Bawa's Trail

Informaciones generales

DuraciónDestinoSalida
9 días y 8 noches
Sri Lanka (Colombo, Dambulla, Kandy, Weligama, Negombo)
Sri Lanka (Negombo)

Descripción

The Sri Lankan Architect Geoffrey Bawa is now regarded as having been one of the most important and influential Asian architects of the twentieth century. His international standing was confirmed in 2001 when he received the special chairman’s award in the eighth cycle of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, becoming only the third architect and the first non-Moslem to be so honoured since the award’s inception. Bawa was born in 1919 and came late to architecture, only qualifying in 1957 at the age of thirty-eight, but he soon established himself as Sri Lanka’s most prolific and inventive architect, laying down a canon of prototypes for buildings in a tropical Asian context. Although best known for his private houses and hotels, his portfolio also included schools and universities, factories and offices, public buildings and social buildings as well as the new Sri Lanka Parliament. His architectural career spanned forty years and was ended in 1998 by illness. He died in 2003. Bawa’s work is characterised by sensitivity to site and context. He produced “sustainable architecture” long before the term was coined, and had developed his own “regional modernist” stance well in advance of the theoreticians. His designs broke down the barriers between inside and outside, between interior design and landscape architecture and reduced buildings to a series of sociographically conceived spaces separated by courtyards and gardens. One of his most striking achievements is his own garden at Lunuganga, which he fashioned from an abandoned rubber estate. This project occupied him for fifty years, and he used it as a test bed for his emerging ideas. The result is a series of outdoor rooms conceived with an exquisite sense of theatre as a civilised wilderness on a quiet backwater in the greater garden of Sri Lanka.


Programa

DAY 01 – ARRIVAL / COLOMBO
Arrival at Colombo International Airport where you will be met by our representative and transfers to Colombo.
COLOMBO
Sri Lanka’s commercial capital and major port – Colombo, is a fine amalgamation of all the hues and cultures within this paradise isle. This chic metropolitan that accommodates skyscrapers, sandy beaches and a collage of markets and gardens, brings together the many facets of this island nation.
If you are on a tight schedule, you would definitely appreciate the many opportunities Colombo offers for fine-dining and shopping, not to mention the overarching beauty of the city’s rapidly developing landscape; a perfect combination of well-preserved colonial architecture and urbanity. Meanwhile, if you are free to spend a few days in the city you will be amazed by the many cultural and historical wonders located within locales such as Fort and Cinnamon Gardens. The bustling market streets of Pettaha also make up for an interesting place of visit.
Check in at hotel and relax.
OVERNIGHT STAY IN COLOMBO HOTEL

DAY 02 - COLOMBO / DAMBULLA
After breakfast transfer directly to Kandalama Hotel. En route feel free to visit Dambulla Rock Temple.
Dambulla
Located in the Matale district, Dambulla is part of the cultural triangle and is home to the world famous Dambulla cave temples. The cave temples complex that lies atop a massive hill on the edge of the town is one of the eight UNESCO world heritage sites in the country and is renowned for its unique mural paintings and sculptures. If you are not a history-buff, fret not, because there is more to Dambulla.
Check into hotel and explore the hotel and the surroundings, a famous creation of Geoffrey Bawa.
Completed in 1995, the Kandalama Hotel is indicative of Bawa's environmental sensitivity and contemporary /traditional balance, mentioned earlier. Confronted with a site at the foot of King Kaspaya's rock citadel, the architect persuaded the client to choose an alternative site, approximately 15km south on rocky terrain. The striking natural features proved a design challenge that the architect addressed by minimizing the impact of construction on the site. No earth-moving machines were used, and the sizable rock formations were kept, becoming an important element in the final design.
OVERNIGHT STAY AND DINNER IN CULTURAL TRAINGLE

