Colombo, Sri Lanka
Arrive Colombo
The island's largest city, Colombo is noisy, frenetic - and just a little crazy. While the city holds less obvious interest than many other parts of the island, it's still a colourful place and worth a visit to see what makes Sri Lanka tick. Colombo is a relatively easy city to find your way around. To the north is the Fort district, the country's business centre, which has department stores, book shops, airline offices and is the site of the Central Bank which the Tamil Tigers blew up in January 1996. There are also ample sights such as the clock tower, a former lighthouse, the president's residence (known by incorrigible traditionalists as Queen's House), and a cluster of colonial buildings which lend the district an aura of bygone Empire.
Pick up from Colombo Port for a tour of Sri Lanka’s Capital. A 15-minute drive gets you to St. Lucia’s Cathedral. This is the seat of the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Colombo in Sri Lanka. The Cathedral is spread over a vast area of 18,240 sq. ft. and is dedicated to Saint Lucy. It traces its origins to a small structure for worship built during Dutch occupation. Named after the virgin and martyr saint St. Lucy, the cathedral is considered the oldest and largest parish cathedral in Sri Lanka. The facade rests on massive ionic columns and is adorned with seven statues. Silhouetted against the sky is the cross on the concrete lantern crowning the dome, the pinnacle of the cathedral.
Continue on to Town Hall and stop for lunch at the renowned Upali’s Restaurant. With its array of dishes with the best of Sri Lankan flavours the restaurant offers a truly local and unique culinary experience. Located in the heart of Colombo, Upali’s affords breathtaking views of tranquil Viharamaha Devi Park, the majestic Nelum Pokuna Theatre and the iconic Town Hall.
After lunch continue on to Bettah, a neighborhood located east of Fort, the city centre. The neighbourhood is famous for the Pettah Market, a series of open air bazaars and markets. It is Sri Lanka’s busiest commercial area, where most of the shops, textiles, buildings and many other business organizations are centered. Bettah is derived from the Tamil word, Pettai , an Anglo-Indian word used to indicate a suburb outside a fort.
Proceed on to Gangarama Temple. What was once a swamp adjoining the famous Beira Lake, a landmark in the capital city, is today a vibrant complex comprising the Gangarama temple, the ‘seema malaka’ – an assembly hall for monks – in the picturesque Beira Lake and a vocational training institute. The temple has been in existence for over 120 years having being established by one of the most famous scholar monks, Venerable Hikkaduwe Sri Sumanagala Nayaka Thera, founder of the Vidyodaya Pirivena, originally an institute of oriental learning for monks, now a State University – Sri Jayewardenapura University.
Return to Colombo port via Galle Face Green and the Old Parliament.
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