Beira Lake

This verdant oasis of green—including the algae-infused water—has many star attractions, including the Seema Malaka island temple, with its elegant Buddhit statues, and the aptly named Lovers’ Island. Whatever the latter’s original purpose, it has now morphed into a romantic Colombo city oasis for couples to escape the censorious gaze of parents, aunts and uncles for whom even holding hands in public is frowned upon. The lake is in two parts connected by a narrow canal that runs through Slave Island and the Sri Lanka Army Headquarters before spilling into the Indian Ocean at Galle Face. Another well-known attraction are the swan-shaped boats that vie for attention with the lake’s real feathered denizens, including storks, pelicans and cormorants.