigiriya, use Change the route or add days beside the price: the planner prices that route before you book.
Udawalawe is more reliable for elephants and the drives are shorter and less crowded. Yala has leopards but more jeeps and earlier starts; older children may prefer it, and we can swap.
The Elephant Transit Home at Udawalawe, where orphaned calves are fed from a platform and released back into the wild. We do not include rides, bathing or any contact with elephants.
Keep drives under three hours and pick Udawalawe over Yala. A 7-day loop for a family of four is about USD 2,080 with Majeste in comfort hotels, Nov 2026.
Ten days adds Polonnaruwa, Horton Plains and two nights each in Kandy and Ella. About USD 1,174 per person for two with Majeste, as of 7 November 2026.
Majeste's Classic Sri Lanka 7-day tour is USD 866 per person for two in 3-star hotels, shoulder season, with car, driver, tickets and safaris. 7 Nov 2026.
January to March is driest on the west and south coasts, in the hills and the Cultural Triangle; May to September suits the east. Checked 7 Nov 2026.
10 days · Comfort hotels
Sigiriya (Dambulla and Habarana), Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Ella, Yala (Tissamaharama and Kataragama), Galle (with Unawatuna)
The classic loop with room to breathe
$1,230
per person for two, 10 days, comfort hotels, shoulder season, tickets included
10 days · Luxury hotels
Colombo, Sigiriya (Dambulla and Habarana), Kandy, Hatton (Adam's Peak and tea country), Ella, Yala (Tissamaharama and Kataragama), Galle (with Unawatuna)
Heritage hotel, tea bungalow, park lodge, fort boutique
$2,006
per person for two, 10 days, luxury hotels, shoulder season, tickets included
10 days · Simple hotels
Negombo, Sigiriya (Dambulla and Habarana), Kandy, Ella, Yala (Tissamaharama and Kataragama), Mirissa (with Weligama)
Guesthouses and homestays, the same island
$804
per person for two, 10 days, simple hotels, shoulder season, tickets included, Udawattakele forest ticket paid there
Fees last checked 7 Nov 2026. Hotel rates last checked 7 Nov 2026. Transport rates last checked 7 Nov 2026. Activity prices last checked 7 Nov 2026. Rupee fees converted at LKR 332.5 to USD 1 (XE mid-market rate, 6 Nov 2026).
Where the figures come from
More about our photos on the credits page.
Example for 2, no date chosen
$1,053per person, rounded up$2,104.91 total
for 2 adults, 10 days, comfort hotels, car, shoulder season
Nothing to pay now. You pay your driver in cash when the trip starts. Plans change? Cancel free up to 24 hours before pickup. Replies within 30 minutes, 07:00 to 21:00 Sri Lanka time.
