Dodgy Bar Tour a Colombo

I would definitely rate this a awesome 5 star tour. Had the pleasure of meeting a young entrepreneur Dilshan, who is so friendly. He took us to 2 hidden gems in Colombo which were absolutely amazing. We had nice cold beers at a tavern, a hidden gem in a church. Lovely history about that place. The other bar was situated in Pettah where locals meet. We had a great experience there, tasting the local arrack with ginger beer, absolutely amazing combination served with local bar bites. This is the type of tour that we enjoy and definitely a must if you are in Colombo. Dilshan will take good care of you and is very responsive when it comes to any questions that you may have via WhatsApp. Thank you Dilshan for organizing this tour for us.

My partner and I signed up for the DODGY BAR tour early in November; and it turned out to be the most interesting 90 minutes of a Colombo evening. What Dilshan manages to conjure up even for jaded travelers like us are spaces that you may have passed by on your walks around the city a million times, but never crossed the threshold as you always understood them as part of an 'mens only club' __for the demographic that is signing up for the Dodgy Bar yours (USD 70 per person) these are points on a city's maps that they may have read in books about South India and Sri Lanka but today you are an insider for a couple of minutes. Dilshan is a treasure trove for a young person's take about his beautiful city and its changing history. During the course of his walks he has seen gentrification chomping at his heels__the four bars are now three. So I would recommend you sign up for these walks before the city gobbles up these toddy establishments!! Your contribution covers bar snacks at the end of your walk and a choice of toddy/beer/aerated drinks at the three establishments. Frankly while you may hear about the walk while reading about Colombo's bars; this is more of a beautiful walk through the city in the late evening and seeing a part of the CBD you may never have registered.

Had a brilliant night out with the Dodgy Bar Tour crew. It was excellent to step off the beaten track and get a more textured view of life and history in Sri Lanka. A highlight of my trip!

The Dodgy Bar Tour was a highlight of our time in Sri Lanka - so much so that we basically asked Dilshan to help us plan the rest of our trip! There are lots of tours and operators in Sri Lanka that funnel tourists into the same small set of places. Soulful Sri Lanka is doing something very cool and different - we went with them to some of the country's better-known destinations but they helped us do it in a way that beat crowds and created a way more interesting experience. If I were planning a trip to Sri Lanka today, I'd engage them at the very beginning of the process, give them a list of interests, and put yourself in their hands. Seriously.