This is a beautiful and vibrant Hindu temple (or Kovil) dedicated to Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed deity revered as the Remover of Obstacles and the God of Wisdom. Architecture: It features a strikingly colorful Dravidian-style gopuram (entrance tower) adorned with intricate sculptures and statues of various Hindu gods and goddesses. Significance: It serves as a vital place of worship for the local Hindu community, reflecting Negombo's rich multi-religious heritage. The Experience: Visitors can step inside to experience the serene, spiritual atmosphere, admire the detailed artwork, and witness the daily rituals involving flowers, incense, and lamps.
⛪ St. Mary's Church (Maha Veediya Palliya) Negombo is famously known as "Little Rome," and this majestic church is the centerpiece of that reputation. It is one of the largest cathedrals in Sri Lanka and a beautiful blend of European neoclassical style with Sri Lankan artistry. Architecture: Built between 1874 and 1922, the church features a grand, towering facade and massive columns. The Interior Highlight: The most famous feature is the breathtaking ceiling, which is covered in vibrant frescoes and paintings depicting the life of Christ and various saints. What makes this art truly unique is that the ceiling work was done by a local Buddhist painter, N.S. Godamanne, showcasing Sri Lanka's cultural harmony. Significance: It reflects the deep-rooted Catholic faith of Negombo's coastal community,
Negombo Fish Market & Dry Fish Fields The Negombo Fish Market, locally known as Lellama, is a chaotic, colorful, and authentic slice of local life. It’s one of the largest and most dynamic fish markets on the island. The Market: Best visited early in the morning (around 6:00 AM) to see fishermen unload their fresh catches of tuna, crab, prawns, and various reef fish. It is a vibrant, loud, and bustling spectacle that offers a raw glimpse into Sri Lanka's fishing economy. The Dry Fish Fields: Just beyond the wet market is the sun-drenched area where vast expanses of the day's catch—especially small fish and large, cut pieces—are laid out to dry in the open air, a traditional preservation method. This field creates a powerful, unique aroma and is a visually striking sight against the blue sky and sand. This area showcases the heart of Negombo's identity as a classic coastal fishing town.
Negombo Dutch Fort (Old Fort) The Negombo Dutch Fort is a historic site that marks the city's role in Sri Lanka's colonial history, having been a key trading post for cinnamon and spices. History: Originally established by the Portuguese, it was later captured and rebuilt by the Dutch in the 17th century. Current State: Unlike the sprawling fort in Galle, much of the original structure in Negombo was dismantled by the British in the late 19th century to build the nearby prison. Today, visitors can see the preserved main gateway and some sections of the wall. Significance: While only remnants remain, the site offers a glimpse into the colonial-era architecture and the strategic importance of Negombo's coastal location.
Dutch Canal in Negombo, officially known as the Hamilton Canal, is a fascinating historical waterway that serves as a living connection to Sri Lanka's colonial past and the local fishing community. The canal runs for about 14.5 kilometers (9 miles), connecting Puttalam to Colombo, and it passes right through Negombo, where it links up with the Negombo Lagoon.
Angurukaramulla Temple, officially known as Bodhirajaramaya, is one of Negombo's most renowned and historically significant Buddhist sites. It is celebrated for its incredibly colorful and ornate architecture, particularly its elaborate murals and sculptures.
Nice, easy and informative tour of Negombo. I booked last minute and Athula still picked up my booking which was great. He customised the tour since I didn’t want to go to the Fish Mkt. He shared some interesting facts about the St Mary’s church, Buddhist temple and Dutch fort. I like that he gave me photo opportunities of the canal, lagoon and temples too. It’s basic though did what I wanted in Negombo.
Enjoyable excursion. The driver arrived on time, drove safely, and explained everything clearly. He even helped out with a few small errands.
