Village Fairs and Bazaars: Fresh vegetables, herbs, and fruit from village home gardens to home made buffalo curd and honey, or a hot cup of tea is always at hand for you to buy along the way as you explore the island. If you want to get a feel for the trading heart of Colombo, spend a hectic morning wandering the narrow streets of Pettah Bazaar where you will find anything from steel pots to the latest mobile phones. If you accept anybody’s offer to act as a guide, ensure you know the financial basis upon which this has been offered! [More]Antiques: Sri Lanka’s rich heritage with a blend of Asian and European influences extends to furniture and object d’art. There are several antique shops where antique Colonial period furniture to ornaments, Moorish porcelain, brass lamps and pottery can be purchased. Ambalangoda and Galle Fort are the most famous for antiques. There are several shops in Colombo as well where prices are somewhat higher than along the west coast. [More] Traditional Crafts: Traditional arts & crafts are produced in different parts of the island as home based cottage industries where intricate skills are passed down in generations. These crafts are best purchased from the villages where you can observe how they are produced. You can also purchase these crafts from the government run Laksala outlets in Colombo and Kandy or Lakpahana in Colombo. [More]Contemporary Crafts: Several local artisans and entrepreneurs have developed exquisite arts and crafts blending Sri Lankan heritage with contemporary design. These products are made of indigenous materials such as recycled paper, elephant dung, terracotta, and scented woods and oils, and handloom fabrics. Elephant dung stationery, scented candles, relaxing massage oils, handloom toys and linen, Sri Lanka T-shirts and souveniours as well as beautiful hand crafted object d’art are available for your home or for gifts. [More]Books: Shop for books on Sri Lanka’s ancient heritage, wildlife and nature, and its beautiful landscapes online at our own Red Dot Tours Bookshop. We stock an interesting range of titles on different topics that gives you a good overview of the country’s culture and its people. These titles as well as literary works of contemporary Sri Lankan authors are also available at all leading bookshops in Colombo, Kandy, and Galle. Books on Buddhism are available for purchase at Buddhist centres in Colombo. [More]Clothing: The Sari with its six yards of colourful fabric in silk or cotton is a must have for a woman heading home after a journey of discovery on this tropical island. Drape it on you, your bed or hang it on the windows and let it catch the sun as it sways in the wind. Saris vary from cotton ones for daily wear to exquisite handworked ones for special occasions including weddings. Saris are available across the country. Shops in Colombo have the best selection. The versatile sarong which is ideal to laze about in whether at home or on the beach, is another popular local dress for men and women. Visit Barefoot for their colourful handloom sarongs. Sri Lanka is also well known for its export quality western clothing with many of the international companies having their manufacturing factories on the island. [More]Art & Music: From temple paintings to contemporary design, the creative arts are vibrant and readily available for purchase in Sri Lanka. Just stroll down Colombo seven’s leafy Green Path where art works are displayed right along on the road. These are created by young students and other local artists. Purchasing directly from them ensures a much needed income which supplements their studies or full-time jobs. Once a year, Green Path becomes a hive of activity with the 'Kala Pola' – an art fair where artists from the regional towns also bring in their creations to sell. Works of well known local artists including George Keyt, Ivan Peries, Richard Gabriel, Lionel Wendt, Senaka Senanayake, Jagath Weerasinghe, Druvinka, and Muhanned Cader are exhibited in galleries such as the National Art Gallery, Sapumal Foundation, the Lionel Wendt, Barefoot Art Gallery and Paradise Road Gallery Café. Classical to contemporary fusion local music in Sinhala, Tamil and English is available on CD at various outlets in Colombo, Hikkaduwa, and Kandy. Take home a CD of the Hikka drummers and if you’re lucky, you’ll be able to see them performing live in Hikkaduwa whilst on your travels. [More]Cricket & Sports Good: Most internationally known brands including Nike, Reebok, Puma and Addidas have their outlets Colombo and sell a range of sports goods from clothing, shoes to sports gear. The ODEL sports shop located in the main Alexandra Place Department Store sells all these main sporting name brands. The Cricket Shop in Colombo 3 specialises in Cricket gear and for those interested in purchasing Sri Lankan cricket memorabilia, the souveniour shop at the Board of Control for Cricket has an interesting range. [More]Gems & Jewellery: Sri Lanka is famous for its precious and semi-precious gemstones including Blue Sapphires, Red Rubies, Cat’s Eyes, Alexandrites, Tourmalines, Zircons, Garnets, Amethysts and Topaz. The town of Ratnapura is home to a thriving gem and jewellery industry that dates back to ancient times. Here you can see gems being mined, cut and polished as well as purchase gems. This industry is monitored by the National Gem and Jewellery Authority which has outlets located in Colombo and Ratnapura to check the authenticity of gems that you have purchased. You can purchase exquisite gem studded jewellery set in gold, white gold or platinum in jewellery shops in Colombo, Galle, Kandy and Ratnapura. Given a period of about five days, they will create exquisite pieces to your specifications. Colombo has the best choice of reputed jewellery shops. When you are shopping for gems across the country, make sure you purchase stones from shops that are licensed with the National Gem and Jewellery Authority. [More]Handloom Products: Clothing, table linen, cushions, curtaining and upholstery fabrics in handspun cotton fabric made in the villages are popular for homes in the towns as well as for holiday homes on the beach. Barefoot’s signature fabrics with vibrant checks and stripes are wonderful to brighten up your home. Handloom soft furnishings and fabrics are also available at Seylin in Kurungella on the way to the Cultural Tirangle. Seylin also has an outlet in Colombo 5. [More]Tea: Take home a packet of world famous Ceylon Tea. You have the choice of savouring different blends of tea in a hill country tea factory and purchasing directly from estates such as Labookelle Tea Estate close to Nuwara Eliya, Bogawantalawa Tea Estates in Dickoya, Dambatanne Tea estate in Haputale, and the Tea Research Institute in Talawakelle. These teas are also marketed in specialist tea centres and grocery stores such as Cargills Food City and Keells Super in the main towns across the island. We highly recommend the world renowned Dilmah Teas and Mlesna Tea. [More]Spices: Sri Lanka is the world’s second largest cinnamon exporter. This precious crop is grown in estates along the south coast. You can purchase fresh cinnamon from plantations in Mirissa as well as in Koggala where villagers process cinnamon on an island on the Koggala Lake. Various aromatic spices and condiments such as mixed curry powder, chili powder, saffron, turmeric, cloves and cinnamon can be purchased from the main grocery stores. Ma’s spices are highly recommended. [More]