Colombo
Western Province
The festival's home city, where colonial arcades meet temples and an ocean promenade.
- Galle Face Green
- Gangaramaya Temple
- National Museum
- Pettah Market
Tourism
Every CIDFA tour is more than a stage. Explore the island our festivals call home, the cities worth adding to your itinerary, and what to know before you fly.
- Destination
- Sri Lanka
- Cities
- 6 featured stops
- For
- Touring groups, families & festival guests
Destination
Where our festivals happen
Sri Lanka is home to CIDFA. Here is the local time, the travel basics, and the places our groups make room for between rehearsals.
Sri Lanka
Home of CIDFA. Within a few hours of Colombo you can move from colonial forts and surf beaches to hill country tea estates and a 1,500 year old rock fortress. Eight UNESCO World Heritage sites sit on a single island.
Local timeColombo
--:--:--
Asia/Colombo
- Commercial capital
- Colombo
- Language
- Sinhala, Tamil, English
- Currency
- Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR)
- Best season
- December to March on the west and south coast
- Climate
- Tropical, 26°C to 32°C on the coast
- Arrival
- Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB)
Where to go
Worth the detour
Six stops our groups keep coming back to, all reachable from Colombo on a rest day.
Kandy
Central Province
The last royal capital and the heartland of Kandyan dance and drumming.
- Temple of the Tooth
- Peradeniya Gardens
- Kandy Lake
- Cultural dance shows
Sigiriya & Dambulla
Cultural Triangle
A rock fortress with frescoed galleries above the plains, and cave temples nearby.
- Sigiriya Rock
- Dambulla Cave Temple
- Pidurangala
- Minneriya safari
Galle
Southern Province
A Dutch walled fort on the coast, ringed by ramparts, cafés and calm bays.
- Galle Fort
- Unawatuna Beach
- Jungle Beach
- Lighthouse ramparts
Nuwara Eliya & Ella
Hill Country
Tea estates, waterfalls and the train ride many travellers rate the best in Asia.
- Tea plantations
- Nine Arch Bridge
- Horton Plains
- Gregory Lake
Yala & Mirissa
South Coast
Leopard country on one side, blue whale season on the other.
- Yala National Park
- Whale watching
- Mirissa Beach
- Coconut Tree Hill
Before you fly
Travel essentials
The same six things come up on every tour, whichever country the festival lands in.
- Passports & visas
- Keep at least six months validity on every passport. Sri Lanka uses an online ETA, so apply for every member of the delegation before departure.
- Travel insurance
- Each participating group arranges its own international airfare and travel insurance. Bring printed and digital copies for the whole delegation.
- Money & payments
- Cards are accepted in cities, but markets, tuk tuks and temple donations run on cash. Change a small amount at the airport and the rest in town.
- Climate & packing
- All three countries are tropical and humid. Pack light clothing, rain cover for afternoon showers, and shoulder and knee cover for temple visits.
- Getting around
- Airport transfers and local transport are arranged for registered groups. Beyond that, ride hailing apps and intercity trains are the simplest options.
- Costumes & instruments
- Declare drums and large costume cases at check in. Carry delicate headpieces as hand luggage and keep a repair kit with the group leader.
Bring your group, stay for the country
Registered groups get accommodation, local transport and three meals a day for the length of the festival. Tell us how long you want to stay and we will help shape the rest of the itinerary.