Private Tour: Negombo and Surrounding Area Attractions by Boat

You will be picked up from your hotel at 7am and driven to the starting point of the boat ride. Between 7:30am and 8:30am you will start your memorable boat ride through the Dutch canal. This was at one time an important link in the transportation route which supplied the Dutch colonial administration. It runs for more than 60 miles, with part of the route running through Negombo. Today it's an attraction for tourists and one of the most interesting ways to see the town and the surrounding area.

As the morning progresses, you will continue your ride through the Canal to the lagoon which is fed by a number of small rivers and a canal. It is linked to the sea by a narrow channel to the north, near Negombo city. It is surrounded by a densely populated region containing rice paddies, coconut plantations and grassland. The land is used for fishing and agriculture. The lagoon has extensive mangrove swamps and attracts a wide variety of water birds including cormorants, herons, egrets, gulls, terns and other shorebirds. 

You will proceed with your journey around 9:30am through Elakanda Canal to Muthurajawela Wetland that provides a home for a diverse range of flora and fauna, some of which are endemic and nationally threatened. It is also an important area for migratory birds, making it a primary recreational and educational destination in Negombo. The Muthurajawela Sanctuary has become a ‘conservation island’, because it remains a refuge for a wide range of flora and fauna despite the rapid urban and industrial development in the area.

At 12:30pm you will conclude the tour and proceed to the starting point with happy memories as you make your way back to your hotel. Arriving at 2:30pm.