Srilanka with Toddler- An 8 day itinerary - A peak into the central highlands and southern coast!!

Krithika Venkatakrishnan
Nov 13, 2023
3 min read

When you are looking for an international travel destination on a budget from India, Srilanka is a no brainer, Planning Dhriti's first airplane journey we zeroed in on Srilanka pretty last minute again and went in for one mountain and one beach destination, read on to know our itinerary which is a slow paced toddler friendly one, There are a lot more that this country offers and this was just our choice and what we could do with a 2.7 year old!!

Day 1: Arrival - Drive down to Nuwra Eliya:

Start your trip from Colombo, the judicial capital of this country, on arrival at the airport we straight away started our journey to Nuwra eliya, The distance is just around 250 kms but there are pretty curvy bends and narrow roads and so the journey takes close to 5 to 6 hours depening on the number of breaks you take. The drive is so scenic that you are forced to take quite a few breaks on the way. On arrival it would be best to check into the hotel and call it a day!!

Day 2: Local sightseeing tour of Nuwra Eliya:

Nuwra Eliya is one of the most beautiful and green hill stations you would see ever, located in the tea country of the central highlands of Srilanka, the climate is mostly pleasent and rainy in the evenings,Surrounded by tea gardens, colonial buildings, lakes and botanical gardens this is one of the must visit towns for families, offering something for every age group. If you are upto it then the Sita temple is also a must visit and holds a huge significance for Hindus as it is believed to be the place where sita was residing as long as she was held captive by Ravana in Srilanka, The place also happens to have a huge foot print which everyone believe is that of the monkey god Hanuman as he finds Sita here in Srilanka.

Day 3: A day trip to Ella:

Ella is a quaint and beautiful town around 60 kms from Nuwra eliya housing one of Srilanka's most famous land marks, the nine arch bridge, The Ravana Ella water falls and the Ravana Caves. Though many want to visit this town by train, its sometimes not doable if you are pressed for time or with toddlers as the trains are known to be almost perpectually late, so a day trip by road and a hike upto the nine arch bridge is an equally stunning option, Also if you are visiting post monsoon, do not miss the Ravana Ella falls , one of the most beautiful ones I have ever seen. Legend has it that the demon king Ravana has bathed in these waters and initally hid Sita at the caves behind these falls when he first bought her to Srilanka.

Day 4: Drive down from Nuwra Eliya to Galle:

After bidding our goodbyes to the Green Nuwra Eliya, We began our journey to the scenic coastal town of Galle. we again drive via ella, and get their highway after wich the journey was a breeze. So we once again stopped at the Ravana Falls to take in the sheer beauty of it and then got on to the highways, and man this was the most beautiful highway journey I have ever taken!! On arrival in Galle again we decided to call it a day and relax.

Day 5: the Unawatuna beach, jungle beach and visit to the Galle fort:

Post breakfast we started our day visiting one of the most scenic beaches of Srilanka, the Unawatuna beach, The changing hues of the ocean and the sand was a treat to our eyes, and by november the water is much more gentle making it a lot more toddler friendly. the next beach we visited is quite popular with tourists and locals alike and yet we found it to be be one of the most clean and prestine beaches, the jungle beach of Unawatuna.

Post lunch we visited the fort at the heart of the town of Galle.

Day 6: A day trip to Mirissa:

If you are a morning person and visiting between mid of november to april, do not miss the whale and dolphin watching cruise which starts as early as 6 am in the morning, This is also home to some of the most prestine beaches of Srilanka with soft white sands and turquoise blue waters and is home to the famous instagram friendly land mark of the coconut/ palm tree hill.

Day 7: Drive from Galle to Colombo:

via the turtle hatchery at Bentota, also cover the most important landmarks of the colombo city like the independence square, red mosque, lotus tower and the gangarama temple