Sri Lanka v England 2026 - Full Tour

January 19

Depart UK

January 20

Arrive Colombo. On arrival you will be met and transferred to your hotel.

January 21

Day at leisure.

January 22

Proceed to the R. Premadasa International Stadium for the first ODI.
Return to the hotel after the match.

January 23

Guided tour of the Commercial Capital.

Facing the Indian Ocean and stretching along 14 km of the island’s western shores Colombo used to be called the Garden City of the East. Things have changed, overcrowded buses and minivans have replaced the bullock carts and the once quiet roads are now bustling with people and traffic. Yet the city still has its charms with its complex assortment of tree-lines boulevards, colonial buildings, parks, open air markets, temples, lakes, churches and now even skyscrapers. Colombo is the natural entry and exit point from the country and if not for its own charms its excellent shopping, great restaurants and a thriving art scene make it an enjoyable stop.
Pay a visit to The Cricket Club Café. Run by two Australians – Jamie and Gaby – the Cricket Club Café is an institution very popular in Colombo with expatriates, tourists and wealthy Sri Lankans. The whole place is decked out in Cricket memorabilia, hence the name…! The menu is mostly made up of international favourites – fish, mixed grills, pasta, chicken etc, but there are some local dishes too.

January 24

Proceed to the R. Premadasa International Stadium for the second ODI.
Return to the hotel after the match.

January 25

After breakfast, proceed to Galle on the southern expressway. (Leave the hotel at 8.30 am / arrive in Galle at around 10.30 am.)

The coastal town of Galle, the capital of the Southern Province, is best known for its impressive fort: a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the best preserved colonial sea fortress in Asia. The fort was built and modified over 4 centuries; started by the Portuguese in the late 16th century it was later taken over by the Dutch and eventually by the British. Protected within its walls, bastions and ramparts is a complete town with narrow streets, churches and cloistered inner courtyards of shuttered mansions, which clearly bear testament to their colonial past.
Continue to Bentota and visit the famous pleasure gardens of the two brothers - Bewis Bawa’s Brief Garden and Geofrey Bawa’s Lunuganga Estate.
Return to Colombo in the evening.

January 26

Day at leisure.

January 27

Proceed to the R. Premadasa International Stadium for the third ODI.
Return to the hotel after the match.

January 28

After breakfast, checkout from the hotel and proceed to Dambulla. (Checkout from the hotel at 09.00 am.)
You will arrive in the hotel in the early afternoon. Check in to the hotel.
Proceed to visit the rock fortress of Sigiriya. (Departure from the hotel – 3.00 pm)
The legendary sky citadel of Sigiriya, the “Lion Rock” famous for its frescoes of ‘Celestial Maidens’ is possibly the most impressive site in Sri Lanka. Built by King Kasyapa in the 5th century on top of a vast 200m granite rock it took seven years to build and was abandoned after ten years of occupation when the King, defeated by his brother, committed suicide. Although it is a steep climb, the views and frescoes are definitely worth the effort. Sigiriya is best visited first thing in the morning or just before sunset when it is cooler and less crowded. (Duration of visit: approx. 2 hrs).

January 29

Proceed to visit the Medieval Capital of Polonnaruwa. (Departure from the hotel – 8.00 am)
Polonnaruwa was the island's medieval capital between the 11th and 13th century. Built alongside a large ancient artificial lake there are well-preserved ruins of palaces, bathing pools, stupas and exquisite rock sculptures of Buddha at the Gal Vihara. Start with a visit to the museum which, although small, is excellent. (Duration of visit: approx. 2½ hrs)
Later in the afternoon, visit Minneriya National Park by jeep.
Located between Habarana and Polonnaruwa, the 8,890 hectares of Minneriya National Park consists of mixed evergreen forest and scrub areas and is home to favourites such as sambhur deer and elephants. However, the central feature of the park is the ancient Minneriya Tank (built in 3 rd century AD by King Mahasena). During the dry season (June to September), this tank is an incredible place to observe the elephants who come to bathe and graze, as well as the huge flocks of birds (cormorants and painted storks to name but a few) that come to fish in the shallow waters. (Duration of visit: approx. 3 hrs)

