Negombo colombo distance. Negombo beaches - myth and reality. How to get to Negombo from Colombo

Going to motorcycle travel in Sri Lanka , we naturally thought about how and where it would be better to start. Actually, there were not many options, namely two - Colombo or Negombo. The plan was as follows - we arrive, settle for two, maximum three days, in order to acclimatize, see something, find and rent a motorcycle, and then move along the route.

Everyone knows that Ceylon is an island in the warm Indian Ocean, and Colombo and Negombo are located on the shores of this very ocean. Thus, it was quite natural for us to want to spend these couple of days on the beach as well. This was the complexity of the choice. Both of these cities are almost universally described as highly unsuitable for beach activities. And Negombo is especially bad, but Colombo has an excellent beach area Mount Lovinia, but the minus is that it’s a long way to get to this very Lovinia, and if you take into account the traffic jams, then it’s generally creepy.

So, we had - the terrible beaches of Negombo, but relatively close to the airport, or the excellent ones in Mount Lovinia, but far away. Over and over again, rereading online reviews and reports, we leaned more and more in favor of Colombo. In the end, they decided - Colombo.

Reviews and story about the beaches of the west coast -. Description of the beaches of the south coast -.

It's time to book accommodation for the day of arrival (I didn't want to look for something on the spot right after a long journey). And then again the higher powers decided to take patronage over the lost sheep, i.e. above us. Otherwise, I can't explain why we sat down to book the already chosen hotel in Mount Lovinia, we suddenly booked a guest house on the northern outskirts of Negombo in a place called Ettukala ...

In the morning the weather is different - bright sun and bright colors, a refreshing breeze blows from the sea. We had breakfast and went straight to the beach. In the light of the sun, it looks like this.



We swim and sunbathe for a couple of hours.

Clouds and light clouds are falling, we decide to inspect the coast. The same beach in the north direction near the hotels Jetwing sea and The cove looks like that

The beach ends with heaps of stones on both sides. There is another similar beach to the north, the next one looms behind it. we have little time, we do not go further. And we turn around and move southward directly towards the beaches of Negombo. We guess that those terrible beaches that are described on the Internet are located there.

What do we see in the south? And we see something from which our jaws literally drop - this is such a beach.





We seriously think - are we in Negombo and, in general, is this Sri Lanka? We do not dare to ask the locals for fear of ending up in a psychiatric hospital ... These are the "awful" beaches of Negombo.

In the evening we rented a motorcycle and the next morning, having taken a swim,

went on a planned trip across Sri Lanka by motorcycle, and remained in sincere bewilderment.

This was the first strong surprise at how one-sided and in many cases undeservedly they are on the Internet, they erect vain on this beautiful country and its no less beautiful inhabitants.

A day or two, after a visit

Situated just 38 kilometers north of Colombo and just 20 minutes from Bandaranaike Airport, Negombo offers a unique opportunity for a holiday in Sri Lanka. Negombo has a lot to offer. This city is suitable for almost all tourists, whether you are looking for a fabulous sandy beach, great restaurants or unique attractions.
If you want to spend your Negombo vacation exploring the culture of Sri Lanka, all you have to do is get away from the beach and discover old colonial churches left here from the Dutch and British rule, as well as Buddhist temples and even the remains of an old fort. Nature lovers will also not be disappointed if they visit the city of Negombo in Sri Lanka, which is located next to the Muthurajawela wetlands, which offer the opportunity to observe a variety of animals.

Negombo on the map of Sri Lanka

Negombo Monthly Weather

Negombo has a typical tropical climate with high temperatures and high humidity. Despite this, it is pleasant to be on the coast of the city, as the light coastal breeze makes it comfortable to stay here even in the hottest weather. Nevertheless, if you move at least 500 meters from the coast during the day, the conditions become unbearable at almost any time of the year.
In general, the air temperature in Negombo is constant throughout the year and the temperature difference between different months usually does not exceed 4 degrees. As a rule, the average daily temperature in Negombo is 29-31 degrees, but there are also serious deviations.
In terms of precipitation, the difference between months of the year can be enormous. Since the city of Negombo is located on the west coast of Sri Lanka, this means that the weather here is influenced by the southwest monsoon. This monsoon brings heavy rainfall from May to November. Between December and April rainfall in Negombo becomes much lower, and this period is considered to be the high season in this place. The largest amount of precipitation in Negombo usually falls in May (with an average of 371 mm of precipitation this month), and the least amount of precipitation usually falls in February (69 mm). On average, in this city the sun shines 6-8 hours a day.

