Negombo

Negombo is a city on the West Coast of Sri Lanka, north of the capital Colombo. Near the waterfront the remains of the 17th century Dutch Fort now houses a prison. Negombo Lagoon lined with fishermen’s huts feed into the Dutch era Hamilton canal. The shallow waters of the Negombo Lagoon provided safe shelter for seafaring vessels and became of the key ports. Negombo is about 2 meters above sea level, and it’s geography is mix of land and water. The Dutch canal flows in the heart of the city is one of the most scenic landmarks. Negombo lagoon is large semi-enclosed coastal water body with plenty of natural resources. The lagoon is fed by number of small rivers and the Dutch canal has extensive mangrove swamps and attracts a wide variety of water birds. Negombo has been a center of commercial activity and urban lifestyle and its reputation as a popular stopover destination for travelers arriving from the nearby International airport. The coastal city is best visited early in the morning when the local fisherfolk bring in the day’s catch on the iconic catamaran of Negombo, to sell at the famous local sea food market. Sinhala name Meegamuwa means village of the honeycomb gaining its name from a legend that army of Kavantissa found a bee honey in a canoe near the sea shore ,for queen Viharamaha Devi was pregnant with the prince Dutugemunu.