The Teardrop Island - Sri Lanka Forts and Beaches

Location: Negombo
Duration: 2 hours
Host: Wallawwa Chef (optional – please book 24hrs in advance)
Group size: 2–6 people
What to wear: Closed toe shoes are recommended for the fish market. We have Wellington Boots for you to borrow, and socks are available to buy at cost price in our shop. Ladies should cover their legs and shoulders to avoid drawing attention to themselves.
Other: The tour will leave the hotel at 6.30am (in order to see the sales of the larger fish) and you will return by about 8.30am for breakfast. Alternatively we can provide a packed breakfast upon request. Please do take your camera. The fish market is a very vibrant place and there are many
excellent opportunities to take pictures This tour will not operate on Sundays and poya (full moon) days as the fish markets are closed.

Fishing is hugely important to the country’s economy; approximately one million people are involved
directly and indirectly in the fishing industry. The Sri Lankan coastline is dotted with fishing communities who live off the sea from one generation to the next, and Negombo’s big commercial port is the hub of the island’s fishing industry. Under the Portuguese, Dutch and British, Negombo’s port was used for trade in cinnamon and other spices. The canals running north and south of town were very important in connecting the spice-rich villages around Negombo to Colombo’s vital sea ports; these are now used mainly by local fishermen.

Today Negombo’s fishing industry is vibrant and vital; row upon row of colourful fishing boats are moored up around town, and the hardworking fishermen unload their catches on the beaches and in the town’s shallow harbours having been out in the Indian Ocean overnight or for weeks at a time. The majority of the fish caught in Sri Lanka is Yellow Fin Tuna, a staple of the Sri Lankan diet, alongside Red Snapper, Mullet, Herring, Sailfish and the slightly-harder-to-catch Kingfish. Negombo’s wholesale fish market opens at around 3.30am in the morning (until around 9am) and attracts serious buyers from Colombo and across the country keen to purchase the biggest, best and freshest offerings to sell in their restaurants, shops and stalls.

This tour takes in the wholesale fish market beside the town’s main harbour as well as the local fish market near the beach where fish is sold by small-scale fishermen and third party vendors. One of our chefs will accompany you if you wish and tell you about the different kinds of fish being sold. He’ll teach you how to identify the freshest fish and advise which recipes these different types of fish would suit. The local fish market is also home to a line of fish butchers who are paid to clean and slice each fish to perfection. Behind the market is an authentic fishing beach where you will usually see fishermen pulling in smaller fish from the nets on their boats. These small fish are salt washed and sun dried, and later added to curries or sambols which gives a more pungent fishy flavour to dishes. Along the shores of this beach you can watch the fish (and purple squid) being soaked in huge vats of brine and being laid out to dry on hessian mats in the heat of the Sri Lankan sun.

Location: Meet at the Colombo Fort Café at the Old Dutch Hospital
Tour Duration: 4–5 hours including transfers from/ to The Wallawwa
Host: Colombo Fort Walks
Group size: 2–6 people
What to wear: Comfortable walking shoes, and something to cover your shoulders in case you enter anywhere that requires you to be covered
Other: The drive into Colombo is about 45 minutes each way so the complete tour will take more than half a day The tour usually starts at 3pm. There are many great picture opportunities so please do take your camera; the guide will let you know when it is not appropriate to take pictures.

Your tour starts at the Old Dutch Hospital where you will meet your guide and anyone else taking part in the tour. Your guide will start by giving you a talk about the history of Colombo from the city’s days as a former colony of the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British. Colombo’s Fort area is home to some of the city’s most historic buildings, including the splendid Old Dutch Hospital, and you’ll have the opportunity to visit and photograph many of these ageing landmarks on your tour. As you are guided around the Fort’s most historic streets, you’ll gain an insight into colonial Colombo’s former greatness. A highlight of this part of the tour is a refreshing break for tea at the city’s oldest hotel, overlooking the grandiose harbour.

After exploring the Fort, your tour continues in neighbouring Pettah, the largest wholesale market in the country, which sells everything imaginable from electronics and haberdashery to spices and locally grown fruit and vegetables. The market is a complete contrast to the relative tranquility of the Fort and encompasses many streets, each of which specialises in a different product; buyers from across Sri Lanka come here to stock up on goods for their stores. The market is chaotic from dawn until dusk, but your guide will lead you down the best and most interesting streets and if there’s time, to some of the area’s hidden gems such as the Jumma Mosque and the Dutch Period Museum. Bring your camera and expect to be blown away by the sights, sounds and smells of this fascinating market.

These tours are the best way to experience Colombo and learn about its fascinating colonial history. Each tour is fully customisable, so you could choose just to focus on the Fort or The Pettah, rather than a combination of both. They also specialise in photographic tours. Be aware that on poya days (full moon holidays) and on Sundays the markets are closed so your tour will focus on the Fort instead. On Sundays traffic in the Fort area is very much reduced so this is a good day for photography.

Location: The Wallawwa
Tour Duration: 90 minutes approx. plus lunch
Host: Wallawwa Chef
Group size: 2–6 people
What to wear: Very casual
Other: Do bring a camera if you’d like to take pictures

Meet with the Wallawwa chef for an in-depth demonstration on how to replicate some of the fabulous rice and curry dishes served at our restaurant. You’ll learn about the various spices used to flavour the dishes and the different methods of preparing each of the delicious curries. The chef will select fresh vegetables from our kitchen garden prior to the cook and you are very welcome to join him on the kitchen garden tour if you like, so please let our team know at the time of booking whether you’d like to join the chef.

In the demonstration the chef will use clay pots to cook each curry. These clay ‘chatties’ are the secret to providing an authentic and distinctive flavour to Sri Lankan cuisine and have been used across the island for centuries. Villagers in rural areas still use them for cooking on an open hearth.

You will have the option of picking from a fish, chicken or seafood curry, along with a dhal (lentil) curry and a selection of vegetable curries depending upon what is fresh and in season. The chef will also share his method for making a traditional rice accompaniment. You may get involved as much or as little as you wish and you’ll have many opportunities to taste the curries during the cook. Feel free to ask as many questions as you like – our chefs will be happy to indulge you!

After the demonstration, enjoy a lunchtime feast of the delicious curries you’ve prepared followed by a traditional Sri Lankan dessert.