Bentota City Tour and Galle from Balapitiya

This takes you to the most memorable places you've ever seen! Visit the strange and yet beautiful Lunuganga estate, quench your thirst for adventure with a river safari in the Madu Ganga. You will also visit a World Heritage site, a Dutch Fort in Galle which is considered one of the most well-preserved forts in all of Asia. You'll never run out of things to see!

Includes:

• Transport throughout the tour with an air-conditioned vehicle.
• Hotel pickup and drop off from Balapitiya.
• Service of an English-Speaking Chauffer Guide.
• Water bottle. (per-person)

Excludes:

• Entrance tickets. (Lunuganga Estate, Madu River Boat Safari)
• Food or Drinks.
• Gratuities (Optional).
• Expenses of Personal Nature.

Experience:

The first item in your itinerary will be Bawa's estate in Lunuganga. Sir Geoffrey Bawa, the much-renowned lawyer turned architect, made the estate his country home from 1947 till his death in 1998. During his sojourn there, he used the place as his experiment lab and made many architectural and interior additions. While visiting the estate, you will get to see the beautifully designed gardens that are now open to the public. Some of the buildings of the estate are also now a country house hotel. The tour of the estate approximately takes two hours.

Balapitiya is a little southern town lying in marshy wetlands. The area is a high biodiversity zone that relies on the lagoon created by Madu River as it flows into the Indian Ocean. Your safari will take you on a ride down the river. You will get to see the dense mangrove forest that grows along the marshy banks of the river and the forms of wildlife that call the roots home. Your guide will also take you to some of the larger free-standing islands on Madu River. On one such island, you will find an old Buddhist monastery. Cinnamon harvesting is the main employment of the people of this area.

This coastal city has withstood three foreign invasions; during which time, it grew from a bustling port, which was the main stop for ships traveling east, to a fortified and yet beautiful city with many monuments that have withstood the ravages of time. You will be able to view the Galle Fort, which is a World Heritage Site, the Galle Lighthouse, the National Maritime Museum, the picturesque cobblestoned streets with their Dutch names, and many more colonial remnants.