Sri Lanka has a proud heritage of arts and crafts, and you’ll find a distinctive memento to take home among the wide range of items for sale in Colombo. Popular handicrafts include gold and silver jewellery set with gems, wooden masks, intricate lace-work, lacquer work and ceramics.
The full range of handicrafts is available in the many stores in and around the capital, but you can also see the work that goes into creating them as you travel around the country – watch deft hands weaving intricate lace patterns in towns around the south-western coast or see the pottery wheels in action at the small village of Molagoda in the central provinces.