Pick-up from your Colombo hotel
Drive to Kotte.
~30 min
Geoffrey Bawa Works Day Tour
Follow the father of Tropical Modernism from his Colombo townhouse to his garden estate at Lunuganga.
One day. Unforgettable.
Overview
A day for architecture lovers, following Geoffrey Bawa (1919–2003), the father of Tropical Modernism, from his Colombo townhouse and lake pavilion to his country garden at Lunuganga and a Bawa hotel by the sea.
Tour highlights
- The Sri Lankan Parliament on Diyawanna Lake (viewed from outside)
- Number 11, Bawa's Colombo townhouse (guided tour)
- Seema Malaka temple pavilion on Beira Lake
- Lunch at the Gallery Café, Bawa's former office
- Lunuganga, Bawa's country estate and garden in Bentota
- Sunset drinks at the Bawa-designed Bentota Beach Hotel (now Cinnamon Bentota Beach)
- Total tour time
- ~11.25 hrs (08:45–20:00)
- Driving
- ~4.5 hrs
- Visits
- ~5 hrs
- Meals & breaks
- ~1 hr
Timed around the best light and the smallest crowds
How your day unfolds
-
08:45
-
09:15
ExperienceParliament viewpoint
Bawa's Parliament complex seen across Diyawanna Lake.
~20 min -
09:35
Drive to Number 11
~25 min -
10:00
ExperienceNumber 11 guided house tour
Bawa's own townhouse, made from four small bungalows (weekday 10 AM tour).
~45 min -
11:00
ExperienceSeema Malaka
Bawa's floating temple pavilion on Beira Lake.
~45 min -
12:00
Lunch at the Gallery Café
Bawa's former office, now a restaurant.
~1 hr -
13:15
Drive to Bentota
Southern Expressway.
~1.5 hrs -
15:00
Experience
Lunuganga garden tour
Bawa's country estate, a garden shaped over 50 years (3 PM tour).
~1.5 hrs -
16:45
ExperienceSunset drinks at Cinnamon Bentota Beach
Bawa's 1969 Bentota Beach Hotel.
~1.5 hrs -
18:15
Return to Colombo
Or stay overnight in Bentota.
~1.5–2 hrs -
20:00
Arrive at your hotel
End of tour.
We'll collect you from your hotel
Pick-up points & travel time
| Starting from | One-way travel | Pick-up | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colombo | As shown | 08:45 | Weekday plan |
| Negombo | ~1 hr to Colombo | 07:45 | |
| Bentota | ~1.5 hrs to Colombo | Reverse order | Start at Lunuganga (11 AM tour) |
Before you go
What to bring
- Comfortable shoes for the garden
- Camera (rules vary inside the houses)
Good to know
- Number 11 tours (45 min): Mon–Fri 10 AM, 2 PM & 3:30 PM; Sat 11 AM & 4 PM; Sun 11 AM. Reservations recommended, with limited numbers.
- Lunuganga garden tours (about 90 min) run daily at 11 AM, 2 PM and 3 PM.
- The Parliament can only be viewed from outside without official permission.
- Times are a guide and may shift with traffic, weather and the group's pace.
Optional add-ons
- Brief Garden, the garden of Bawa's brother Bevis, near Bentota
- Overnight at Lunuganga
- Extend to Bawa hotels: Heritance Kandalama or Jetwing Lighthouse
Part of these round tours
Big adventures, one day at a time
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- Duration
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- Duration
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