Geoffrey Bawa Impressions (8 Days)

About this experience

This eight-day tour follows the work of Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa, from his Colombo town house to the country garden at Lunuganga and several of the hotels he designed on the south coast. It also takes in the cultural triangle sites of Sigiriya and Polonnaruwa and the hill capital of Kandy, so the trip combines architectural interest with the island's ancient history and ends with beach time on the south coast.

Travel is in a private air-conditioned vehicle with a chauffeur guide throughout, moving from Colombo north to Dambulla and Kandy before heading south to Bentota, Galle and Mirissa. Along the way the itinerary covers Bawa's own residence in Colombo, Heritance Kandalama, AVANI Bentota, Heritance Ahungalla and Jetwing Lighthouse, alongside Sigiriya Rock Fortress, the ruins of Polonnaruwa, Embekke Temple and the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy.

The route finishes with the old fortified town of Galle and a stretch of unstructured time on the beach at Mirissa before the return to the airport, giving travellers a mix of guided sightseeing and leisure.

Your service advisor

Rupuni Senior Executive

Have questions about this service or want it arranged around your dates? Reach Rupuni directly — replies usually within a few hours during Sri Lanka business hours.

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What’s included

Included

Transport in a Private Vehicle, Fuel, Parking & Highway tolls.
Service of English-Speaking Chauffeur Guide.
All prevailing taxes and service charges.

Not included

Hotel Accommodation and Meals.
Entrance fees to the respective sites.
Chauffeur Guide's Accommodation.
Expenses of personal nature.
Visa and Related Expenses.

Tour route

Day-by-day waypoints across Sri Lanka. Each marker is where you spend the night; lines trace the daily drive.

Day-by-day itinerary

Download itinerary (PDF)

1 Colombo

Day 1 — Airport → Colombo

Arrival at Colombo International Airport, where a chauffeur guide meets travellers and transfers them to Colombo to check in and relax.

2 Dambulla

Day 2 — Colombo → Dambulla

The day starts with a visit to Geoffrey Bawa's Colombo residence before the drive to Dambulla, with an evening stop at one of his best-known hotel designs.

Geoffrey Bawa's Colombo Residence

The house on 33rd Lane began in 1958 as a single converted bungalow and grew over the following decade as Bawa acquired the neighbouring bungalows, demolishing one to build a four-storey tower in its place.

Heritance Kandalama

This Bawa-designed hotel is built into the landscape on stone stilts, with boulders and rock walls incorporated into its corridors and a flat roof that draws in local birdlife. It was the first hotel in Asia certified Green Globe 21 and the first LEED-certified hotel in the world.

3 Dambulla

Day 3 — Dambulla → Sigiriya → Dambulla

A day trip covers the rock fortress of Sigiriya and the ancient city of Polonnaruwa before returning to Dambulla.

Sigiriya Rock Fortress

Climb the 5th-century rock fortress built for King Kasyapa, entering through the lion's paws that give the site its name, and see the surviving murals, terraced gardens, working cisterns and the tunnels leading to the palace ruins.

Wrobell · CC BY-SA 3.0

Ancient Kingdom of Polonnaruwa

Walk through the ruins of Sri Lanka's second major capital, which flourished from the 10th to the 13th century, taking in monuments such as Gal Vihara, Vatadage, the lotus bath, Lankathilaka Temple and the statue linked to King Parakramabahu.

Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 3.0

4 Kandy

Day 4 — Dambulla → Kandy

The drive to Kandy includes a stop at Matale before an afternoon of temple visits in and around the hill capital.

Matale Heritage Center

A pause en route to Kandy to visit the heritage center at Matale.

Embekke Temple

A temple built almost entirely of wood, with carved pillars, beams, rafters and door frames featuring over 500 unique designs, including entwined swans, double-headed eagles and hybrid animal and human figures, and a roof of 26 rafters supported by a single wooden pin.

