About this experience
This private shore excursion takes you from Colombo Port 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 a boat safari on the Madu River at Balapitiya. You travel in an air-conditioned vehicle with an English-speaking chauffeur guide, and the day lasts about 11 hours.
Your guide meets you at the gates of Colombo Port at 7 am, and you reach Bentota at around 9 am; bring a packed breakfast if you cannot eat on board. 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 11.30 am 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 board a boat on the Madu River, whose lagoon and marshy wetlands are a zone of high biodiversity. The ride takes you past dense mangroves and the wildlife living among their roots, to some of the larger islands, one with an old Buddhist monastery, through an area where cinnamon growing is the main livelihood. Many visitors end at the fish-massage hut on stilts, sitting with their feet in the water while small fish nibble. You then drive back to Colombo Port, arriving at around 6 pm.
The price covers pick-up and drop-off at the port gates, transport, your chauffeur guide, the boat safari, 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; your guide buys them at each site and hands them to you. Food and drinks, personal expenses and gratuities are not included. Comfortable walking shoes and a hat are recommended.
