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Tourist Places to Visit in Negombo, Sri Lanka, Asia

Tourist Places to Visit in Negombo, Sri Lanka, Asia

Negombo is the 4^th largest city of Sri Lanka located in Western Province at the coordinates 7°12′40″ N 79°50′19″ E. It is the administrative centre of Negombo Division situated about 36 kms away from the national capital Colombo. The Postal Code of Negombo is 11500.

Economy of Negombo:

Negombo is one of the industrial hubs of the country well known for its ancient fishing industry and houses numerous royal hotels, departmental stores, big super markets, comfort pubs and restaurants.

Geography and Climate of Negombo:

Negombo is placed at an altitude of 2 meters and the total area of Negombo is around 60 sq. km. Negombo experiences a tropical monsoon climate.

Etymology and history of Negombo:

Portuguese was first used the name “Negombo”. Portuguese rulers constructed a fort in Negombo during the colonial period and later Dutch conquered Negombo from Portuguese in the year 1646. Dutch Empire built a fort in 1672 and even today remains good in condition.

Landmarks in Negombo:

Harischandra National College
Sebastian’s Church
Dutch Fort
Negombo Lagoon

Connectivity to Negombo:

The Bus Terminal Complex at Negombo is considered as one of the best bus terminals of the country and the buses to major cities like Colombo, Kandy, Kurunegala, Kegalle, Balangoda and Chilaw are accessible with good frequency from here.

Negombo is served by three railway stations situated in Negombo downtown, Kattuwa and Kurana. Negombo Central Railway Station is located 1 km away from the city.

The nearest airport to Negombo is Bandaranaike International Airport, Colombo located at a distance of 9 kms.

Culture and Food in Negombo:

Negombo is a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic city is home to Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus and Christians. Sinhalese are higher in majority in Negombo. The worship places of different religions include Kali Amman Temple, Negombo Grand Jumma Masjid, St. Sebastian’s Church and Agurukaramulla Raja Maha Viharaya.

Negombo is a city with full of clothes, shoes, handicrafts and ornaments shops. Also houses plenty of different food corners with Sri Lankan, Indian and Western cuisine. Sea Joy is one of the famous food corner offers delicious food at different prices. The Peacock is the bar located in the centre of the city.

Must see in Negombo:

Dutch Fort:

Dutch Fort is the must see place in Negombo, constructed during Dutch colonial period in Sri Lanka in the year 1672.

Lellama:

Lellama is country’s 2^nd largest fish market located towards the north side of the town.

Negombo Beach:

Negombo Beach is the prime attraction of Negombo visited by more than lakhs of tourists every year for its stunning beauty.

Muthurajawela Marshland:

Muthurajawela Marshland covers an area of 6,000-hectares.

St. Sebastian’s Church:

St. Sebastian’s Church is the beautifully constructed worship place located in Negombo. The outer structure of the church is really great treat for the eyes of tourists.

Other tourist attractions near Negombo are:

Mora Wala
Beach Park
Agurukaramulla Raja Maha Viharaya
Katuwapitiya Church
Sea Street Church
Grand Street Church
Ganapathi Temple
Muththumari Amman Temple
Negombo Grand Jumma Masjid
Karumari Amman Temple

Ideal time to visit Negombo:

November to March is the ideal time to holiday Negombo.

Accommodation Options in Negombo:

Well facilitated famous hotels in Negombo City are as follows:

Dions Guest House
Star Beach Hotel
Lachlan Hotel & Suites
Marine Tourist Guest House
Silal Fernando Homestay
Windmill Hotel
Suriya Arana
Hostel Negombo Beach
Blue Horizon Guest House
Villa Flywing Guesthouse
Dorset Guest House
Sha Residence

Places to Visit in Mahaweli, Sri Lanka, Asia

Places to Visit in Mahaweli, Sri Lanka, Asia

Mahaweli is the longest river in Sri Lanka geographically positioned between latitude 8°28′ in the north and longitude 81°14′ in the east measures a length of 335 kms is also the largest drainage basin in the country. Mahaweli occupies around one-fifth of the total area of Sri Lanka.

Mahaweli and its tributaries are used for irrigation purpose in several regions of the island. The hydroelectricity produced from the six dams constructed on Mahaweli serves 40% of electricity needs of Sri Lanka. The river convenes Bay of Bengal on southwestern part of Bay of Trincomalee.

Tributaries of Mahaweli River:

Hulu Ganga
Uma Oya
Loggal Oya
Amban ganga
Badulu Oya
Kotmale Oya
Hatton Oya

Connectivity to Mahaweli:

Mahaweli River flows through major regions of Central Province of Sri Lanka including Kandy and Trincomalee. Tourists can enjoy the beauty of Mahaweli River by reaching Trincomalee City.

