Northwest Coast

The Northwest coast of Sri Lanka is remarkably untouched by tourism except for the busy city close to the airport - Negombo. But for those lucky enough to visit, there’s a plethora of things to see and do in this area of the island. With the small close-knit fishing community dominating the lives of the local people, visitors can get a real insight into working life away from the more touristic areas of the more popular south coast.

Leisurely boat rides up the lagoons to witness the mangrove vegetarians in the Negombo and Puttalam lagoons are a pleasant way of exploring the flora and fauna of the wetlands. Whilst evening strolls along the sandy beaches along the coastline offer a unique way of watching the colourful evening sunsets. For keen scuba divers and snorkelers, the largest coral reef (most beautiful by far) in Sri Lanka which is known as the ‘Bar reef’ is only a half hour’s boat trip from Kalpitiya. This beautiful reef is home to an incredible variety of tropical fish as well as offering sighting of manta rays, reef sharks and the occasional turtle!

This coast has 2 of the most popular kite surfing hot spots namely Kalpitiya and Negombo while Dolphin and Whale watching excursions are a must from the Peninsula known as Kalpitiya.

Places in Northwest Coast