About this experience
A private five-hour tour of Negombo, the lagoon-side fishing town just north of Colombo, with your own air-conditioned vehicle and English-speaking chauffeur guide from your hotel and back. You see the fish market, the gateway of the old Dutch fort, the painted ceiling of St. Mary's Church and the Hamilton Canal, and hear the stories behind them along the way.
How the morning runs
Your chauffeur guide collects you from your hotel in Negombo at 8.30 am. The stops are close together, about 11 km of driving in all, so most of the five hours is spent out of the car.
The fish market on the lagoon comes first, while the morning's catch is still being sold. Around it is the mouth of the Negombo lagoon, where the fishing boats come and go.
A few minutes away is the gateway of the fort the Dutch built where the lagoon meets the sea. Little else of the fort survives and its grounds are now a prison, so you see it from outside.
In the town centre you visit St. Mary's Church, a large neo-classical church whose ceiling is covered in painted religious scenes. Negombo has so many churches that it is often called Little Rome.
The last stop is the Hamilton Canal, a colonial-era waterway that runs along the coast south towards Colombo. You are back at your hotel at about 1.30 pm.
Good to know
Please wear clothes that cover your shoulders and knees for the church.
Choosing your option
The price is for your whole group, from 1 to 8 guests, in one private vehicle. Choose Tickets: Yes to have the entrance fees on the day paid for you, or No to pay any fees yourself.