DAY 03 - DAMBULLA / SIGIRIYA / POLONNARUWA / DAMBULLA
After breakfast visit and climb the 5th Century Rock Fortress in Sigiriya (UNESCO World Heritage Site) considered by some as the 8th wonder of the world for its architectural marvels and the advanced water management system. The ‘Lion Rock’ is a citadel of unusual beauty rising 200 meters from the scrub jungle. The rock was the innermost stronghold of the 70 hectare fortified town. A moat, rampart, and extensive gardens including the renowned water gardens ring the base of the rock Visit the world-renowned frescoes of the ‘Heavenly Maidens’ of Sigiriya, which are in a sheltered pocket of the rock approached by a spiral stairway. These frescoes are painted in earth pigments on plaster.
Thereafter proceed to Polonnaruwa, (UNESCO World Heritage Site) which was the 2nd capital city of Sri Lanka, built in the 11th and 12th centuries AD, and which is a world heritage site. Here you can see the ruins of the Royal Palace, the Gal Viharaya where 4 splendid statues of the Buddha in ‘Upright’, ‘Sedentary’ and ‘Recumbent’ postures carved out of rock, the Audience Hall, the Lotus Bath, king Parakramabahu’s statue, and the Parakrama Samudraya Lake built by King Parakramabahu the great.
Return to Hotel in CULTURAL TRAINGLE

DAY 04 - DAMBULLA / KANDY
After breakfast transfer to Kandy (UNESCO World Heritage Site) the last Kingdom of Sri Lanka before being colonized by the British.
Enroute visit the Matale Heritage Centre, which draws on the rich craft traditions of the area, producing quality batik, embroidery, carpentry and brasswork. It occupies a sprawling compound of bungalows, workshops and gardens.
On arrival in Kandy visit the Temple of the Tooth, the ancient King’s Palace building, council chamber and other buildings still preserved in its original form, dating back to the 15th century.
Kandy-a major tourist destination altitude of 488 m, it is located at a distance of 115 km from Colombo. Kandy has a rich history. It was originally known as Senkadagalapura after a hermit named Senkada who lived there. Many of Sinhalese people call it Mahanuwara meaning the Great City. The name Kandy was derived by the colonialrulers from the word Kanda in Sinhala, meaning a hill. Kandy was the stronghold of the Sinhalese kings fell to the British in 1815.
The Temple of Tooth Relic
The Sri Dalada Maligawa or the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is a temple in the city of Kandy in Sri Lanka. It was built within the royal palace complex which houses the one of the two surviving relic of the tooth of Buddha, an object of veneration for Buddhists.
Please Note - Wear clothes that cover your legs and your shoulders, and remove your shoes while entering to the temple
Check in at hotel and relax.
OVERNIGHT STAY IN HOTEL KANDY

DAY 05 - KANDY / TANGALLE / WELIGAMA
After breakfast leave for Tangalle.
Thereafter visit Fitzherbert House, which is now known as Claughton House, in Tangalle. This too is a great work of Bawa’s.
Check in at hotel and relax.
OVERNIGHT STAY IN Weligama

DAY 06 - WELIGAMA / GALLE / WELIGAMA
Drive this morning to the colonial city of Galle (approximately 2 hours). En route, drop by another of Bawa’s works – the Ruhunu University Campus and the Matara Office building.
An inspiring creation by Bawa for the younger generation of Sri Lanka, the Ruhuna University enabled Bawa to explore his style of integrating work spaces into the natural landscape. Built between two hills, this university campus consists of pavilions and courtyards with breathtaking ocean views.
GALLE
Capiltal of Southern Sri Lanka in 1587, the Portuguese annexed Galle from its Singhalese kings
and built its first fortress naming it “Santacrusz”Its old world charm appeals as a tourist destination.
To this day it looks back to 500 years of nurture under Singhalese, Portuguese, Dutch and British stewardship. The influence of the Dutch on the people of the city architecture and especially the dress code is evident today. The town is the first international commerce and trade centre of the island. Galle plays an important role in Sri Lanka’s economy. The sandy beach here enhances the natural beauty the city is blessed with.
Return to the hotel for overnight stay.