A fabulous look at Negombo, Attula is a great guide, lots of information and photo opportunities, a great introduction to Sri Lanka before our island tour, thank you
A great few hours seeing the sights of negombo, really interesting and travelling in the tuk tuk was great fun
Athula was great. Informative, helpful, patient. The selection of sites visited was interesting. A great tour of Negombo.
Very interesting and nice experience I recommend!
Athula was really great. He was knowledgable about the places we visited. He took photos of us. All in all it was a great quick sightseeing experience.
Had a great time and was taken to enough places. Great selection of sites from temples to fish market. The length of time was ample and Atula had a sarong for us to use. We should have realised and wore knee length skirts.
Absolutely brilliant tour guide, very knowledgeable and polite. Provided ice cold water for free. Took us to some stunning churches and temples, and to the famous fish market ( be prepared for strong smells, luckily I'm from Grimsby so the smell of fish didn't bother me). The tour guide didn't pressure us or take us to anywhere we didn't want to go and even offered to take us to an ATM and a supermarket to buy rice (as my phone succumbed to the 95% humidity so needed drying out). Great value for money definitely recommended and will use again.
An absolutely fantastic experience! Athule was incredible and really made our visit special. Highly recommend this tour to anyone in the area—we will definitely be back!"
Our guide was very informative.
We really enjoyed this tour with Athula, he is very knowledgeable and he set a nice relaxed pace, we never felt rushed. We especially enjoyed the visit to the fish markets and the lagoon with all the boats. Highly recommend this tour, thank you 😀
Great tour, i saw all the sights, tour took 2 and a galf hours which was perfect. Saw all the temples, fish market, dutch fort and canals. The guide explained everything and was really friendly. I would revommend
The fish market was amazing our driver took us to the local experiences which we delighted in. Thank you for a great morning
Beautiful tour around Negombo with very friendly driver . We visited a church. A Hindu temple and a Buddhist Tempel as well as the fish market, the Saturday market , Dutch Fort and the dry fish area.
The tour was amazing. My tour guide was patient and very knowledgeable. Took me to the best spots in the city and I had a fabulous time.
It was a very nice experience, very kind and passionate
I had a wonderful time exploring Negombo. Athula was friendly and provided informative information about the sights we visited. Would recommend for anyone travelling solo!
We really liked the tour - we saw a budism and a Hindu temple, a Catholic Church, fish markets etc. - it was great to see not only touristic but really local places which we really enjoyed. So I can highly recommend the tour if you want a authentic picture of Negombo.
Nice day and well organized program. Athula is kind and he knows a lot about things. He also organizes customized tours. Feel free to ask
This was a great way to see the sights of Negombo in a few hours. We made the booking last minute and were picked up at our hotel within a couple of hours. The fish market is a must see. Our guides knew exactly where to go, even stopping at supermarket on our way back to hotel to stock up on supplies. We definitely recommend.
Athula was Already waiting before the meeting at 6 in the morning. We went to the fish market and the " dry" market. Hé explains very well and knows his way. Hé had some fresh cool water and hé really knows history etc. Nice man and enthousiast. I would reccomend a trip with him!
Athula picked us up at our hotel and took us around the many Buddhist, Christian, and Hindu temples/churches, as well as the fish market and Dutch Canal. Excellent driver and guide.
Pick up on time. Went to many attractions with Athula, who explained all the sights in detail. He made the tour very informative. Loved the tuk tuk ride. Cold water given which was much appreciated. Highly recommended
Booked onto this trip last minute because I had a morning in Negombo with no plans. Athula arrived promptly at 9:30am and took me around all of the sights of Negombo, including the fish market, churches, temples and cathedrals. He was very knowledgable and kind and even organised for me to go on a boat tour around the lagoon after this had been recommended to me. This was the highlight for me. As a solo female traveller, I felt very safe and looked after. It was an amazing few hours and I’d definitely recommend!
Great tour by Athula for 2.5hours. He took me to various local spots and explained to me with lots of information. He took me to a good spot to watch the sunset once we finished the tour. Highly recommended.
