A journey of 6 nights
The Fort and the Sea
Two nights inside the ramparts, four with the ocean at the door.
- Nights
- 6
- Stays
- 2
- Arranged
- 4
- For
- The sea, Culture
- Day 1
Arrive
Your driver meets you at Bandaranaike International. Two hours on the southern expressway, then through the fort gate to an 18th century mansion.
- Day 2
Inside the ramparts
A morning on foot with a guide: the lighthouse, the Groote Kerk, the Old Dutch Hospital. Dinner in the courtyard, under frangipani.
- Day 3
To the coast
A slow start, then twenty minutes east to Talpe and a three-bedroom residence among coconut palms.
- Day 4
Back roads
An easy bicycle ride through paddy fields and villages behind the coast. The afternoon belongs to the pool pavilion.
- Day 5
The lake
Koggala Lake by boat, between mangroves and the islands where cinnamon is still peeled by hand.
- Day 6
Open water
Out from Mirissa at first light for blue whales and spinner dolphins, in season from December to April.
- Day 7
Home
Breakfast on the veranda, and a car back to the airport.
Where you stay
Galle Fort, boutique hotel
The Fort Printers
An 18th century mansion inside the ramparts.
A restored mansion in the UNESCO-listed fort, where contemporary design sits beside original features and heirloom pieces. Dinner is fresh seafood in the courtyard, under frangipani trees.
- SettingGalle Fort
- Built18th century
- From the airport2 hrs
Talpe, private villa
Tanamera Estate
Three bedrooms, coconut palms, the whole horizon.
A Sri Lankan-style residence on a sprawling oceanfront estate. Doors stay open to the sea breeze, meals are served wherever you like, and the pool pavilion is yours from dawn to dusk.
- Bedrooms3
- Sleeps8
- Galle Fort20 min
Arranged along the way
- Galle Fort, on foot. The lighthouse, the clock tower, the Groote Kerk and the Old Dutch Hospital, walked with a guide inside the UNESCO-listed ramparts.
- Back roads by bicycle. An easy ride with IDLE through paddy fields and villages behind the coast.
- Koggala Lake by boat. Still water, mangroves and small islands where cinnamon is still peeled by hand. Birdlife at every turn.
- Whales off Mirissa. Blue whales, sperm whales and spinner dolphins pass close to this coast between December and April.
- A car and driver throughout. From the arrivals hall to the last morning.