Trincomalee is well connected with Kandy, Colombo and Galle by all the major transport facilities like road, railway and airway.

There are regular buses departing from Trincomalee City to Colombo and Kandy City and one can board buses from Trincomalee City Bus Stand located in the vicinity of the market.

Trincomalee is served by Trincomalee Airport situated 13 kms away from the midpoint of the city with daily flights to Colombo, Kandy and Galle.

Trincomalee Railway Station is sited 2 km north of the city centre and from Trincomalee City, tourists can reach the banks of Mahaweli River by hiring Auto Rickshaws or Minivans.

Other tourist attractions near Mahaweli:

Koneswaram Temple:

Koneswaram Temple is considered as one of the holy places of Sri Lankan and Indian Hindus, located in Trincomalee of Central province in Sri Lanka. It was once damaged from Portuguese attack and later was reconstructed with marvelous architecture by the local king.

Trincomalee Beach:

Trincomalee Beach is one of the top tourist destinations and very calm, clean and cool beach of Sri Lanka. It is visited by higher majority of foreign tourists from western countries annually for its eye-boarding beauty.

The Dutch Fort:

The Dutch Fort is very ancient historical fort and constructed during Portuguese regime in Sri Lanka. Dutch Empires captured it from Portuguese in 1639 and in 1672 the fort was conquered by the French Empires from Dutch.

The list of other tourist attractions near Mahaweli is:

Trincomalee Hindu Cultural Hall
Bhadrakali Amman Temple
Hot springs

Ideal time to visit Mahaweli:

During the ending months of monsoon season and the beginning months of winter season will be the best time to visit beautiful Mahaweli River.

Accommodation Options near Mahaweli (in Trincomalee City):

It is very easy to board the beauty of Mahaweli River from Trincomalee. So tourists can find hotels at Trincomalee for better accommodation. The hotels of Trincomalee are well known for their grand hospitality services with different facilities include hot water bath, cable TV, laundry, doctor on call, vehicle parking, garden area, fitness centre, swimming pool, tennis court, doctor on call, free WiFi, air ticket bookings and serves Sri Lanka, India, China and Western countries cuisine. The best hotels in Trincomalee are as follows:

Pigeon Island Beach Resort
Nilaveli Beach Hotel
Chaaya Blu Resort
Hotel Sea Lord
Lotus Park Hotel
Green Park Hotel
Aqua Hotel Trincomalee
Sunflower Hotel
Kumar Hotel
Rainbow Hotel
Trinco Village Hotel
Medway Hotel
Seaway Hotel
Sudu Gala Beach Resorts, Nilaweli
Sea View Hotel
Welcombe Hotel
Chaaya Hotels & Resorts

Tourist Places to Visit in Koggala, Sri Lanka, Asia

Tourist Places to Visit in Koggala, Sri Lanka, Asia

Koggala is a town located in Galle District in Southern Province of Sri Lanka, about 14 kms from Galle city and about 130 kms from national capital Colombo. Koggala is an ecstasy of tourist destinations houses a beautiful lake, a folk museum centre and a famous Buddhist temple.

SLAF Koggala:

SLAF Koggala is an airport as well as the major identity of Koggala was earlier known as Royal Air Force (RAF) and is served by Cinnamon Air and Millennium Airlines with regular air services to Bandaranaike International Airport, Colombo.

Nearby towns of Koggala:

Bentota
Udugama
Kahawa
Boossa
Iduruwa

Landmarks in Koggala:

Koggala Lake
Spice Garden
Martin Wickramasinghe Folk Museum
Koggala Beach Hotel

Economy of Koggala:

The economy of Koggala is highly based on the tourism activities and most of the people are involved in hotel business and few in administrative offices as clerks, officers and guards.

Connectivity to Koggala:

Koggala has its own airport located 2 kms away from the town centre with flights to Colombo city.

People can access buses at Koggala Town Bus Stand and other local bus junctions to reach tourist destinations and nearby cities.

Koggala Railway Station is situated 2 kms away from the heart of the town with trains to Colombo and Galle City. Kathaluwa Railway Station in Galle is the other nearest and major railway station accessible to Koggala.

Food and Shopping in Koggala:

Koggala is the place with full of tourist attractions and religious sites. Also the town houses numerous Sri Lankan traditional food corners and Indian and Western countries restaurants to fulfill the purpose of foreign tourists. Other than food corners, Koggala hosts various handicraft product centres and cloth and shoe outlets.