How to get to Negombo from Colombo

Getting to the city of Negombo from the capital of Sri Lanka is not difficult, because there are many options for every taste. Do you want to travel in comfort? Then you can take a taxi to Negombo. The cost of the trip will be about $ 30. Want to save money? Then you can take the bus. The cost of the trip will be about 150 rupees. Want to ride the famous Sri Lankan train? Then the cost of the trip will be from 100 rupees (depending on the class of the carriage). You can also go by tuk-tuk, but still this type of transport is more suitable for movement within settlements, and not between large cities.

How to get and Negombo from the airport

You can also easily drive to Negombo from Colombo Airport or vice versa. In most cases, tourists make a choice in favor of a taxi, because the cost of a trip in the region of $ 15 is not so much, even for travelers on a budget. Of course, you can save money and go by bus, but the only question is whether you are ready for the sake of 10-15 dollars to experience some of the inconvenience associated with traveling by such transport.
Note that there are two train stations near the airport where the journey from Colombo to Negombo stops. You can get to these stations (theoretically you can walk, but take a taxi) and take the train to Negombo. The cost of a train ride will be from 50 rupees.

Negombo beach

While Negombo is a truly interesting city, it would hardly have been as popular with tourists if it weren't for its beautiful beach.
Negombo Beach is called the "Golden Mile". It is conveniently located just 15 km from Sri Lanka International Airport. Once upon a time, Negombo was a small fishing town that became the first beach resort in Sri Lanka.
The beautiful and unspoiled sandy beach of Negombo is mainly maintained and improved by neighboring hotels that are interested in offering their guests a good beach experience in Sri Lanka.
Also worth noting are the beaches of Waikkal and Marawila, which are located in quiet resort villages north of Negombo. These beaches are calmer than the main beach of Negombo, but are also relatively close to the airport. The hotels located on these beaches usually offer a "club" concept with all-inclusive accommodation and meals. Hotels on these beaches have an edge over hotels in Hikkaduwa, Bentota, Unawatuna and other resort areas in southwestern Sri Lanka. The fact is that from these hotels it is much faster to get to the Pinnawala elephant nursery, Kandy and even the Cultural Triangle.

Attractions Negombo

Only a few of Sri Lanka's famous landmarks are located in Negombo. If you want to devote your time only to sightseeing iconic sights, then Negombo is unlikely to offer you something interesting. However, the sights of Negombo are quite plentiful and if you are interested in what to see in Negombo, then you will definitely find many attractive places here. In this article, we will present only the most popular attractions in Negombo, as a description of all the attractions would significantly increase this article.

Angurukaramulla Buddhist Temple

Negombo churches

Negombo Fish Market

Excursions from Negombo

You can easily go from Negombo on any excursion, be it a trip to Kandy, a tour of the Cultural Triangle or a trip to Yala National Park. We have already talked about all the most popular excursions in Sri Lanka in the hotel article, so here we will only present some, so to speak, local excursions from Negombo.
First, we advise you to visit the Negombo Lagoon, which is especially beautiful during sunset. Boat cruises at this time of day are an amazing experience.
At the edge of the lagoon lies the Muthurajawela Sanctuary with huge crocodiles waiting for you in the mangroves!
Of course, from Negombo it is worth taking an excursion to the capital of Sri Lanka, Colombo city, which is only 1 hour away by local taxi. Here you can not only visit the most interesting sights, but also go shopping in malls and shops such as Odel and House Of Fashion (despite the name, this store has quite low prices for clothes).

Where to eat cheap and tasty in Negombo

Sri Lanka's Negombo Beach is just 10 km from the airport. It is convenient to start your trip around Sri Lanka from the city of Negombo. Also, Negombo sells some of the cheapest tours to Sri Lanka. You can buy a ticket for only $ 450-500. We wanted to find out what the Negombo Beach Resort is all about.

Negombo beach

The beach in Negombo is huge. The wide sandy beach stretches for 6 km. The sand is yellow. Basically, everyone rests in the northern part of Negombo, which is filled with hotels and guesthouses.

Negombo is really a budget resort, you should not expect from it all the delights that Sri Lanka has to offer. In general, at first we thought that Negombo was not a suitable place to stay, after reading numerous reviews of tourists that swimming here is not an option.

In fact, everything turned out to be a little different, but there is undoubtedly some truth in this. Beach holidays in Negombo cannot be trumped by clean and well-groomed beaches with blue water and bamboo sun loungers. There are no sun loungers at all, if only at hotels on the first line. But you can swim in Negombo, we saw tourists who come to swim in the sea.

The shade from the sun is very difficult to find. Palm trees are planted only at expensive hotels and the entire 50-meter coastline is completely given over to the sun.

Where can I book a transfer from the airport?

