Mount Lavinia ෴ ගල්කිස්ස

Location: Mount Lavinia is located 10km south of Colombo in the western coastal belt.

Reaching Mount Lavinia: Mount Lavinia can be reached by main motor road running south from Colombo (Colombo-Galle) (A2), as well as by southern railway line.

Mount Lavinia Town: Mount Lavinia in the district of Colombo of Western province is leafy beachside suburb with sheltered and shaded villas to the sea-side off the main road.

Mount Lavinia Beach: Mount Lavinia Beach is the closest beach to the city of Colombo. Though not a palm fringed golden beach as its cousins down south, Mount Lavina is a decent enough beach to spend Sunday morning. The access to the finest stretch of beach, the bay, at Mount Lavina is restricted to the guests at Mount Lavinia Hotel, the finest beach hotel in the city.

Excursions from Mount Lavinia

  • Dehiwala Zoo and aquarium
  • Ratmalana Sri Lanka Air Force Museum
  • Bellanwila Raja Maha Vihara (Sinhala: Bellanwila Great Royal Temple)
  • Bellanwila Raja Maha Vihara houses exceedingly serene larger than life Buddha Staues among other statues. Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara (Sinhala: Kelaniya Great Royal Temple)
  • Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara is a must visit temple while you are in Sri Lanka. The original temple was destroyed by marudaung Dravidian invaders from Southern India, restored by Sinhalese kings. Then again it was destroyed by the Portuguese in the 18th and 19th century. The existing Beautiful temple with murals and statues of superior artistry was a result of philanthropy and dedication by a single family: Wijewardhane of Lake House fame.

About Colombo District

Colombo is the largest city and commercial capital of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte, the capital city of Sri Lanka. Colombo is a busy and vibrant city with a mixture of modern life and colonial buildings and ruins and a city population of 647,100.The Colombo Metropolitan Region, defined by the districts of Colombo, Gampaha and Kalutara, has an estimated population of 5,648,000, and covers an area of 3,694.20 km²

Colombo is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural city. It is the most populous city in Sri Lanka, with 642,163 people living within the city limits. The population of Colombo is a mix of numerous ethnic groups, mainly Sinhalese, Moors and Tamils. There are also small communities of people with Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, Malay and Indian origins living in the city, as well as numerous European expatriates.

The great majority of Sri Lankan corporations have their head offices in Colombo. Some of the industries include chemicals, textiles, glass, cement, leather goods, furniture, and jewellery. In the city center is located South Asia's second tallest building - The World Trade Centre.

About Western Province

The Western Province is the most densely populated province of Sri Lanka. It is home to the legislative capital Sri Jayawardenapura as well to Colombo, the nation's administrative and business center. Western Province is divided into 3 main districts called Colombo (642 km²), Gampaha (1,386.6 km²) and Kalutara (1,606 km²) districts. As Sri Lanka's economic hub, all the major local and international corporations have their presence in the city and so do all the major designer and high street retailers, so be ready to indulge in some retail therapy in western province.

Having the highest population in the all the provinces, the almost all the premier educational institutions in the island are located in western province. Universities in the province include the University of Colombo, the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, University of Kelaniya, Open University, Sri Lanka, Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University and University of Moratuwa .Western province has the largest amount of schools in the country, which includes National, Provincial, Private and International schools.