Cherubino · CC BY-SA 3.0

Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic

A UNESCO World Heritage Site built in the 16th century to house Buddha's sacred tooth relic, with painted halls, carved pillars and golden statues along its passageways.

A.Savin · FAL

5 Bentota

Day 5 — Kandy → Bentota

The route turns south to the coast, with the day centred on two of Bawa's residential and hotel projects at Bentota.

Lunuganga Estate

Geoffrey Bawa's country home, begun in 1947, served as his personal garden laboratory for architectural ideas throughout his career; it passed to the Lunuganga Trust after his death in 2003 and now operates partly as a country house hotel open to visitors.

Eco2004 · CC BY-SA 4.0

AVANI Bentota

A Bawa-designed beach hotel of 75 rooms and suites on the coast at Bentota, combining Indian Ocean views with traditional Sri Lankan hospitality.

6 Galle

Day 6 — Bentota → Galle

The day takes in further Bawa-designed hotels on the way to the old colonial town of Galle, continuing on to Mirissa in the evening.

Heritance Ahungalla

A five-star beach hotel designed by Geoffrey Bawa at the fishing village of Ahungalla, with an open-plan lobby looking out over an infinity pool to the sea and gardens shaded from the tropical sun.

Jetwing Lighthouse

A Bawa-designed hotel on the outskirts of Galle, built in his characteristic style on the edge of the old Dutch colonial town.

Old Colonial City of Galle

Explore Galle Fort, one of the best-preserved fortifications in Asia, built up by the Portuguese and Dutch, along with the Maritime Museum, the Galle National Museum and the lighthouse, walking the cobblestoned streets that still carry their Dutch names.

Rovin Shanila · CC BY-SA 4.0

7 Mirissa

Day 7 — Mirissa

A day left free to enjoy the beach and hotel facilities at Mirissa.

8 Airport

Day 8 — Mirissa → Airport

After breakfast, the transfer to the airport for the return flight home.

Please note

Public transportation nearby
Infant seats available

Not wheelchair accessible
Not stroller accessible
Not suitable for pets
Infants must not sit on laps
Not recommended for people with back problems
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Not recommended for people with heart conditions
(1) Your hotel in Colombo. (2) Your hotel in Negombo. (3) Your hotel in Mount Lavinia.

Cancellation policy

More than 24 hours notice: full refund
Less than 24 hours notice: no refund

To cancel, reply to your booking confirmation email or message us on WhatsApp.

Frequently asked questions

Is this a private tour?

Yes. The tour is private to your group: your own air-conditioned vehicle and an English-speaking chauffeur guide for all 8 days, with no other travellers joining.

Where does the tour start and end?

Day 1 starts at Colombo airport (CMB) and day 8 ends at Colombo airport (CMB). Every stop in between is reached by road in the same vehicle, so there is no other transport to arrange.

Are hotels included?

The base price covers the vehicle and chauffeur guide. In the booking box you can add hotels for all 7 nights at Budget (3★), Standard (4★) or Luxury (5★ and boutique) level, on half board. Hotels we hold contracts with for your dates are named in the price; for any other night our team books a hotel of the same class after you pay.

What vehicle will we travel in?

It depends on your group: a car for 1–2 guests, a van for 3–5, a large van for 6–8 and a bus for 9–15. Choose the number of guests in the booking box and the price updates to match.

Are entrance fees included?

Not in the base price. Set Tickets to Included in the booking box to add the entrance fees and safari jeeps for the sights on this itinerary; the booking box lists exactly which ones are covered.

Can we have a national guide?

Yes. A chauffeur guide is always included, and you can add a government-licensed national guide who travels with you for the whole tour. Choose it under Guide in the booking box; the vehicle is sized for the extra seat.

Can we change the itinerary or the dates?

Yes. Every tour is private, so it can start on any date you choose. To change stops, add nights or combine it with another tour, write to us in the booking notes or plan your own trip at lakpura.com/plan-your-trip.