Speciality Museums • Points of Interest & Landmarks
Colombo Hidden Gem Activities
Best Colombo Hidden Gem Attractions
- Traveler favoritesThings to do ranked using Tripadvisor data including reviews, ratings, photos, and popularity.
- Traveler rankingHighest rated attractions on Tripadvisor, based on traveler reviews.
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14 places sorted by traveler favorites
Things to do ranked using Tripadvisor data including reviews, ratings, photos, and popularity.
Multi-day Tours • Historical & Heritage Tours
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City Tours • Cultural Tours
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City Tours • Historical & Heritage Tours
Multi-day Tours • Historical & Heritage Tours
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River Rafting & Tubing • Helicopter Tours
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City Tours • Historical & Heritage Tours
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Multi-day Tours • Cultural Tours
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What travelers are saying
- hoi61Austria66 contributionsNot only was it wonderful to be houseguest in Geoffrey Bawa's Colombo home, but to be looked after by the kindred spirit of Rohana, a 'butler' who served Mr Bawa in his late years too, was absolutely wonderful. What gracious people in that house. I cannot fault anybody for anything. We are grateful to have had the opportunity to study the home and have a really good guided tour on top of it with manager Priyanka and on the side with dear Rohana. thank you!Written February 12, 2020This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
- ashishdeora123Jodhpur, India434 contributionsOne of the most iconic tourist places in Colombo, Sambodhi Chaithya is a magnificent Buddhist stupa which is built in the shape of a space rocket!Written October 14, 2019This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
- Shayda AHove, UK8 contributionsOur recent 16 nights trip to Sri Lanka was amazing! The country, landscape, people, food and history were undeniably breath-taking. What made the experience even more enjoyable was our excellent tour guide/driver Lala. In fact, I would go as far to say that without Lala the whole Sri Lanka experience would have been lacking. I feel he totally made our trip and gave us some excellent advice/insights on things to do and see.
We initially found Lala on Trip Adviser (as you are too) and after reading his positive review comments we added him to our short-list. We contacted him (and a few others) to plan an itinerary for us. What really stood out for us at this stage was how Lala replied to us, his enthusiasm and positivity. We were immediately ‘sold’ on the idea that our tour would be with him.
Lala worked with us, and suggested places to visit and hotels/accommodation to use. We were then able to make any alterations to the plan/accommodation as we saw fit. Lala was always happy to answer any questions/help. We settled on a plan, and we were provided our itinerary.
The first thing I noticed about Lala was his smart clothes, closely followed by his big smile. He is presentable, reliable, friendly, funny, smart, easy-going, relaxed, amenable and pragmatic. His knowledge of the sites that we went to, the history of the country, key dates and events in time was astonishing. I genuinely believe that we got the most out of Sri Lanka by using Lala.
Sri Lanka is going through an ‘unusual’ time right now. Before we left the UK, we had read reports of food and fuel shortages. We’d both been travelling before, but never with a child (8 years old) and so we were a little anxious about the prospect. What we experienced as tourists was the occasional minor inconvenience of the power going out. Most hotels have generators and so the power was usually back on in a few minutes. There were very long queues at petrol stations, however the government have mandated that tourists go to the front of the queues and so this was never an issue for us (albeit just slightly embarrassing). Food was never a problem. We never once felt threatened or in danger, quite the opposite to be honest. The people were lovely and kind, and always smiled with real genuine smiles.
Not that we ever needed it, but I know that if we did, Lala would have been reliable in any situation. He wasn’t just the tour guide/driver, he was part of the experience.
Would we do it all again? We’d go back tomorrow if we could, and we would definitely be booking Lala to take us to see more wonderful things that Sri Lanka has to offer.
We really had such a great time, thank you Lala. 5 stars! 😊Written April 30, 2022This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC. - MSH1988Beijing, China58 contributionsWe sadly had to cancel our honeymoon in Sri Lanka at the last minute but I still wanted to give a great review to this superb company who guided us the whole way through the booking process, gaining licenses and dealing all our questions with such attention.
They processed a full refund for us with no hassle. Great to deal with a company who care so deeply about their customers and the local community.
