Bentota City Tour desde Colombo City

This private day tour takes you from your Colombo hotel down the south-west coast to three places: Lunuganga, the country estate of the architect Sir Geoffrey Bawa near Bentota; the turtle hatchery at Kosgoda; and the Madu River at Balapitiya. You travel in an air-conditioned vehicle with an English-speaking chauffeur guide, and the day lasts about 9.5 hours. Children aged five and over are welcome. Your chauffeur picks you up from your hotel at 8 am, and you reach Bentota at around 10 am; bring a packed breakfast if you cannot eat at the hotel. Bawa, the lawyer turned architect, made Lunuganga his country home from 1947 until his death in 1998 and used it as his experimental workshop, adding buildings and interiors over the years. Its designed gardens are open to the public, and some of the buildings are now a country house hotel. The visit takes about two hours. At around midday you continue to Kosgoda and spend 30 to 40 minutes at the turtle hatchery learning about sea turtles and their conservation. The highlight is the touch pools, deep tubs of seawater where baby turtles swim and visitors may handle them gently; there are also adult turtles of several species receiving treatment for illness or injury. You reach Balapitiya by 1 pm, with lunch on the way at a place of your choice, at your own expense. At around 2.30 pm you can take a boat safari on the Madu River, whose lagoon and marshy wetlands are a zone of high biodiversity. The ride passes dense mangroves and the wildlife living among their roots, and visits some of the larger islands, one with an old Buddhist monastery, in an area where cinnamon growing is the main livelihood. Many visitors stop at the fish-massage hut on stilts and sit with their feet in the water while small fish nibble. You leave for Colombo at around 3.30 pm and are back at your hotel at around 5.30 pm. The price covers hotel pick-up and drop-off in Colombo, transport, your chauffeur guide, a litre of bottled water per person, and all taxes and service charges. Entrance tickets for Lunuganga and the Kosgoda hatchery are included only in the option with tickets. The Madu River boat safari and the fish massage are not included, nor are food and drinks, personal expenses or gratuities. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended.