Negombo Lagoon
A wide, shallow lagoon beside Negombo, where fishing families work, mangroves line the edges and waterbirds feed in the shallows. It meets the sea by a narrow channel near the town.
Negombo Lagoon lies right beside the town of Negombo, in the Western Province. It is wide and very shallow. At its deepest it is only about one metre.
Small rivers and the old Hamilton Canal, also called the Dutch Canal, feed into it. A narrow channel in the north links it to the Indian Ocean, close to the town.
Around the lagoon you will see rice fields, coconut groves and grassland. Fishing and farming are the main work here. Lagoon fishing matters to Negombo's fishing families, and crabs and prawns from the water are in demand.
Mangroves grow along parts of the shore. Many waterbirds come to feed, including cormorants, herons, egrets, gulls and terns.
Our chauffeur-guide can add the local detail on the day. You can see the lagoon from the road, or from the water on a boat trip (see our Negombo Lagoon sunset boat trip).
Pairs well with
- Negombo Fish Market
- Negombo city tour
Experiences here
- Negombo city tourA relaxed look at Negombo with our chauffeur-guide: the fish market and beach, the lagoon, the town's churches and the old Dutch-era sites.
- Negombo Lagoon sunset boat tripA slow, unhurried boat ride on Negombo Lagoon, past mangroves, birds and fishing families. Your guide arranges the timing and boat on the day.
Nearby and related
- Negombo Fish MarketA working fish market and beach by the sea in Negombo, where boats land the catch in the early morning and fish are dried in the sun on mats. A look at how the town earns its living.
- St Sebastian's Church, KatuwapitiyaA Roman Catholic church in Katuwapitiya, Negombo, in the Archdiocese of Colombo. Negombo has a large Catholic community, and churches are part of daily life in the town.
Want Negombo Lagoon in your trip?
Tell us when you are travelling and we will build it into a route that works.