Day trips from Colombo

Galle Fort

A UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the best-preserved fortified towns built by Europeans in Asia, begun by the Portuguese and rebuilt by the Dutch, and still a lived-in town. Walk the ramparts from the lighthouse round to the bastions, then wander streets of old merchant houses, churches, boutiques and cafés.

Go early or stay for sunset on the ramparts: the midday sun is fierce.

Jetwing Lighthouse

Geoffrey Bawa’s hotel on the rocks just outside the fort, famous for its spiral staircase wrapped in Laki Senanayake’s sculpture of a 17th-century battle. Stop for lunch or a drink on the terrace above the ocean.

Go by train

The coastal line runs from Kollupitiya and Fort to Galle in about two to three hours, along the sea for much of the way. Most trains are unreserved, with tickets sold at the station on the day.

Heading south, sit on the right-hand side for the ocean.

Lunuganga

Geoffrey Bawa’s country estate on a lake near Bentota, which he shaped for about fifty years into a sequence of garden rooms, views and pavilions. It is his most personal work and, for many, his masterpiece.

Guided garden tours run daily at 11am, 2pm and 3pm, take about 90 minutes and need no booking. The paths are steep and uneven, so wear good shoes.

Brief Garden

The garden of Geoffrey’s brother, Bevis Bawa: wilder and more theatrical, full of sculpture and hidden corners, with his house still hung with his collection and murals by the Australian artist Donald Friend.

Open daily 8am to 4pm, with separate tickets for the garden and the house.

Bentota beach

End the day with a walk or a swim on the long beach at Bentota, where the river meets the sea.

Swim only where locals do and the sea is calm: currents can be strong, especially from May to September.

Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic

Sri Lanka’s most sacred Buddhist site, in the old royal palace complex beside Kandy Lake, where a relic of the Buddha’s tooth is kept. Time your visit for one of the daily rituals, when drummers play and the inner shrine opens.

Ceremonies at 5:30am, 9:30am and 6:30pm. Cover shoulders and knees. There is an entrance fee for foreign visitors.

Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya

Around 60 hectares of tropical gardens on a bend of the Mahaweli River, just before Kandy, famous for their avenue of royal palms, the giant Javan fig tree and the orchid house.

Open daily 7:30am to 5pm. It is a long day, so many guests stay a night in Kandy and come back the next afternoon.

Negombo fish market

One of the island’s biggest fish markets, by the lagoon, with catches laid out to dry in the sun on the beach beside it.

Busiest and most interesting early in the morning.

Hamilton Canal by boat

A colonial-era canal running south from Negombo through mangroves and fishing villages, best seen from a small boat in the late afternoon.

St Mary’s Church

A grand church with a painted ceiling, in the heart of Sri Lanka’s most Catholic town.

Negombo is close to the airport, so it fits well into an arrival or departure day.

White-water rafting on the Kelani River

Raft through rainforest on the Kelani River at Kitulgala, where The Bridge on the River Kwai was filmed. The rapids are lively but suit most fit beginners, and trips end with a swim in calm water.

Operators run from about 8am to 5pm. Rafting depends on the river level, so book a licensed operator and check the day before.

Kitulgala forest

Birdwatching, short jungle walks and waterfalls in the forest around the river.

Take a local guide, and wear long socks against leeches after rain.

Sigiriya and Dambulla

The rock fortress and the painted cave temples are too far for a comfortable day trip. Stay a night or two, perhaps at Bawa’s Heritance Kandalama.

Ella and the hill country

Tea estates, waterfalls and cool mountain air. Allow at least two nights.