Heritage and Craft 5-Day Tour

Sri Lanka’s crafts are living skills, often passed down through families and tied to particular towns. The journey begins at the National Museum in Colombo, where royal regalia, ancient bronzes and traditional masks give context for everything that follows. Near Kandy, the carved wooden pillars of the Embekke Devale show the Kandyan woodcarving tradition at its finest, while the brassware workshops of Pilimathalawa keep an old metalworking craft alive.

North of Kandy, the Matale spice gardens explain how cinnamon, pepper, cardamom and cloves are grown and used, and the Aluvihare rock temple adds the story of scriptures inscribed on palm leaves. The final stretch heads to the south coast, where Ambalangoda is known for carved and painted masks used in traditional masked dance and ritual performances. Around Galle, beeralu lace-making, introduced in the colonial era, is still practised today.

Workshop visits are relaxed, with time to watch, ask questions and buy only if something speaks to you.

Days can be added, removed or reordered, hotels are chosen to suit your style and budget, and nothing is booked until you confirm.

Day 1 – Colombo: Visit the National Museum and browse Colombo's craft shops, ending at Galle Face Green.
Day 2 – Kandy: Drive to Kandy (about three hours) via the Embekke Devale and Pilimathalawa brass workshops, with a Kandyan dance performance in the evening.
Day 3 – Matale: Day trip to Matale (about 45 minutes) for a spice garden and the Aluvihare rock temple, returning to Kandy.
Day 4 – Ambalangoda: Drive to the south coast (about five hours) to meet Ambalangoda's mask carvers and visit a mask museum.
Day 5 – Galle: Continue to Galle (about 45 minutes) to see beeralu lace-making and walk the Fort.