Your school trip to Sri Lanka will offer your students the opportunity to explore an incredibly rich, ancient culture!
School trips to Sri Lanka offer your students the unforgettable opportunity to explore a real tropical island paradise!
Sri Lanka lies just south of India, in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. With a cultural heritage spanning thousands of years, miles of unspoilt beaches and fascinating wildlife, including elephants and the elusive leopard, this country has much to offer in terms of educational experiences. It’s especially popular as a destination for cultural school trips designed to introduce students to an ancient Asian culture.
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Activities in Sri Lanka that your school group will love
Degaldoruwa Cave Temple
Built in 1771 by King Rajadi Rajasinha, the Degaldoruwa Cave Temple is located in the small village of Amunugama, just
Horton Plains National Park
Horton Plains National Park, a World Heritage Site perched on the southern edge of the Central highlands consists of montane
Kandy City Tour
Former capital of the kings of Sri Lanka, make sure you see all the treasures of Kandy with a guided
Muthurajawela the Swamp of Royal Treasure
Estimated to be around 7,000 years old, Muthurajawela is a large swamp in southern Negombo.
Sigiraya
The most visited historic site in Sri Lanka, Sigiriya, or Lion Rock, has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage
Yala National Park
Famous for the diversity of wildlife living there, Yala National Park, on the country's southeastern coast is a must-see on
Why visit Sri Lanka?
The rich cultural heritage
School trips to Sri Lanka offer a wonderful cultural experience, thanks to the possibility of visiting so many UNESCO World Heritage Sites and temples within a relatively small geographic area.
Sri Lankan culture has primarily been influenced by the two main traditional cultures, the Sinhalese and the Tamil, and also by the religions of Buddhism and Hinduism.
On your school trip to Sri Lanka, you will have the opportunity to visit sites of cultural importance including temples, and palaces. And you’ll have the opportunity to explore both Kandy and Colombo, both of which are bustling cities.
Your students will also have the incredible opportunity to visit a local village school, where they will be able to join in lessons with local children, learning about the local culture through interaction with their peers.
The fascinating history
With a documented history that spans three millennia, as well as evidence of prehistoric settlements dating back at least 125,000 years, something Sri Lanka definitely isn’t short of is history.
On your school trip to Sri Lanka, you must not miss out on the opportunity to visit Sigiriya, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Thought to be one of the best-preserved examples of ancient urban planning, Sigiriya is an ancient rock fortress built by King Kashyapa in the 5 th century and boasts some of the oldest landscaped gardens in the world.
The incredible wildlife
Sri Lanka has one of the highest rates of biological endemism in the world. That means that much of the flora and fauna here are native to the country.
The Sri Lankan elephant is, of course, one of the most famous residents of the island, but there are also lorises, macaques, langurs and civets, to name but a few of the other mammals here.
We can arrange for your group to visit Horton Plains National Park and Muthurajawela (‘the swamp of royal treasures’), where you’ll have the opportunity to see some of the country’s incredible wildlife for yourselves.
Where to visit in Sri Lanka
Colombo
A school trip to Colombo offers your students the opportunity to explore the beautiful island country of Sri Lanka!
Colombo school trips are popular as a cultural experience for students. They'll love exploring the spectacular scenery and discovering the ancient culture. Your students will visit royal palaces and Buddhist temples, and will learn more about the country's most important export at a tea factory.
Learn more
26 Feb 2019
Here are just a few examples of the many incredible activities available in Sri Lanka.
29 Jan 2019
Here’s our guide to travel etiquette in Sri Lanka, to help you and your students navigate the cultural differences without inadvertently causing offence.
Why choose Halsbury?
We build your trip around you
Tell us your learning objectives, curriculum and budget and we’ll do the rest.
Contact usWe’re trusted for a reason
We’re members of ABTA, ABTOT and the School Travel Forum. We also hold an ATOL and the LOtC Quality Badge.
Read moreOur Education specialists
Laura Lucas
Tour Consultant
Paul Hudson
Tour Consultant
Laura Martin
Tours Sales & Product Manager
Emma Gray da Silva
Tour Consultant
Meet our education specialists and get to know more about the people committed to making your school trip the best it can be.
FAQs
Do you offer travel insurance?
We do. Travel insurance is an optional extra and you can find out more about it in our travel insurance resource (which includes the policy documents and FAQs).
If you decide against arranging this insurance through us (which is absolutely fine, by the way), please just remember you must have suitable travel and medical insurance to cover your group.
Can the trip itinerary be adapted to my curriculum and requirements?
Every single trip we arrange is tailor-made, so yes, the itinerary can be adapted.
Our Tour Advisers and Itinerary Coordinators are all experienced school travel specialists. They'll work closely with you to make sure your itinerary supports your learning objectives. They'll be able to offer suggestions and advice to make sure you make the most of your time.
So, when you're browsing through our school trips, just remember that the itineraries and activities you see are there for inspiration only - your own itinerary can look as similar or as different as you want.
Equally, we've suggested trip durations based on what groups usually request - if you want to go for a shorter or longer duration, just let us know.
How far ahead should I start planning my trip?
As a general rule, we recommend that you start planning your trip 12-18 months before you want to travel. This gives you plenty of time to get it approved and launched to students and parents.
Planning early will mean you have a greater choice of accommodation and travel options - and it will make paying for the trip easier for families, as they'll be able to break it down into smaller, more manageable payments.
You can check out our trip-planning timeline for a better idea of the process and when you should expect to be doing things.
If you are looking to travel sooner than this, it is possible. It will depend on availability and you may find prices are a bit higher, but get in touch and we can see what's possible.
What accommodation options are available?
The accommodation options that are available vary depending on the destination but we're usually able to arrange everything from hostel-style accommodation to more luxurious hotels.
On each of the trip pages, you'll see some accommodation options - these are usually the most popular for those destinations, but we often have plenty of other options available. You'll discuss accommodation options (and budget) with your Tour Adviser when they're putting your quote together, so don't be afraid to let them know if you want something different.
We only work with accommodation options that are suitable for schools. As a member of the School Travel Forum (STF), you can be certain that all accommodation contracted by us complies with local legislation with respect to fire and general safety, is contracted by trained Halsbury Travel staff or reputable agents, receives a standard audit and risk assessment prior to use by Halsbury Travel and receives a supplementary audit if it is used on five or more occasions in a year.
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