Conveniently located only 15 km from Sri Lanka’s International Airport, Negombo offers wide beaches, a great selection of hotels and guesthouses – ranging from budget to 5 star resorts, excellent restaurants, well stocked supermarkets and many watersport facilities.
Used by the Portuguese, Dutch and British as main export harbor for cinnamon you still can see many historical buildings. The best cinnamon in the world originated from Sri Lanka from the coastal stretch of Negombo.
Negombo – being an old and large fishing town, still holds the old world atmosphere of 17th century churches and forts which lay as evidence to the Dutch and Portuguese chapters of history. Negombo is also often referred to as Little Rome.
Enjoy watching the old world fishing crafts such as the outrigger canoes and the catamarans bringing in a variety of marine fishes like seers, sharks, skipjacks, and amber-jacks. In the lagoon lobsters, crabs and prawns are caught and served as fascinating delicacies in the restaurants.
Watersports such as wind surfing, jet skiing and diving are extremely popular with a few well preserved coral reefs and a 50 year old shipwreck that serves as an artificial reef for many varieties of fish.
Step on board a traditional catamaran and join the fishermen of Negombo as they set out to bring in modest catches of prawn, sardine and many other fish.
Negombo is home to the country's second-largest fish market, the "Lellama". This colourful and authentic market is a great place to observe the local fishing trade and see the amazing variety of seafood that is offloaded from boats.
Taking a boat ride down the Hamilton canal means you will experience some interesting moments in the life and culture of the fisher folk living on the banks of the canal intertwined with some scenic views and eco friendly habitats.