Private Day Trip: Discover Colonial Heritage and Natural Beauty in Southern Sri Lanka
4.5
24 Ratings
Galle
Uncover the colonial heritage and natural beauty of southern Sri Lanka on a private day trip. Explore Galle's Dutch Fort, savor authentic cuisine, and embark on a scenic boat ride at Madu River.
Duration: 12 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Galle Fort - You will be picked up from your hotel in Negombo, Colombo, Mount Lavinia, Kalutara, Bentota, Beruwela or Galle and then transfer to visit Dutch Fort of Galle. The fort is a historical, archaeological and architectural heritage monument, which even after more than 423 years maintains a polished appearance, thanks to extensive reconstruction work done by Archaeological Department of Sri Lanka.
  • Ariyapala Mask Museum - Next stop is Ambalangoda, known for its exquisite collection of native masks, carved throughout the generations of professional carvers from the region. Don’s miss the variety of masks available for sale, as the current productions are more garish and vibrant in colour.
  • Madu River - Later on you will visit Balapitiya and have lunch at Gangabada Asiriya Restaurant. After lunch, you can discover the unique beauty of Maduganga River on a boat trip. A relatively unspoiled lagoon, the Maduganga estuary is a 915-hectare complex coastal wetland ecosystem that opens to the Indian Ocean.
What's Included
  • Authentic cooking demonstration followed by lunch
  • Convenient hotel pickup and drop-off included
  • Knowledgeable English-speaking chauffeur guide
  • Scenic boat ride in Balapitiya
What's Not Included
  • Entrance fee to the sites not mentioned in price Includes section
  • Tips to guides, restaurants. Tipping is expected
  • Personal expenses
Additional Information

This excursion takes you to the prime locations of Sri Lanka’s Southern Coast. It includes a visit to Galle, a city steeped in colonial history, where you can explore the famous Dutch Fort that surrounds it. Walk the fort’s ramparts and weave your way through the cobbled streets that intersect it. Partake in a hands-on cooking demonstration followed by a traditional lunch and head to the Ambalangoda mask factory. Enjoy a remarkable boat ride along the Madu River to cap off your unforgettable experience.

Location
Galle Fort
Church Street
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.5
(24 Ratings)
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Cottingwood
Feb 9, 2020
Negombo tour - Godfrey escorted me and my husband around Negombo. He went over and above regular service. He took us to a speciality supermarket for herbal medicine and also to the market to look for curry leaves. His knowledge and information shared was terrific. Well done Godfrey. We hope to meet again. Thank you for taking us safely back to the airport. Annie and Craig Loftus Scotland.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dipitlow
Jan 10, 2020
Great Tour - Imran was an absolutely amazing tour guide. Took us to all the right places and provided lots of information about the locations and sites we were visiting. The vehicle was large, clean, and had air conditioning. I recommend this tour!
Review provided by Viator
Shadmaanahmed_s
Aug 12, 2019
Outstanding experience with the most helpful knowledgeable guide ever! - Our guide Thusara was a very knowledgeable and intelligent. He has renovated the trip itinerary to include places that were not even mentioned so that we get even more wholesome experience of Southern Sri Lanka. Throughout the trip he was very compassionate and energetic and has beyond what would normally be expected from a tour guide. He wished our day end with wide smile and "Eid Mubarak", which was something that truly made my parents smile and talk about after the trip. I will definitely use this company/s service (and preferably look out for Thusara) in the future when I visit Sri Lanka again. Take lots of love! <3
Review provided by Viator
Tinalic
Mar 19, 2019
Thank you beyond escapes !! - One of the best experience i've ever got in my life. Thank you beyond escape. Chuaffer was very cooperative. It ws well organized.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Chanukaj
Mar 16, 2019
Thank you beyond escapes! - Thank you beyond escapes for making that day so perfect and memorable. Visit to the Kosgoda turtle hatchery and boat ride in madu river was awesome..!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
492chanakah
Mar 16, 2019
Brilliant and awesome! - I had a fantastic day because of this tour. Extremely great tour and a service. My chauffeur took me to several amazing places in south coast, Sri Lanka within the day.Boat ride on Madu river, Turtle hatchery in kosgoda were amazing.And Galle fort too.And the chauffer was very helpful and knowledgeable. Thank you Beyond Escapes !
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jfreddyc2016
Mar 13, 2019
Great Tour of the Southern Coast of Sri Lanka - This tour is a great way to see the highlights of the south coast in a single day. The sea turtle hatchery was very neat to see, as well as Galle Fort. The highlight of the tour is the boat ride on the Madu River. The scenery was just gorgeous. My driver/guide did an great job and was very informative and expertly navigated through busy roads.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Thilinarohitha
Mar 13, 2019
A day to remember - Thank you beyond escape for arranging such a great journey. Guide was also very cooperative. Thank you
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Banura
Mar 3, 2019
Extremely great ! - My partner and I had an amazing day at south coast in Sri Lanka.We had a wonderful, knowledgeable guide.Actually, the price of the tour was cheapest we ever had and the service was superb.Madu river boat ride, turtle hatchery, galle fort and mask factory visit.. all made beautiful memories in our hearts.we would like to very grateful to Beyond Escapes for the great service you offered us.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Khanghuynh193
Oct 18, 2019
"Not worth it" - My friends and I booked the Southern Sri Lanka Sightseeing Private Day Trip on October 8, 2019 Operated by Beyond Escapes via Tripadvisor. We were picked up on time but there was no English speaking tour guide like it was advertised on the website. We were really disappointed when we realized the driver was the so-called tour guide. He was busy driving, so he did not have to provide any information to us and we didn’t feel safe and comfortable to ask the driver any questions while he was driving. Then we placated ourselves that when we reached the destinations the driver would tell us more about Sri Lanka. But it turned out our driver was not knowledgeable or proactive; often times we as tourists had to take initiative to ask questions like “ is there anything about this place that we should know about?” he then only told us very basic information. The driver also didn’t manage our time very well; instead of driving us to the lunch place on time, (we were really hungry) but he still dropped us off at his favorite Gemstone place (not mentioned in the tour itinerary) hoping we would buy something there. We then had no option but to skip the Mask museum which was actually on the itinerary! We stopped at the so-called “popular local restaurant” for lunch. Except for the nice breeze and Madu river view, this place was not a restaurant at all. The place was under construction and the toilet smelled. We paid 270$ for three of us to go on this tour thinking we would have a great lunch experience but our lunch sadly was just a plate of cold fried rice, cold fried fish and some french fries and some salad. One of us ordered a coke; it was not even cold; we asked for some ice; they said they didn’t have any ice. By the way, the drinks were not included in the tour fee. Plus, the driver jumped straight into the food without any proper introduction or presentation about what type of food we were about to have. Another let down. After lunch we boarded the speed boat to cruise around the Madu river, the boat trip was okay, we stopped at the place where we learned how Cinnamon oil and Cinnamon power are made, but everyone greeted us as if we were Chinese. We are not Chinese, so please don’t assume every Asian is Chinese and say “Ni-hao”! If you know exactly where people are from, feel free to greet them in their language; otherwise it will just annoy people. To sum it up, though we saw some nice sites, we spent most of our time driving and learned very little. We were sold an English speaking tour guide, but in the end received an expensive driver.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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1 Adult
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