A large mangrove-fringed lagoon famous for its outrigger fishing fleet, birdlife and boat trips along old Dutch canals.

Overview

The Negombo Lagoon is a broad, shallow estuary bordered by mangroves and fed by the Hamilton Canal and several small rivers. It is the heart of the town's fishing economy, crowded each morning with colourful catamarans and dugout canoes bringing in crabs, prawns and fish. Boat trips glide through the mangroves and along the historic Dutch canals, offering close-up birdwatching and views of traditional lagoon fishing. The fish market at its mouth is a lively, pungent spectacle at dawn.

History

The lagoon has supported fishing communities for centuries and was central to the Dutch cinnamon trade, when the colonial authorities dug the canal network, including the Hamilton Canal, to move goods between Negombo and Colombo. Those waterways and the outrigger fishing tradition survive largely unchanged today.