Prompt, knowledgeable, interested & helpful Being 0600 on a Sunday we missed out on the Church but caught the huge farmers vegetable market instead.
We took this tour on 28 February 2026 and thoroughly enjoyed it.
An amazing introduction to Negombo that engaged all the senses! Our guide was prompt, friendly and informative. In just a couple of hours we learned so much about the history and culture of this incredible place. It was great to book with a trusted tour operator instead of the many touts who offered to take us around. Highly recommended.
Mr. Jayasri is an excellent tour guide, very well mannered and knows Negombo by heart. His warm approach makes you enjoy the tour a thousand percent more. I strongly recommend his service. keep up the positive spirit Mr Jayasri !
Good tour, excellent guide , good knowledge
Excellent trip, highly recommended. Very well organized and our guide made it a great day. Even took us to a great a great coffee shop
Athula picked us up at time. He was very kind and his English was good. He was also a good driver. He knew a lot about the places he showed us. We had a very good trip, Thank you Athula!!
Excellent tour of Negombo. We wanted to skip the Fish Market because it was part of our package holiday so we were shown a nice seafront area near the rivermouth instead. Great value and flexibility.
Athula was amazing and customised our tour to suit our needs. We had limited time but he took us to all the main attractions and had time to take me to a chemist and for a coffee. He was perfect and I would highly recommend.
What a fabulous day we had. Very much worth doing this trip if you want to see a lot in a couple of hours. Great driver! Very informative and really gave us a great day!
The tour was very nice, we see many beautiful places. We had a wonderful time and enjoy the sights. We really enjoyed see around Negombo in tuk-tuk!
We had a fantastic tuk tuk tour around Negombo with Athula. He was an excellent and confident driver, navigating the chaotic traffic safely and smoothly. Athula was incredibly accommodating, happy to adjust the route to our requests and even managed a quick stop at Spar so we could stock up. Throughout the tour, he shared interesting history and local information, which really added to the experience. Friendly, knowledgeable, and professional, very much appreciated and highly recommended.
Athula was very polite and respectful toward me, considering that I was a woman traveling alone. He took me to the most significant sites in Negombo and explained many things about his culture, religion, and history to me. Furthermore, I had a question about the bus station, and he took me there and helped me with everything. I recommend this activity with Athula to everyone
Very quiet friendly driver. Seen all the highlights. No time pressure. Nice first impression of Sri Lanka.
Athula is a very nice driver with a lot of background knowledge.
Beautiful, interesting for an afternoon in Negombo, super skilled and competent guide
Arriving in Negombo we had the tuk tuk tour right away. Find out more about the city in a fun way. The driver was a nice man who told a lot and showed a lot of Negombo. He drove safely and paid close attention. Highly recommended!
I was very grateful for the pace of my daughter who wanted to take her slow. I was able to go around the key spots without walking a lot, and while I was riding the tuk-tuk, it was windy and not hot. I'm glad it was a 15:30pm tour.
Very nice course. The driver guide was very professional and very friendly. I recommend it
Prohlídka Negomba Tuktukem s tímto pánem, byla velmi zajímavá. Ukázal nám místa která bychom sami nenavštívili, nebo nenašli. DOPORUČUJEME👍
Great tour with all the highlights of Negombo! Thank you dear Athula , you were a great guide, gave us a lot of time to let all impressions affect us!
Very friendly person, interesting visits, do it without hesitation. It's z good treap. We see all aspects of the City
Just in time Athula was ready and showed us a large part of Negombo with the tuktuk. The Hindu temple, the fish market, the Buddha temple the Catholic church, the prison and much more. He also showed us the boarding point for the bus to the next place. A top morning. He spoke very good English and was very kind.
Very great and informative experience with an extremely likeable driver. Many different spots with lots of interesting information from the driver personally.
Monday through Friday 9 am to 7 pm EST
Reach us by phone
Reach us by email