We use the service - KiwiTaxi
We ordered a taxi online, paid with a card. At the airport we were greeted with a sign with our name. Drove to the hotel in a comfortable car. We have already talked about their experience in this article.

Ocean in Negombo

Sea and waves. In the morning, the ocean is the calmest and cleanest. After 9 am, the waves intensify and the current brings debris.

Animals on the beach

Ravens and dogs. These 2 dogs walked with us along the beach for an hour. We played with them, threw a stick, and later brought them food. In the sky, instead of seagulls and parrots, crows are circling. Relaxing on the beach or in the pool to the sound of croaking, which, again, is reminiscent of India.

Negombo videos

Watch a short video from the beach:

Ambience in Negombo during the day

During the day, there are practically no people on Negombo Beach. Basically, the beach is inhabited by rare tourists and fishermen who prepare boats for going out into the ocean, spread sails, lay out nets.

Negombo sunsets and evening life

During the day, as you understand, there are very few people on the beach. But by the evening, the picture changes completely. It feels like the whole city of Negombo is facing the beach. Someone plays with a ball, someone walks with dogs, someone has a picnic and sits eating.

The ocean can take out the trash

It is not only the presence of a huge number of people that makes a difference on the beach. It happens that currents bring tons of garbage. Logs, sticks, coconuts, plastic, bottles, other household waste and even some pipes. And the entire coastline in the evening can be littered with this mostly natural debris. We've seen this once. This is what beauty can await those who want to swim at sunset.

Negombo north area

Tourist street along the sea with cafes, shops, hotels and guesthouses. Many cafes are closed in the morning. There is a sidewalk.

Negombo town

• The center of Negombo is an ordinary Sri Lankan city, where bustle, crowdedness and noise.
• Many Catholic churches and fish markets. There are no other attractions.
• You can withdraw money without commission at the HSBC ATM, which is opposite Dominos pizza. On the map .

Transport

Buses are cheap. Tuk tukas ask for an average of 300-400 rupees for travel within the city. Uber and Pick me apps work. But in Peak Mee, tuk tuk carriers always cancel orders, because they do not want to carry for such a price.

Where to eat in Negombo, prices in restaurants

• The prices in the cafe are very reasonable.
• For two, we had about 1500 - 2000 rupees ($ 9-11) for lunch with soft drinks.
• We ate most often in a restaurant in our own, which has good reviews and is in demand among tourists. It is tasty, inexpensive, the portions are large and, most importantly, they cook quickly! Waiting time is 20-25 minutes. The prices in the menu are in the photo. Course 1 $ = 170Rs. A point on the map .

Once we went to the Sunnys restaurant, which also has a lot of positive reviews. In general, it is normal, but the prices are a little more expensive, the taste is average. A 10% service charge is signed on the check. Our lunch bill is Rs 2800. Waiting in an empty room for 30 minutes. I liked the cafe more in Petit. On the map .

Negombo reviews

What we personally liked about Negombo was the developed area with good inexpensive guesthouses and hotels. Moreover, it does not matter in which part of Negombo to move in, if it is the first line from the beach, in any case there will be cafes, restaurants and small shops with souvenirs nearby.

Bothering in Negombo at least when compared with the southern resorts. They will offer unobtrusively 3 times a pair, 5 times some kind of catamaran and a couple of times fishing or something like that. Well, tuk-tuks will offer their services at most 10 times a day. Compared to and, we can say that the little things.

Conclusion: if your priority is to save a lot, but still, Negombo can be considered. But in this case, it would still be better to at least take 3-4 excursions and diversify your days if you suddenly cannot swim on the local beach.

We can also recommend Negombo for 1-2 days for those who are going to actively travel around Sri Lanka, as the first city on the route to rest after the flight before traveling on long distances. Or for an overnight stay before departure. Since the city is close to the airport, it takes 20-30 minutes to get there, and a taxi is inexpensive.

Negombo on the map and how to get there

How to get to Negombo from the airport read in. Order a transfer can be here.

Not far from the unspoken capital of the island, there is a famous resort. For several years now, it has attracted holidaymakers with its sandy beaches and delightful culture. Its proximity to the administrative center of Sri Lanka, as well as reasonable prices for hotels, makes it a favorite place for tourists.

Holidays in Negombo

The conditions for rest in Negombo are quite comfortable. The weather is hot here. The air temperature during the day is 28-34 degrees above zero, the water warms up to 25-28 degrees. Rains in the resort are observed from May to October.

How to get to Negombo

Getting to Negombo is quick and inexpensive. To do this, tourists are encouraged to use a special free bus from Colombo Airport. Then you can change to local transport "tuk-tuk". Vacationers can also travel from the airport to the city by regular bus. It is easy to get to the resort if you take a train from the railway station of the capital.

