Lunuganga, meaning "Salt River" is the name of a peninsula within the Dedduwa Lake. It was named by its owner Geoffrey Bawa. The former country house of Sri Lanka's most renowned architect has become a major attraction for day-trippers from Bentota and Beruwela and other southwest-coast beaches. The small peninsula had been used as a cinnamon estate during the Dutch colonial period and become a rubber plantation during the British era. Geoffrey Bawa became the landowner in 1949 and developed the Lunuganga Estate into his weekend residence. His ambition was to create a Sri Lankan style of garden architecture including elements of Italian and English gardens in a tropical environement. Bawa lived here almost half a century. After he passed away, he was cremated in the gardens. The estate has been managed by the Lunuganga Trust, a group of his former friends, who devoloped the arcitecturally significant site into a country house hotel.

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Hakgala is a rock at the southern edge of the highland valley of Nuwara Eliya, the village of the same name is famous for the scenic Hakgala Botanical Garden, which is the highest of Sri Lanka’s  five botanical gardens. Second in size only to the famous Peradinya Botanical Garden, it‘s also one of the largest gardens in Sri Lanka. Hakgala it’s famous for ist orchid garden in particular. The place is perfect for birdwatching, too, as the adjoining Hakgala Strict Nature Reserve, which is not open to the public, is one of the most important habitats of Sri Lanka’s typical highland bird species, besides Horton Plains National Park further south and Galway National Park near Nuwara Eliya further south. The Hakgala garden was established in 1861 as an experimental cultivation of chinchona and later on of tea. For Hindu pilgrims, Hakgala Rock surmounting the Botanical Garden is a sacred place as it is believed to be one place of special significance for Ravana, a main character from the sacred Ramayana epic. The nearby Sita Eliya is believed the place where the abducted Sita, consort of Lord Rama, was held in captivity during most of the time she was held in captivity on the island of Lanka.

Situated 10 km inland from Beruwela, Brief Garden was the country home of Bevis Bawa, the older brother of Sri Lanka’s most famous architect, Geoffrey Bawa. Brief Garden garden inspired him to create his own landscape garden in nearby Lunuganga. The 8 hectare property of Brief Garden has been open to the public since 1970. Visitors take an independent walk by themselves through the ladscape garden. The beloved Frangipanis are among the more than 100 tree species of the garden. Visitors will finally be guided in the main house with several works of art produced here. It used to be the residence of Bevis Bawa and a long-time abode of other artists who lived here as his guests.

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