Geoffrey Bawa Park is a beautiful park located in Dedduwa area of Bentota town. It is one of the most attractive parks in Sri Lanka and among the best places to visit in Bento while on holiday in Sri Lanka.
Popularly known as the Salt River Park, this park was designed by Sri Lanka’s famous architect Geoffrey Bawa. The estate was used as a cinnamon plantation during the Dutch era and later as a rubber plantation under the British. In 1949 Geoffrey Bawa bought it from its owner with the intention of turning the estate bungalow into a weekend home and creating a tropical version of a European Renaissance garden. Even today, one can visit the various cinnamon harvesting rooms inside the cinnamon farms and gardens.
It is situated on the banks of the Bentota Dedduwa River with a land area of 15 acres. Geoffrey Bawa named the estate Lunu Ganga, which means Salt River in Sinhala. The Salt River Estate is where Geoffrey Bawa devoted forty years of his life to creating a beautiful garden paradise.
Influenced by the Italian Renaissance and English landscape gardens, visitors will find a mesmerizing environment of lush greenery. A variety of foliage as well as an ornamental fish community can be seen here and there is also a beautiful water park. After Bawa’s death in 2003, the park was opened to the public. Today, this place has become a frequent tourist destination. The estate’s buildings are run as seasonal country house hotels, and the hotel is packed with visitors because of its view of the park and high-class amenities.