Colombo City Tour Highlights

COLOMBO

Meet your guide at your Colombo hotel, cruise port, or airport, and settle into your private, climate-controlled vehicle. Then, let your guide know what you want to see before heading into the bustling streets. As your tour is private, your itinerary can be tailored around you.

The current 29-metre-high (95 ft) lighthouse was built in 1952 after the Old Colombo Lighthouse was deactivated when its light became obscured by nearby buildings as part of the Colombo Harbor Expansion project. It was opened by Rt Hon D.S. Senanayake, the first prime minister of Ceylon. Built on a concrete base which is 12 m (39 ft) high, it has four statues of lions at its base. Due to the panoramic view of the Indian Ocean it offered, it became a city landmark.With the escalation of the Sri Lankan Civil War, public access to the site was restricted. This was due to its placement in a high-security zone as it is across the street from the Naval Headquarters and close proximity of the Port of Colombo.

Explore the Local Markets having some Fresh King Coconuts and tasting some various street foods

Sri Lanka’s Red Mosque, or Jami Ul-Alfar Masjid, is one of the architectural wonders of the world. Situated in the bustling Pettah district, one of the oldest parts of the city of Colombo, its tall minarets are seen from almost every street, towering over the hustle and bustle of the busy neighborhood streets.It is said that the Red Mosque has been a landmark for sailors approaching the port of Colombo ever since it was built in 1908, and upon looking at it you can easily imagine that being true. The mosque’s distinct red-and-white pattern, whether swirling or spiraling or alternating, is quite mesmerizing. The domes are built in the shape of pomegranate (unlike the traditional onion shape), and the colorful brick patterns are meant to convey the same image.

The Red Mosque, also known as Rathu Palliya in Sinhala, and Samman Kottu Palli in Tamil, was built in what is called Indo-Saracenic style, and is reminiscent of the Jamek Mosque in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (constructed around the same time). People gather more than 10,000+ to convey there special friday prayer

Gangaramaya is one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Colombo, started by the famous scholar monk Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Nayaka Thera in the late 19th Century.

After the Venerable Sri Sumangala, his chief pupil Devundera Sri Jinaratana Nayake Thera took on the administration of the temple. It was he who laid the foundation to convert the little temple to an institute of international reckoning.

The next chief incumbent was the Ven. Devundara Keerthi Sri Sumangala Jinaratana Vacissara Thera, the teacher of the Ven. Galboda Gnanissara, who worked to make the Gangaramaya what it is today: much more than a temple in the conventional term, but a place of worship, a seat of learning and a cultural centre.

ndependence Memorial Hall is a national monument in Sri Lanka built for commemoration of the independence of Sri Lanka from the British rule with the restoration of full governing responsibility to a Ceylonese-elected legislature on February 4, 1948

Visit the Souvenirs and Handricrafts museum and shop whatever you want with ease and access

Taste the Sri Lankan Dishes, Hear about the British Stories and visit the Famous British Building

Head back to Port with plenty of time to your Ship

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