Explore wonders of Colombo with Colombo City Tours

Monday, 22 December 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Ministry of Defense and the Urban Development Authority joined hands with the Colombo City Tour, the open deck city sightseeing service by Sri Lanka Tourism and Ebert Silva Holidays, to explore the wonders of Colombo. The first city tour, highlighting the cultural performances at the Gold Market, was launched on the 18 December, with the tour commencing from the Dutch Hospital Shopping precinct in Colombo. Fast transforming into a vibrant picturesque city with charmingly restored architectural edifices giving life to grand shopping complexes and public gathering places, Colombo will now showcase mesmerising traditional Sri Lankan dances adding colour and brilliance to the city. These city tours will not only enable Sri Lankans and visitors from around the world to explore the city but also give the opportunity to have a glimpse of the traditional cultural inheritance of Sri Lanka. The cultural performances that were launched at the Gold Market, now the ‘Gold hub’ in the heart of the city will thereafter be a regular happening in Colombo with alternate performances at the Arcade Independence Square every Tuesday and Friday and at the Gold Market every Monday and Wednesday. The performances will include traditional Sri Lankan dances such as the ‘Pandam paliya’ and ‘Gini sisila’ both displaying the traditional mastery of handling fire, ‘Raban karakaveema’ and ‘Raksha kolama’ among many others. Capturing the many moods and colours of Colombo, the Colombo City Tours will include the cultural dances in its tours enabling the guests on board to experience and feel what Colombo and Sri Lanka has to offer. Consisting of a trip through the city on an open roof double-decker bus, the tours offer guided live commentaries in English by professional guides with snacks and many other offers on board. The Colombo City Tour showcases the city in its daily city tours commencing from the old Dutch Hospital, the oldest heritage building in the Fort area with a history dating back to the 17th Century. The venue now presents a perfect union of old world charm and modern sophistication with high-end shopping and dining. Among the city tour highlights are the edifices of old Colombo, in near proximity of the Gold Market such as the Old Dutch Town Hall and museum, set amidst the hustle and bustle of modern Colombo along narrow streets. The Arcade Independence Square, the former Auditor General’s Department which is now the grandest shopping venue in the city and the Race Course, the former harness race course in Cinnamon Gardens which was also a temporary airfield during the Second World War, are among the stops of city tours. The weekend city tours stretch out to the administrative capital, Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, to showcase the picturesque settings just outside the city of the Diyawanna Lake, the Diyatha Uyana, the majestic parliament complex by the renowned architect Geoffrey Bawa and also make a unique stop at the cultural village ‘Ape Gama’, which is a recreation of a traditional Sri Lankan village found over 500 years ago.

Pix by Shehan Gunasekara