GEOFFREY BAWA TOUR

Sigiriya Dambulla

Negombo

11 NIGHTS / 12 DAYS

Colombo

Bentota

Galle

Tangalle

Bandarawela

Unravel the legacy of world-renowned architect Geoffrey Bawa , the father of contemporary Sri Lankan architecture , discovering the beauty of Sri Lanka along the way . You will stay in some Bawa-designed hotels and have the chance to explore some of his other work .

Day 1 Arrive Colombo to Negombo Arrive in Colombo and meet your personal chauffeur guide who will be your travelling companion throughout your tour of Sri Lanka . Drive to the chic and contemporary Jetwing Beach for one night in Negombo ( approximately 20 minutes drive ). This hotel was originally designed by Geoffrey Bawa and was renovated in 2004 . Negombo , set amid lush groves of coconut palms , breathes the spirit of the sea . The town itself shows its interesting colonial past with many historical buildings .

Day 2 Negombo to Dambulla After breakfast in the hotel , drive to the Heritance Kandalama in Dambulla ( approximately 5 hours ), another great work by Geoffrey Bawa in the Cultural Triangle . The hotel is built into a mountainside , surrounded by jungle and overlooking the Kandalama tank ( lake ). The simple geometry and lack of decoration of the building helps to identify the natural environment . When Bawa first built the hotel , he said that one day it would peer out from under a canopy of lush vegetation , which is exactly how it appears today . Spend the rest of the day at leisure enjoying your surroundings .

Day 3 Sigiriya In the morning , visit Sigiriya rock fortress - a UNESCO World Heritage Site . Sigiriya Rock Fortress was built in the 5th century during the reign of King Kasyapa and is probably the most fantastic wonder of Sri Lanka . It is also known as Lion Rock because of the huge lion that used to stand at the entrance to the Palace on the summit of the 600-foot rock .

Day 4 Dambulla to Bandarawela After breakfast , drive to Bandarawela ( approximately 6 hours ). En route you could opt to do some sightseeing in the hill capital city of Kandy . During the drive , enjoy the endless views of tea-carpeted valleys , processing factories and the bright flash of the ‘ tea pluckers ’ in their saris picking their way through the plantations . Stop at a tea factory where the process of tea producing and grading will be explained . You will also be able to taste a cup of pure Ceylon tea in the factory . Check-in to the 1920s colonial planter ’ s Kirchhayn Bungalow for two nights .

Day 5 Bandarawela Visit the granite built Bandarawela Chapel of the Good Shepherd ’ s Convent , designed by Geoffrey Bawa and Ulrik Plesner . The chapel sits on a ridge above the town and consists of a solid hulk of rubble masonry culminating in a square tower which acts as the skylight for the altar . Spend the rest of the day at leisure doing some trekking around the area and enjoying the views .

Day 6 Bandarawela to Tangalle From the hills of Bandarawela , descend to Tangalle on the coast ( approximately 6 hours ). En route admire one of Sri Lanka ’ s finest views and visit the Rawana Ella Falls . The dramatic Rawana Ella Falls are 49 metres high with water cascading down the mountainside in a series of mini waterfalls . On arrival in Tangalle , check in to the Last House , which is the last property built by Geoffrey Bawa in Sri Lanka . This luxury seaside escape ’ s airy , antique-filled interiors spill into al fresco spaces as if no boundaries exist .

Day 7 Tangalle Visit Fitzherbert House , which is now known as Claughton House , in Dickwella ( approximately 30 minutes ). This too is a great work of Bawa ’ s . Spend the rest of the day at leisure enjoying some time at the beach and the hotel facilities .

Day 8 Tangalle to Galle Drive this morning to the colonial city of Galle ( approximately 2 hours ). En route , drop by another of Bawa ’ s works – the Ruhunu University Campus and the Matara Office building . Check-in to the Jetwing Lighthouse , an architectural triumph of Geoffrey Bawa , where you will be spending the night . In the afternoon , enjoy some sightseeing in Galle Fort . Its rich heritage is derived from the colonial influences of the Portuguese , Dutch and the British respectively , spanning four centuries . The town ’ s centrepiece is the Dutch Fort , around which the city is built . The Fort remains a hive of activity and is one of the few World Heritage listed sites in which a bustling population continues to thrive .

Day 9 Galle to Bentota After breakfast , drive to Bentota ( approximately 2 hours ), visiting Heritance Ahungalla en route , where Bawa created features such as interconnecting expanses of water leading the guest into the hotel . Spend two nights at boutique hotel , Club Villa , a 19th century Dutch Colonial villa re-designed by Bawa in 1980 .

Club Villa

Heritance Kandalama

The Last House

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