Negombo is situated roughly 37 km north of Sri Lanka’s commercial capital Colombo, at the entry point of the Negombo lagoon. It is conveniently located just about 7 km away from the Bandaranaike International Airport in Sri Lanka. Possessing an economy mainly based on its long established fishing industry and tourism, Negombo is considered to be a traditional fishing town. The majority of Negombo’s community is Roman Catholic, and due to the highly complex Portuguese-era Roman Catholic churches set up within the parish, it has been named “Little Rome”. Apart from its fishing harbour, Negombo town’s main attractions are the Old Dutch Fort gate, Dutch canal and the old churches.
Spread over an area of about 3164 hectares, the Negombo lagoon is situated some 40 km north of Colombo. This lagoon, fed by a number of small rivers and canals, is part of the much bigger Muthurajawela swamp-Negombo lagoon coastal wetland and is surrounded by a heavily populated zone containing grassland, coconut plantations and rice paddies.
Fishermen trying to make their daily living through the bounties of the sea can be witnessed in the town everyday, though you may have to arrive early in the morning and before noon to seize a glimpse of the incoming boats with their daily catch. Daily auctions are held, giving tourists a chance to have an encounter with the area’s typical fishermen and even arrange exciting fishing trips into the lagoon and the sea beyond. In late July, a Fishers’ Festival is held, which very often includes prawns, crab, lobster and sharks as well.
Professional game fishing and deep sea fishing tours are offered in the Negombo harbour as its pure sea and fishing zones hold a profusion of game fish for the enthusiastic angler. Fish such as snapper, emperor and grouper can be found close to the coast and a bit further out, seer, barracuda, jackfish, Indian mackerel, Spanish mackerel and tuna can be found. You can wind down at a Sri Lanka Ayurveda hotel after taking one of these exciting adventurous tours. For much lavish accommodations, Jetwing Ayurveda Pavilions would be the perfect choice as it is a top Ayurveda resort Sri Lanka.
