Negombo is a world apart from the beach-and-pool routine – a fascinating town of Dutch colonial heritage, devout Catholic fishing communities, a vast inland lagoon and a network of canals built by the Dutch that serve as working waterways today. This tour offers an encounter with the livelihoods, traditions and daily rhythms of Negombo’s fishing communities – whose way of life remains unchanged by the passage of time. Your journey begins with a lagoon boat safari, drifting past mangrove thickets, traditional canoes and the morning activity of the fish landing site at Hamilton Canal. A walk through the town takes in the Dutch Fort remains, the imposing St. Mary’s Church and the fish market, one of the most photogenic in Sri Lanka. Optional cycling excursions through the canal-side villages offer a relaxed alternative to motorised sightseeing.