Negombo, located on the west coast of Sri Lanka, is a peaceful coastal town with adorable white sandy beaches and turquoise water stretches. Negombo is one of the biggest open-air fishing village and markets in the country. This traditional fishing village, also known as the Lellama among the locals, is perched across the lagoon bridge, near the Old Dutch Gate. Walking along the lines of its fishing villages, you shall be peeping into the culture and lifestyle of local fishermen. Lined by several food courts, the location is perfect for seeing a wide variety of seafood. Plus, there are several interesting activities you could enjoy around Negombo Fishing village.
Negombo fishing village and its market is the second in the country in size. The unsophisticated village styles of getting the fresh catch of the ocean for sale is an interesting thing to behold from a distance. Once the vessels anchored, the workers shall take their hunt onto the beach for carrying out the rest of the job. They clean, scale, gut, salt and dry them in the sunlight. The chefs from the restaurants and the wholesalers shall throng the place. While the large quantities are loaded for export and distribution across the country, you can find small retailers packing small boxes of fish on to their scooters or cycle. There would be seen in the shades men mending damaged fishing nets and cleaning their boats.
The market is a must-visit thing for its eventful representation of fish trade. It is noisy, vibrant, and smells like fish. You would certainly like being in there where the collection of the catch shall be dumped here and there for auction. The golden sandy beach that is attractively aligned with various restaurants and bars truly adds charm to the existence of this fishing village of Sri Lanka. You shall have all sorts of seafood varieties in there accompanied by various local refreshments. The beach road is replenished with craft shops, supermarkets, and beauty parlors. Traditional village fishing is on one end and the vibrant tourism on the beaches - Negombo is literally a multi-cultural composition.
This Negombo fishing town with golden sandy stretches naturally set against the backdrop of gently wavering ocean is an ideal location for both a cultural and sight-seeing excursions that can give you a day-ful of interesting experiences. Village exploration on cycles is the featured activity arranged for guests staying at hotels in the village and along the beach. You will get to know the traditional fishing ways and lifestyles of the local people around here. As your tour goes down the shoreline, you shall see boats and large vessels approaching the beach with fresh catches from the sea. You can witness all the different procedures of their winning bread.
The cycling route shall be of 20 km long and will take you around three hours to finish with a guide. You shall be provided with the necessary equipment, like bicycles and helmets. Along the way, you can stop off near vessels to capture some pics of yourself. Spend some time with the locals for a more intimate session. You would like to visit the village house for having a cup of tea. Sometimes your trail shall run amidst a scenic coconut estate. If it is at day-end, the sunset moments shall be ever more elegant. It will sink down far out beneath the horizon while you gently pace up the shore. Taking a deep-sea fishing excursion with tourism representatives far out to the ocean is another appealing thing to do in Negombo fishing village.
Located on the west coast of Sri Lanka, Negombo fishing village is a short distance away from Bandaranaike International Airport. From the downtown of Colombo, a car drive of 40 minutes shall take you here. Otherwise, you can take a bus.
