Negombo is a beautiful seaside town which you find about 37 km towards North from Colombo, located at a mouth of Negombo lagoon. As it is quite close to the Bandaranaike International Airport, Negombo town is a regular stop for foreign travelers who arrive after long flights. The luxurious hotels and resorts that are located around the town provide all the comforts you need to relax and enjoy the dazzling sandy beaches.
You can find an old and traditional appearance in the town due to the remaining Churches and forts built by the Portuguese and the Dutch during their times in Sri Lanka. Negombo has started serving as a spice port at the Portuguese era and the Dutch continued to use it, developing the port and fortifying the town as well. Ruins of an 80 mile long canal system built by the Dutch from Colombo to Puttalam can be seen in Negombo along with ruins of some other old buildings. The British who came last, turned built a large jail in Negombo and stopped using it as a fort.
Negombo is also famous for its fishing and a foremost sight related to this industry is the coming home of the “Catamaran” fishing fleet. Some of them are still using traditional fishing techniques when fishing in the lagoon.