January 30

Breakfast in the hotel. Check out from the hotel and proceed to Kandy.
You will visit the cave temples of Dambulla on your way.
Dambulla is renowned for its Cave Temples, which were built by King Valagam Bahu in the 1st century BC in gratitude for the shelter he sought in the caves when fleeing from Indian invaders. Sited on a gigantic granite outcrop, which towers more than 160m above the surrounding land, the caves are completely covered by ancient frescoes depicting religious and secular scenes. Protected within the caves are hundreds of statues of Buddha, many carved out of the rock itself, of which the largest is the 15m long Dying Buddha. (Duration of visit: approx. 2 hrs)
Continue to Kandy and check in to the hotel.

Proceed to the Pallekelle International Stadium in the late afternoon for the first T-20 Match.
Return to the hotel after the match.

January 31

You will visit the Royal Botanical Gardens of Peradeniya in the morning. (Departure from the hotel – 8.30 am)
Here, exotic crops such as coffee, tea, nutmeg, rubber and cinchona (quinine) – all of which were to become important to the country’s economy were first tested. For keen gardeners, at least a morning is recommended to visit the gardens, possibly longer. (Duration of visit: approx. 2½ hrs)
Return to the hotel, via the city of Kandy.
Kandy is the old capital of Ceylon and the seat of the last Singhalese kingdom. It is a charming city with the most important Buddhist temple in the country and is set around an ancient artificial lake amongst rolling hills that are covered by forests and tea plantations.
Later in the evening, proceed to visit the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha. (Departure from the hotel – 5.00 pm)
Ever since it was founded in the 16th Century, it has housed one of the most sacred relics of Buddhism – a tooth of Buddha collected from his funeral pyre and which is now protected within the gold-roofed Temple of the Tooth. See the blessing ceremony with all the fanfare, drums, trumpets and brightly coloured Monks performing their rituals.

February 1

Proceed to the Pallekelle International Stadium for the second T-20 Match.

February 2

After breakfast, proceed on a day trip to Nuwara Eliya. (Departure from the hotel: 8.00 am)
You have the opportunity to enjoy a brief train ride on your way to Nuwara Eliya. Your vehicle will travel ahead of you and pick you up from a predetermined station.
Just outside Nuwara Eliya, you will visit a tea plantation and a factory. Here you will learn the process how two fresh tea leaves and a bud are converted into that fine brown dust we call tea…!
Arrive in Nuwara Eliya.
Set in the cool and misty hilly interior at an altitude of 1800m is the colonial hill station of Nuwara Eliya. Built by the British in the 19th century as an escape from the sweltering heat of the lowlands it came complete with half-timbered mock-Tudor houses with inglenook fireplaces & billiard tables, a golf course, racetrack, gentlemen’s clubs and botanical gardens. Now a bustling town and the vegetable garden of Sri Lanka it nonetheless gives you a glimpse into life in the colonial heyday.
Return to Kandy in the evening.

February 3

Proceed to the Pallekelle International Stadium for the third T-20 Match.

February 4

After breakfast, checkout from the hotel and proceed to Negombo. (Departure from the hotel – 09.00 am)
On your way in Pinnawela you will visit the Elephant Orphanage.
The Elephant Orphanage is about an hour’s drive from Kandy and is a good chance for people to get up close and personal with a pachyderm. It is a good idea to go and have lunch by the river as they are all brought down to bathe and to watch them from a vantage point with a cold drink is a pleasant experience. (Duration of visit: approx. 2 hrs)
Arrive in Negombo in the late afternoon.

February 5

Checkout from the hotel and transferred to the airport in time for your departure.
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