October half term trip to Sri Lanka

Brand new half term trip to Sri Lanka for international students

In October 2024 Academic Families launched a new destination to our half term trips, adding Sri Lanka as an option for UK boarding school students at October half term, alongside the very popular Dubai trip. Two of our staff have previous experience of living and working on the island and their knowledge and research proved invaluable in constructing a diverse two week itinerary for our international students.

Although roughly the same size as the island of Ireland, Sri Lanka has two monsoon seasons and so it is always possible to find some sun and avoid the rain in one half of the country. The plan for our students included

• some relaxation on the coast after visiting the cooler, colonial looking highlands
• taking in tea plantations with British names like Edinburgh, harking back to the origins of the industry
• visits to four of Sri Lanka’s eight World Heritage sites
• two national parks for game viewing and close encounters with elephants
• an immersion into the rich cultures of the island including food, religion and dance
• an introduction to Ayurveda, Sri Lanka’s ancient art of herbal and holistic healing
• a wild white water ride down a raging river.

Sri Lanka trip highlights for international students and staff

With such a packed programme it is difficult to select just a few highlights, but our dawn climb up the very challenging staircases of Sigiriya Rock was breathtaking (literally) and worth the reward of seeing the sun rise over the vast surrounding plain. And all before breakfast.

The students particularly enjoyed the two compact national parks we visited at Yala and Minneriya. Not only for the game viewing opportunities at very close quarters but for the sheer fun of being driven in the open sided jeeps, kicking up the dust and heading into the sunset which lent an intimate feel to the safari experience. All this, and we caught a rare glimpse of a relaxing leopard.

Through adult eyes, the sheer variety and beauty of the island’s countryside was a joy - with nearly every square metre of land providing an abundance of fruit, vegetables and produce. The neat rows of tea bushes, the graceful rubber plantations and the vast paddy fields all gave a sense of a land bursting with nature. We were also struck by the calm and charm of the Sri Lankan people, who are natural and welcoming hosts.

Perhaps for us all the most moving experience was our visit to the Tsunami Museum on the coast near the beautiful walled city of Galle. This sobering memorial to the devastating tsunami that hit the island, and other countries, on 26 December 2004 (long before our students were born) included photos, written testimony of survivors and a train carriage that had been swept far off its tracks. The visit prompted interesting and sensitive discussion within our group.

Testimonials

Academic Families Managing Director Lorna Clayton MBE said of the trip;

"Our packed itinerary, which saw us staying in seven locations over fourteen days far exceeded our expectations. We were very fortunate to have an excellent guide with us throughout our stay. Irosha was clearly passionate about her country and culture, imparting so much of her deep knowledge to our students and opening their eyes to a very new and different environment. We are very excited to be able to offer this half term trip to Sri Lanka to our international students and we are already improving our excellent itinerary to include more adventure activities for our 2025 trip."