Meet Sri Lanka’s Fabulous (and gay) Bawa Brothers

2019 marks our third excursion to Sri Lanka. A major storyline of the journey introduces you to work by the island’s fabulous – and very gay – Bawa Brothers. Read on to learn what awaits, and see why we love this Out Adventure so much.

The (gay) ‘Father of Tropical Modernism’

Geoffrey Bawa was the younger brother, but arguably the more commercially successful.

Geoffrey (1919-2003) was the younger brother, a renowned architect, and the driving force behind tropical modernism. His buildings masterfully merged with nature, perhaps nowhere more eloquently than his hotel in Dambulla, shown above. We call the hotel’s jungle setting home for two nights of our trip.

Our hotel in the coastal city of Galle, shown below, was also designed by Geoffrey. It offers enormous suites that include luggage rooms, walk-in showers, and stunning views of the Indian Ocean.

Bevis Bawa and his homoerotic gardens

The elder Bawa is perhaps most famous for his elaborate landscape architecture… and alleged orgies.

En route to Colombo, we’ll visit Brief Garden. The estate belonged to Geoffrey’s parents and was bequeathed to his brother, Bevis (1909-1992). Bevis earned his own acclaim as a landscape architect, and his homoerotic garden was a personal passion project. Legend has it he threw some awfully lurid ‘garden parties. See the images below, and you can almost picture Bevis’ bacchanalias.

On the final night of our tour, our Farewell Dinner goes down in one of Colombo’s most stylish restaurants. It is also in the former office of Geoffrey’s architecture firm and is pictured below. From the moment you arrive at the front door, past the water feature, and through to the inner courtyard, the entire entrance is a sublime experience.

Get to know the Bawa Brothers on a more personal basis on Out Adventures’ Sri Lanka: Serendipity tour. We’ll dive into the country’s rich culture and history and spend a few days in the verdant countryside.

(Image credits from top to bottom: Heritance Hotels x 7, Lino DiNallo x 1, Robert Sharp x 2, Paradise Road x 1, Robert Sharp X 1, Geoffrey Bawa Trust x 1)