You can buy a plane ticket to Colombo directly on our website using the form on the right.

Negombo Sri Lanka provides its guests with traditional tropical entertainment: diving and windsurfing... Some hotels in the resort town are specially equipped with their own water sports centers. There are special taverns on the beach where you can enjoy seafood dishes cooked over an open fire.

Features of Negombo

The resort is famous for its fisheries... In a small town, a festival dedicated to this is held annually, where all its participants can communicate according to their interests.

For those who decided to immerse themselves in the secrets of ancient medicine, Negombo provides hotel complexes located on "Golden Mile", this is the name of the coastline in Negombo, along which hotels are located, where guests can learn the secrets of Indian healers.

Attractions Negombo

A new marina was recently built in the city. Today she is glad to welcome everyone go down the river by boat... In addition, on the territory of Negombo there is a canal with a length of about 100 kilometers, and not far from the resort is the largest swamp in Sri Lanka.

Negombo can rightfully be called one of the centers of Catholicism... And it is not surprising, because it has a huge number of cathedrals, the most famous of which is Church of the Holy Virgin Mary.

Sri Lanka Negombo surprises its guests Dutch fort, built in 1672. Today, only the gates and walls remain from it, which are washed on three sides by water. Examining it, tourists can see ancient granite slabs with a year carved on them, as well as a clock tower built in honor of Queen Victoria.

At a distance of 20 kilometers from Negombo, it rises majestically ancient temple, which, according to legend, was visited by the Buddha himself. This cultural monument has recently undergone restoration and today is in great demand among vacationers.

If guests of a tropical resort want to plunge into a more familiar atmosphere for them, then Negombo is pleased to offer them a large number of souvenir shops, restaurants and cafes, as well as bicycle rental services.

Best hotels in Negombo

Of the inexpensive, one can single out Holiday Fashion Inn 2 *, the price of a double room with one bed - from 50 $ per day... If you are used to luxury and total comfort, then it is better Jetwing Beach 5 * not to be found, it is located near the Ethukala beach, the price of the DBL room is from 200 $ per day.

You can book hotels in Negombo at a favorable price using the form below.

For children and adults, the best choice is 100% quality the cloth! Buy polish cotton in Moscow at low prices with delivery

Not all travel lovers have the opportunity to visit the same country several times, and therefore the role of thoughtfulness of the upcoming routes and type of rest increases. This is true for Sri Lanka or, more commonly, for the Russian ear - Ceylon. It is clear that the most attractive is the city closest to the airport, which also has the status of a seaside resort - Negombo.

The name of the city itself involuntarily resembles something from adventure literature such as the novel "Children of Captain Grant". And a trip here can really be an adventure, especially if you go "savage". And this, I must say, is a fairly common type of tourism, since tours can be combined - throughout the country, or even transit, for example, from neighboring India. Everyone chooses, as they say, on their own, but still it is worth being psychologically prepared for the fact that an organized excursion and hotel tour differs from an independent one. This concerns, perhaps, primarily the issue of cleanliness. Firstly, life is cognized in comparison, and if you compare with the just left India, then Negombo will seem very neat and orderly, but if you are still "with one foot" in a Moscow (or some European) airport, the impression will be somewhat different. Secondly, take into account the difficult history of the country - recent history, because the hostilities here ended just a few years ago, and the one that swept across the entire island-state ... read in full

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What to buy?

Negombo is a fairly large tourist city, and shopping is good there. Although there are not many shops in Negombo, in a good sense of the word. It's easier to say that everything in the city can be bought in the market... Many, for example, come there for “branded” polo shirts and others, which are not cheap, but do not smell, and will not lose shape and color for at least a couple of years and will wear well.

Well, in general, the center of Negombo is, in fact, one large trade counter, where you can find everything you need and want, from clothes pegs to real sapphires. As for clothes, before trying on clothes, it is worth considering such a nuance as matching sizes, so at first just look around to understand how much smaller and thinner the locals are, and convert this value into the size of your clothes. For example, an XXL blouse may suit a medium-sized lady and nothing else. "Luv SL Negombo" Opposite the Center Point Grill & Bar and the Jetwing Blue Hotel, this is probably the only decent clothing store in town. Interior and service - just like in Europe. There is also an air conditioner, which is extremely pleasant on a hot day.
Well, a good assortment of quality factory clothing - T-shirts, dresses. Of course, the collections are not so rich, but you can choose something. Prices are fixed there, but sometimes they are much lower than in small shops with things of dubious quality. After all the little bothersome ...