A popular Negombo couple activity, a canal, lagoon, and wetland boat tour showcase the waterways of Negombo, Hamilton Canal, Negombo Lagoon, and Muthurajawela Wetland Sanctuary.
This immersive tour explores the sights and sounds of Negombo’s fishing community living along the Hamilton Canal. It also offers a chance to explore the local fauna and flora at Muthurajawela Sanctuary and glides along the serene Negombo lagoon landscape.
The perfect tour for a slice of Negombo’s vivid birdlife, diverse marine habitats, and fishing culture, it is best done with an early start at dawn.
The Hamilton Canal is named after Gavin Hamilton, the British builder who expanded the Dutch canal in 1804. The Dutch were the original builders of the island’s canal network, obviously with a deep knowledge of the craft from their homeland. Built to facilitate the trade of Cinnamon and other spices, the canal is an impressive series of waterways expanding all the way up to Puttalam, 19 km to the North.
The Negombo Lagoon boasts the island’s best crabs and shrimp. Negombo Crab Curry is a popular seafood dish hailing originally from this area. The Lagoon is a 32-acre estuary that is a hotspot of marine life, supporting the region’s fishing communities.
The Muthurajawela Wetlands supports over 192 species of flora and 209 species of fauna, including Slender Loris and another 102 species of birds. Some of the identified species are indigenous to this beautiful marshland.
Your Hotel Concierge can easily arrange the tour of your choice. All three explorations usually take 5-6 hours. If you wish, you can choose the boat ride from the 3 for a shorter journey. Negombo has plenty of private operators who engage in the tour, and they are easily found online. The tour usually includes a hotel pick up, water on board, a stop by a lagoon side café for refreshment, and a drop off back to the hotel.