Negombo - not a lovely beach, but lots of things to see & do
To be honest, Negombo is not an attractive beach resort. The beach is not protected and it's dirty. However, Negombo is the beach holiday destination closesest to the International Airport and thereby a good starting point for a Sri Lanka round tour.
Negombo is the largest Christian town in Sri Lanka. Places of interest in Negombo include Several churches can be seen on a city tour, but also places of worship of Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims in distinct neighbourhoods of the city. Main attraction is the fishing harbour and fish market close to the former Dutch fort. A boat trip on a traditional outrigger is rewarding indeed. A motorboat ride in the large harbour and lagoon is recommendable, too. Half-day excursions to the Muthurajawela sanctuary in the south and the Maha Oya river mouth in the north offer surprising experiences of tropical wetlands very close to the town.
With more than 140,000 inhabitants, Negombo is the largest city in Sri Lanka outside Colombo District, as the population number is slightly larger than that of Kandy.
Negombo is the largest Christian town in Sri Lanka. Places of interest in Negombo include Several churches can be seen on a city tour, but also places of worship of Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims in distinct neighbourhoods of the city. Main attraction is the fishing harbour and fish market close to the former Dutch fort. A boat trip on a traditional outrigger is rewarding indeed. A motorboat ride in the large harbour and lagoon is recommendable, too. Half-day excursions to the Muthurajawela sanctuary in the south and the Maha Oya river mouth in the north offer surprising experiences of tropical wetlands very close to the town.
With more than 140,000 inhabitants, Negombo is the largest city in Sri Lanka outside Colombo District, as the population number is slightly larger than that of Kandy.
Why to spend your first night in Negombo
For those who intend to spend the first night after arrival in Sri Lanka not far from the airport, Negombo is a much more recommendable alternative to Colombo. There are several reasons to prefer Negombo as a starting point for round trips. First of all, Negombo is closest to the airport. The distance from Colombo International Airport to the hotel area at Negombo beach is only 12 kms, whereas the distance from the airport to Colombo town is more than 30 km. Secondly, after your overnight stay in Negombo you can start your tour on the next morning without any traffic jam, but starting in Colombo would mean traffic jam guarantee. Thirdly, the price level for overnight stays is significantly lower in Negombo than in Colombo. This is why Negombo is place to spend your first night in easier place to find your Sri Lankan feet than Colombo. Negombo’s variety of accommodation suits all pockets, from cheapest guest house to five-star hotel.
Location
Negombo is situated at Sri Lanka’s west coast, about 40 km north of Colombo by road. The town centre is just to the north of the large Negombo Lagoon. The Negombo fishing harbour, which is one of the largest in Sri Lanka, is situated within the mouth of the lagoon. 2 km further north, there is a 5 km long straight stretch of sandy beach, where almost all hotels of Negombo are located.
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The driving distance from Negombo to Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage is 75 km, to Kandy 105 km, to Sigiriya 145 km, and to Anuradhapura 170 km.
What to see and to do in Negombo
Negombo's major attractions are the fish markets (there is more than one). Though the other attractions are no must-sees, you should consider a city tour or excursion when staying in Negombo anyway. The most recommendable time for a so-called catamaran tour is in the morning, too.
Apart from fish market visits and catamaran tours and full-dayday trips to destinations in the hinterland, there are at least three recommendable half-day activities, particularly for those who arrive at the airport in the morning and want to start sightseeing already in the afternoon after check-in at the first hotel of their round tour:
Apart from fish market visits and catamaran tours and full-dayday trips to destinations in the hinterland, there are at least three recommendable half-day activities, particularly for those who arrive at the airport in the morning and want to start sightseeing already in the afternoon after check-in at the first hotel of their round tour:
- A Negombo city tour should include fishing port, Dutch canal, cloth market, and at least one sacred site of each of the 4 major religions
- The most popular afternoon activity is a boat safari in the Muthurajawela wetlands to the south of Negombo Lagoon
- A rewarding alternative is a boat safari is in the area of the Maha Oya river mouth, via northern Dutch canal to small lagoons and Gin Oya river
- Warning: Be aware, there are lots of scammers, e.g. with faked donation lists. And miracles occur frequently: Deaf mutes spending a day at Negombo Beach can suddenly hear and speak when going home in the evening.
- The most popular afternoon activity is a boat safari in the Muthurajawela wetlands to the south of Negombo Lagoon
- A rewarding alternative is a boat safari is in the area of the Maha Oya river mouth, via northern Dutch canal to small lagoons and Gin Oya river
- Warning: Be aware, there are lots of scammers, e.g. with faked donation lists. And miracles occur frequently: Deaf mutes spending a day at Negombo Beach can suddenly hear and speak when going home in the evening.
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Negombo BeachNegombo Beach is infamous for dangerous currents, as the dead straight coastline is not protected by promontories or reefs. If you nevertheless want to swim a little bit, make sure you spot a lifesaver watching your area. Fatal accidents occured several times, don't swim too far away. However, it's an interesting beach for several reasons. You can study the abovementioned orus. Most remarkably, the youth of Colombo enjoys spending their Saturday evenings at Negombo Beach. Then it's a very busy place.
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Oruwa tourFor some fishermen motor boats are not affordable. This is why the traditional Oruwa boats are still in use. In the morning hours, you can see an entire fleet of them - or at least of their sails in a far distance. Some catamarans allow tourists to have a one-hour excursion. It can be a little bit rough at the open sea. But there is calmer alternative on the Negombo Lagoon. Though known as "catamaran tours" in the Tourist language, the Oru (plural form of Oruwa) are in fact no catamarans but dugout outriggers.
