Lunuganga is an estate owned by late Geoffrey Bawa. He was a world-famous architect who made an illustrious career in Sri Lanka. Lunuganga estate is what inspired him to come up with most breakthrough architectural designs. If there is any Sri Lankan building that has an allure for you that should probably have been designed by Bawa. Lunuganga estate today stands as an exotic garden with its house grandly overlooking the Bentota River. This garden without doubt would remind you of a countryside estate in England. This is a must visit if you have an eye for inimitable architectural designs.
What to see in Lunuganga
In fact Lunuganga has countless things to see and experience. Apart from that architecturally marvellous house built by Bawa and the lakeside garden, Lunuganga has a lot more on its 15 acres. As you walk on, you will take comfort on the properly maintained lawns. Its awesome spread of frangipani flowers adds much flavour to the estate ambience.
Just like Geoffrey Bawa retired into this idyllic paradise after his illustrious career of designing Sri Lankan Parliament and other significant buildings, you can also retire into this paradise. Just take some time to be still and take ample time to explore what the Lunuganga offers you.
The estate has a plantation house that can accommodate about nine guests in one go. This is an ideal place if you are travelling with family. But you need to make an advance booking, before you reach the place.
As you walk along the suites, you will be greeted by an assortment of art and antiques. The gallery room is especially interesting.
Plus, there are boat trips available. The boat trip comes with the bonus of bird-watching tours. You can choose to watch birds or simply chill out. Or simply relish that moment with your favourite book.
Handling the weather
Lunuganga is located in Bentota. It means that you are travelling to a wet tropical zone. The zone is usually warm throughout the year. The temperature will be slightly higher around November. So it is good to have some cotton clothing ready for the journey. Since the weather is humid and hot, have a few bottles of water ready. As for water, it is always wise to buy bottled water before you reach Bentota. If you travel between June and July, that is the south west monsoon period. You will experience an even more dry and sunny atmosphere.
Accommodation
Before reaching Lunuganga, you can book one of the hotels in Wadduwa. There are enough of them providing you ample facilities. Finding a hotel in Wadduwa or in the vicinity won’t be a hard task, as there are plenty of them. Taprobana Wadduwa, for one, would offer you a comfortable stay before you begin the journey to Bentota. When you settle down in Wadduwa, you are within close proximity to Lunuganga, Bentota.
Travel
There are several transport options: bus, rented car, taxi and threewheeler. It takes some time to reach Bentota if you travel straight from the airport. If you have already settled in a Hotel in Wadduwa, you can get them to arrange hotel transport. It will be a little pricey project depending on its complimentary benefits. A little less expensive as well as more convenient option could be to hire a taxi to reach Lunuganga. If you are a little familiar with the local environment, you can opt for public transport. Reach Bentota, then you need to take a trishaw to get to the estate. That is a less expensive option, but you need to be familiar with the local setting. If you are not familiar enough, then that’s a risky game.