Lunuganga Estate, the former iconic country house of renowned Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa is an Inspirational, whimsical, and enchanting property. Bawa named the estate Lunuganga, which in Sinhala means Salt River. Originally a cinnamon estate during the Dutch era and subsequently a rubber plantation under the British. In 1948, the small house in the estate was given on rent to the local tax collector and in 1949 bought over by Geoffrey Bawa who intended to convert it to a weekend house.

Stay at Lunuganga and experience Bawa’s vision at your leisure, pausing to admire carefully considered architectural flourishes, leaf-framed lake vistas, and vast, serendipitous 15-acre Lunuganga gardens created over a period of 40 years. The ten guestrooms occupy uniquely designed settings across Lunuganga and Ena House. Spaced apart on 15-acre grounds, each room is individually designed and equipped with modern amenities, they are restful private sanctuaries. The tranquil swimming pool at Lunuganga is located just beyond Cinnamon Hill, with its glistening waters, offering a serene oasis amidst its lush, tropical beauty.

Dining
The open plan lake-view restaurant gazes into the garden. Lunuganga is the venue to try some of the island’s standout dishes as well as international and contemporary Asian fusion meals.
All dishes use the finest local ingredients, and many of the fruits, vegetables and herbs used in our freshly cooked meals are sourced from local vendors.
Our chefs cater to all dietary requirements, and a children’s menu is also available.
We welcome outside diners visiting Lunuganga Country Estate as part of a garden tour, when booked in advance.

Structure
The Lunuganga estate has a number of structures and gardens as Bawa experimented with spaces and structures. The main bungalow itself included large comfortable rooms, spacious living and sitting areas, many reading nooks, a library full of books with a few busts interspersed, dining rooms and etc.

The Entrance Court:at Lunuganga was created as the main entry to the house after the remodeling by Geoffrey Bawa. At this point he changed the actual entrance of the house back to front.

Porte’Cochere and Glass Room:were part of the 1980’s additions. They replaced a coconut thatched carport that was part of the original bungalow.

The Red Terrace: is so called due to the red laterite ground surface.

The Water Garden:This garden is elaborate and beautiful with great views of ponds and other water sources, both natural and artificial. The view down at the water garden was one of Geoffrey Bawa’s favourites.

The yellow courtyard is so named for its ochre coloured walls. This area started off as a simple wall to hold two neo-gothic windows given to Bawa by his friend Anjalendran.

The Black Pavilion forms the eastern end of the water garden and is the axis of the Broad Walk.

The broad walkway runs due east-west between the base of the main hill on which the house is, and the base of the northern terraced gardens.

The Water Gate at the edge of the Dedduwalake is the departure point for boats sailing over the lake, and to the two islands of Appaladuwa and Honduwa. Excursions still take place from here.

The Hindu Pan is a sculpture of the pagan god, Pan. It was sculpted by one of Geoffrey Bawa’s architectural assistants, Narasingham and was called a “Hindu” Pan by Bawa. It received its name for the study of the contrasts of Narasingham being a Hindu, while sculpting a pagan god.

The Plain of Jars are sloping grassy plains with an occasional tall tree. The distinguishing feature that Bawa added here are the number of Ming Jars that dot this part of the landscape.

The Cinnamon Hill House: This homely structure was the last addition to the Garden before Bawa’s death. During the construction, Bawa used some of the ideas from his successful designs; the Kandalama Hotel and the Lighthouse Hotel both of which were built around the same time

The Cinnamon hill was once part of the old cinnamon plantation that pre-dated Geoffrey Bawa’s purchase of the estate; and was once overgrown with cinnamon. Bawa named the hill in memory of this.

The Gate House: At the bottom of the Cinnamon Hill in the grove of trees to the north is a small verandah that leads to the Gate House. This construction is a remnant of the era of sprawling mamsion houses that populated the UK; and was where the gatekeepers stayed. It gives a whimsical aura to the entire estate.

The Southern Terrace: The southern terrace is a great place to sit and relax. It can be reached by walking up the gravel entrance road, and past the entry court up the steps to the left.

The Southern View: perhaps one of the most beautiful landscape views anywhere in the world; this tropical version of a classic romantic garden view connects Lunuganga to some the great garden traditions of the world.

The Western Terrace is a walk past the bust of a Roman; and around the house. Here the lawn that opens out from the main living spaces of the house, the sitting room and the main verandah.