Colombo

Sri Lanka's capital is going places. The government has ambitious plans to turn Colombo into one of Asia's key business and tourist hubs with huge new state-of-the-art buildings popping up across the city. Colombo is really an amalgamation of a series of towns spread some 50km along the west coast of the Island with the long since vanished Portuguese Fort at its heart. With a population of over 3 million the city seems worlds away from the rest of the country and has comparatively few historical sights, but we think it is still worth at least a day on most itineraries, even if just to soak up the atmosphere and enjoy some of the fine restaurants and nightlife. Colombo is somewhat of a melting pot where colourful Buddhist & Hindu Temples, Mosques and Christian Churches can all be found just a stone's throw away from each other.