We'll certainly be coming back next year and hopefully will enjoy touring Sri Lanka on the Tuktuks.Written May 18, 2022This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC. - DomBrereton, UK3 contributionsMark was fantastic and a very personable host for our walking tour around the Fort and Pettah areas in Colombo. He gave us a knowledgeable deep-dive into the history of the area combined with interesting historical photos. The views from the Grand Oriental Hotel overlooking the port combined with a refreshing treat was one of many highlights. Once again, Mark goes above and beyond to make sure the tour is perfect and I cannot recommend this enough. Additionally, if you like cars you should ask Mark about his Classic British car collection.Written March 4, 2022This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
- Passport7870432 contributionsRelax lanka tours has been a great host. The driver (Mr. Sanjay) we had was amazing. He was very patient, punctual, good with driving, very very friendly and co operating with all our needs. I and my husband, we were in srilanka on our honeymoon. Relax lanka tours provided us a complimentary romantic candle light dinner by the beach which was just perfect. The rooms were decorated. We had an amazing seaview from the room. Overall it was a remarkable experience. We would love to recommend it to everyoneWritten February 22, 2020This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
- Chaitanya R1 contributionNever thought that a walk can be fun, informative and engaging. This walk showed me real Colombo (busy streets and high raise towers). I also came to know about the history and how things evolved in Sri Lanka. Harold, the guide is very experienced, compassionate and strives to provide a unique experience to the explorers.Written May 2, 2022This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
- Prashan WilfredLondon, UK259 contributionsThis is the third time I am visiting this place. I make it a point to come here every year when I visit Lanka. All the employees do a great massage and this time I had Raghu who was excellent to say the least. He knew exactly where to massage and which knots to break. Well doneWritten February 9, 2022This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
- Barbara W2 contributionsWe had a family Colombo by jeep by jeep booked through our travel agents. The gentle man we had went above and beyond to help make our stay in Sri Lanka a memorable one from sorting food issues out at our hotel to taking us on day trips to various places that were absolutely thoroughly enjoyable. His help towards us will never be forgotten. I would thoroughly recommend this company to anyone who is thinking of going to Sri Lanka very enjoyable trips thank you Colombo by jeep you were brilliantWritten April 23, 2022This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
- BeachBunysLos Angeles, CA9 contributionsAs most of us around the world are under ‘stay at home’ orders, it has created time for gratitude and reflection on the beautiful world we now miss so much. Last year, we traveled to Sri Lanka and spent 10 days with Dilhan Suraweera and Dilhan’s Awesome Adventures. We visited every major place of interest as well as many places on many roads less traveled. The experience we had in Sri Lanka was life changing. We came home different people. The locals are warm and gracious. The food is some of the best I’ve ever had. The accommodations where we stayed were clean and authentic, and more importantly, run by proud owners who wanted your happiness more than anything in the world. We were treated like Royalty and Family at the same time. My husband and I have been world travelers for almost 25 years and this was our favorite trip. We want to go back. SOON. Please do not let this terrible virus make you afraid to travel to places far away. Take precautions naturally, but go! Life is short. At the end of the line, you will only regret the things you didn’t do. If you go to Sri Lanka, I cannot recommend Dilhan Suraweera and his organization highly enough. They were fantastic. Thank you for a wonderful memory!Written April 13, 2020This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
- Jennifer R11 contributionsWe Stayed at the Heritence tea factory,its one of the most amazing hotels,the food was excellent, the Staff,was friendly,polite and so helpful specially the restaurant staff special mention of the Restaurant manager,who was always so obliging. We had a great holiday.
A must visit hotel for anyone wanting to experience the beauty of Sri Lanka.Written December 6, 2020This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC. - lkbparisNew York City, NY59 contributionsOur tuk tuk driver brought us here. I had a very specific idea of what I wanted - white gold sapphire earrings. Rahman pulled out exactly what fit that description, no nonsense, no wasting our time. I found what I wanted but with a green stone, so I asked if he could swap out sapphires. Which he did, and delivered much more quickly than promised. A great price, and a very happy result!Written January 12, 2022This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
- Jesus MCoalcoman, Mexico1 contributionI strongle recommend my wonderful and nice and very friendly Amil he was very friendly mi.vacation was exactly were was planned.Written February 6, 2022This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
- Mojito_GulfstreamAustralia36 contributionsKanishka drove us from the high country to Negombo. He is an excellent driver driving a modern comfortable vehicle. Thank youWritten January 12, 2020This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