OVERNIGHT STAY IN Weligama

DAY 07 - DICKWELLA / BENTOTA / COLOMBO / NEGOMBO
After breakfast, drive to Bentota (approximately 4 hours), visiting Heritance Ahungalla en route, where Bawa created features such as interconnecting expanses of water leading the guest into the hotel. Also visit the boutique hotel, Club Villa, a 19th century Dutch Colonial villa re-designed by Bawa in 1980
Thereafter check in at Geoffrey Bawa’s country residence Lunuganga where you will find that nature has been incorporated in the very design of the house. Experience Lunuganga the local residence and lifetime creation of Mr. Bawa.
Lunuganga
Located in the Southern province, the Lunuganga estate was owned by Asia’s most prolific and influential architect of the 20th century - Geoffrey Bawa. The site - a former rubber plantation located in a peninsula jutting out into a lake, was utilized by Bawa for nearly half a century to carry out experimentations on space, light and scale. The estate today is essentially a series of outdoor rooms bearing an eclectic combination of antiquity and modernity. Its visitors are pleasantly surprised at its landscape - an Italian renaissance garden in the tropics.
En route stop at Blue Waters in Wadduwa, designed by Geoffrey Bawa.
Thereafter visit Number 11, the residence of Geoffrey Bawa and Parliament building in Colombo designed by Mr. Bawa, while in Colombo.
Negombo
Dubbed Sri Lanka’s ‘Little Rome’, this beach town located just a few kilometers away from the Bandaranaike International Airport is full of surprises for wanderlusts. Negombo is a perfect choice to spend a few days in the company of the sun and sand. The diverse array of restaurants, pubs and accommodation choices this metropolis offer is a perfect reflection of this beach-town’s exultant vibe.
It is also a historically interesting location owing to the strains of Dutch-influenced architecture that remain intact in the town’s landscape, not to mention the ancient Dutch Fort as well as several churches constructed during the Dutch Colonial era that are thronged by pilgrims daily.
Among other amazing sightseeing options are the breathtaking sunsets, the bustling fish market as well as hand-made catamarans used by local fishermen that set sail in the evenings. Boat-rides are also available to explore the Dutch canals, mangrove forests or the nearby marshlands of Muthurajawela.
OVERNIGHT STAY IN JETWING NEGOMBO
DAY 08 - NEGOMBO
Day Relax on the beach and Pool.
OVERNIGHT STAY IN NEGOMBO

DAY 09 – NEGOMBO / AIRPORT
Breakfast at hotel. If only time permits feel free to do a city tour in Colombo before the transfer to Colombo airport for your departure flight.

(Please note: you need to be at Colombo airport 3 hrs before flight time)
End of services

City Nights List of Hotels Meal Plan
Colombo 1 Galle Face Hotel or Similar Breakfast
Kandalama 2 Heritance Kandalama or Similar Breakfast
Kandy 1 Hotel Suisse or Similar Breakfast
Weligama 2 Weligama Bay or Similar Breakfast
Negombo 2 Jetwing Lagoon or Similar Breakfast

Incluido en el precio

• Assistance at Colombo airport upon arrival.
• Accommodation on BB basis at hotels given.
• Transport by air-conditioned vehicles up to 6 Pax Micro van with an English-speaking chauffeur guide and 7 Pax
above Mini coach with English speaking National guide.
• Bottle water during the tour.
• Handling charges
• Cost of prevailing Government taxes.

No incluido en el precio

• Lunches and Dinners
• Entrance fees to the sites.
• Cost of optional activates: water sports / spa treatments
• Tips, bar, laundry, telephone calls and other personal expenses not specified above.
• Any other services not mentioned above.
COMPULSORY ROOM SUPPLEMENTS FOR CHRISTMAS EVE (24TH DEC 2018) & NEW YEAR EVE (31ST DEC 2018).
COMPULSORY ROOM SUPPLEMENTS FOR KANDY PERAHERA DATES.

Itinerario

Día Pernoctacion Informaciónes adicionales
1 Colombo   Negombo - Negombo
2 Dambulla
3 Dambulla
4 Kandy
5 Weligama
6 Weligama
7 Negombo
8 Negombo
9   Negombo

Alojamientos proporcionados en cada lugar

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