Three-wheeling through Sri Lanka on a family tuk-tuk adventure

A reverent hush falls over the already tranquil stupas as the sky turns turquoise, orange, then deep pink – the silence amplified somehow by the herringbone clouds stretching off over dusky mountains. Orange-robed monks pad quietly to and fro while sticks of incense smoulder in huge pots, wafting scented clouds upwards and turning the warm air above the Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery sweet. An entrancing mantra starts up over the PA and everyone freezes to appreciate this deeply spiritual moment, in this mountain monastery in the middle of the Sri Lankan jungle.

This, perhaps, is the single most serene and magical experience of my life … until the precise moment our five-year-old decides he wants his shoes back (we have left them at the entrance, as required when entering such a holy place) and has a meltdown. I swiftly whisk him out to the car park to allow my wife – and everyone else – a further few precious minutes of inner peace and calm.

It’s no revelation that travelling with children – especially ones as young as three and five – comes with challenges. Gone are the days of several mai tais by the pool before a late dinner, beach club and sleeping in the next day until noon. Instead, it’s a litany of exhausting airport transfers and difficult menu choices, with maybe – maybe – a quiet 20 minutes with the Kindle on the balcony after they’ve finally crashed out for the day.

But there is a flip side that makes the effort invested in trips with little ones so worthwhile: swimming with giant green sea turtles; watching a wild leopard slink across a dirt road; and going absolutely bananas at the arrival of the holiday transport. Those are memories that will be cemented forever and were ultimately the reasons behind our decision to give this particular family holiday a whirl.

Fortunately, the temple tantrum is quickly forgotten upon arrival at the parking area, thanks entirely to our hired wheels – all three of them.

“Abu!” shouts my son excitedly (it’s half of the registration number), as we pile back into our freshly rented tin can – yes, for this trip, we’ve hired a three-wheeled, naturally air-conditioned, driverless tuk-tuk. This might sound reckless (leave it to the local drivers, surely!) but a growing number of companies can take care of everything you need to drive your very own Sri Lankan three-wheeler. A bonus is that it works out cheaper than a normal car rental – and so it should, really, with one fewer wheel.