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Fish marketsBe aware, there are various fish markets in Negombo. The most-visited and largest one is in the neighbourhood of Negombo Fort. The smelly adventure is possible only in early morning hours. For those who prefer to see sharks and other large fish, the Lellama Market to the south of the fishing port is a highly recommendable detour, but even earlier. You should arrive at the Lellama market at 4.00 o'clock night time and not later than 5.00 am.
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Fishing harbourBesides Puttalam and Chilaw, Negombo is one of the few large fishing harbours at Sri Lanka's west coast. The fishing port is crowded with boats af various sizes. It's situated in the mouth of the Negombo Lagoon. A fishing harbour boat ride can easily be combined with detours to both the lagoon and the open sea.
See Negombo fishing port and fishermen on youtube at Lanka Excursions Holidays / Negombo Fishery Harbour |
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Hamilton CanalHamilton Canal, named after a British Government agent, is about 10 km long, connecting the lagoon with the river mouth of the Maha Oya. It's a part of the so-called Dutch canal between Colombo and Puttalam. After the Hamilton Canal had been neglected and overgrown for several decades, it was cleared and boat tours are available again.
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St. Stephen's ChurchThough Negombo has a 500 years history of being a Christian stronghold in Sri Lanka, the oldest church building in Negombo, St. Stephen's Church in the neighbourhood of the Dutch Fort and close to the harbour, is the oldest church building in town. It was constructed in 1880 on the initiative of Reginald Copleston, then Anglican Bishop of Colombo and later President of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. St. Stephen is still an Anglican church, belonging to the so-called "Church of Ceylon".
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St. Mary's ChurchNegombo has several dozens of Roman Catholic parishes. The largest church building is that of St. Mary close to the town centre, the tower dominating the citiy's silhouette when seen from the lagoon. St. mary, like almost all churches in Negombo and all over Sri Lanka, is built in a historicising style, immitating Renaissance and Baroque elements in this case.
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St. Sebastian ChurchThe largest neo-gothical church in Negombo is St. Sebastian in the neighbourhood of Wellaweediya. It's well-known to many tourists, as it is siuated at Sea street in between the town centre and the beach and hotel area at Lewis Place further north. Sebastian Church is an eyecatcher on the left side of the plane during landing approaches to Colombo International Airport from the west, when crossing the lagoon. This church is not to be confused with St. Sebastian in Katuwapitiya, which was attacked on Easter Sunday 2019 by terrorists.
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Sri Singama Kali Amman KovilNot far from Sebastian church, Sea Streat crosses Negombo's Hindu neighbourhood of Kammachchode. There are several Hindu shrines in this area. Like in Southern India, they are called Kovils in Tamil language. The characteristic feature of Tamil templke architecture is the tall gateway tower called Gopuram, which usually surpasses the tower of the shrine (the Sikhara) in height. Gopurams of modern or modernized Tamil temples are extraordinarily gaudy. They represent the celestial palaces of the gods, which live on different levels.
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Grand MosqueThough a Christian majority municipality, Negombo has quarters of each of the other three major religious communities of the island nation. The Muslim and Buddhist quarters are mainly further inland, along the main road A3 from Colombo to Puttalam crossing the outskirts of Negombo. Even further inland, the next street over is called Jama Masjid (or Jumma Masjid) in its northern segment and temple road further south. Not surprisingly, the largest mosque of Negombo is located at Jama Masjid Rd, belonging to the Muslim neighbourhood of Periyamulla
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Angurukaramulla Buddhist templeThe largest Buddhist temple of Negombo is at temple road. It's a typical example of an extremely gaudy new temple building of the western coastal plains of Sri Lanka. One of the highlights is a 6 m long reclining Buddha. The doorway of the main portal is designed in the shape of the jaws of a demonic animal. A modern stupa is nearby. Be aware, that instead of an entrance fee a donation will be expected. Most donors give ten times more than an entry fee would cost. Actually, this is a business model of several Buddhist temples at touristy places.
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Half-day excursions in the immediate surroundings of Negombo
There are three different rewarding boat toors in and around Negombo. The Muthurajawela wetlands are most popular with Negombo tourists. However, the Maha Oya river mouth is more popular with locals, loving couples in particular. A boat tour in the lagoon and fishing harbour (surprisingly rarely requested) can be combined with a visit of a shipwrack in the open sea but close to the mouth of the lagoon.
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Muthurajawela wetlands boat safariMuthurajawela is still a rewarding boat safari, although the wetland area suffered from nearby construction works. Birdlife is said to have been more impressive some years ago. However, you can see the deep end of the lagoon and mangroves and some animal life, too, monkeys for sure, crocodiles only with good luck. Changes are high to spot surprisingly big water monitors. Actually, these are the longest monitor lizzards of the world. Though not as large in weight, water monitors are even slightly longer than the famous Komodo dragons.
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Maha Oya to Gin Oya bout tourOnly a few kilometres north of Negombo's hotel suburbs, there is a quite charming stretch of the tropical island's coastline, namely near the river mouth of the Maha Oya. It marks the northern border of the municipality of Negombo. It's still an untouristy attraction off the beaten path, although some fishermen organise boat tours for foreign guests in this area. The beach is not completely lonesome, as young couples prefer to come to this scenic place.
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