Places to see in Koggala:

Koggala Lake:

Koggala Lake is considered as the largest lake in Sri Lanka situated nearby Koggala Beach Resort is a popular bird watching site and attracts numerous bird lovers during weekends.

Handunugoda Tea factory:

Handunugoda plantation and Tea centre is a best place to have knowledge about tea production houses varieties of spices and herbs. Tourists can visit this plantation only with prior permission.

Martin Wickramasinghe Folk Museum:

Martin Wickramasinghe Folk Museum is one of the must visit places in Koggala is named in the honor of Sri Lanka’s most famous 20^th century Sinhalese writer Martin Wickramasinghe. This museum displays the Sri Lanka’s traditional culture and has a great collection of photographs & memorabilia of Martin Wickramasinghe and some information about the history of Koggala.

The list of other tourist attractions near Koggala is as follows:

Turtle Hatchery
Kataluva Purvarama Maha Viharaya
Kottawa Reserve
Unawatuna Beach
Hiyare Rain Forest
Galle Fort
Murugan Kovil
Sinharaja Forest Reserve
Kanneliya Forest Reserve
Kirala Kelle Estuary
Udawalawe National Park
Bundala National Wildlife Park

Best time to visit Koggala:

From October to February is the ideal time to visit Koggala to enjoy the beauty of lake, beach and garden.

Accommodation options in Koggala:

Koggala is home to numerous royal hotels, guest houses and resorts. The main facilities available in the hotels include cable TV, Free Wi Fi, doctor on call, air ticket booking and pick up and drop to airport. The list of hotels in and around Koggala is as follows:

The Fortress
Koggala Beach Hotel
Galle Fort Hotel
Cantaloupe Aqua
Unawatuna Beach Resort
Sri Mathie Villa & Boutique Eco Hotel
Hotel Kabalana Beach
Jetwing Lighthouse Galle
The Long Beach Resort
Villa Modarawattha
Tisara Villas
Ceilao Villas

Kelaniya Tourist Places to Visit in Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, Asia

Kelaniya Tourist Places to Visit in Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, Asia

Kelaniya is a suburb of Colombo City in Western Province of Sri Lanka placed between latitude 06°57′24″ in the north and longitude 79°55′14″ in the east. Kelaniya is famous for its Kelaniya Temple located on the banks of Kelani River and houses the University of Kelaniya.

History of Kelaniya:

Kelaniya was earlier known as Kalyani. According to Buddhist Mythology, Gautama Buddha visited Kelaniya during 5^th century BC and to mark the event, Kelaniya Temple was constructed. Kelaniya also served as the capital of a regional King Kelani Tissa’s kingdom. An ancient sculpture of Kelaniya Temple is still good in condition and looks really amazing.

How to reach Kelaniya?

A1 Colombo- Kandy highway passes through Kelaniya connects it with Colombo and Kandy cities. One can board buses from Kelaniya Bus Stand located few kilometers away from the railway station.

The Kelaniya Railway Station is placed in the vicinity of Colombo Kandy Road, 5 kms away from Kelaniya Centre and the trains to Kandy and Galle city are accessible from here.

Ratmalana Airport is the nearest domestic airport and Bandaranaike International Airport, Colombo is the closest international airport to Kelaniya placed 24 kms and 29 kms away from the Kelaniya respectively.

Food, Culture and Shopping in Kelaniya:

Kelaniya houses the population of higher majority of Buddhists citizens. The natives speak Sinhalese along with Tamil and these two are the national languages of Sri Lanka. Duruthu Maha Perahera is the very famous religious festival celebrated on November or December annually. Also the locals celebrate Tamil Thai Pongal Day, National Day, Maha Sivarathri Day and Sinhala and Tamil New Year Day with great enthusiasm and splendor.

The people of Kelaniya like both vegetarian and non vegetarian dishes. The popular eateries of Kelaniya natives include Aappa, kiribath, Lamprais, Koola’ya, Pittu, Roti, Wattalapan and Undu Walalu. Also Kelaniya houses numerous hotels with traditional Sri Lankan, Indian and Chinese cuisine.

Kelaniya houses jewelry, handicraft, medicine, clothes, shoes and gadgets shops. One can find the shops of Colombo City located 11 km away for better purchase.

Places to see in Kelaniya:

Kelaniya Temple:

Kelaniya Temple also called as Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara is a famous Buddhist temple in Kelaniya, known for Lord Buddha wall paintings and the beautiful sculptures. It is believed that, this temple was built to mark the visit of Gautama Buddha to Kelaniya.

The National Museum of Colombo:

The National Museum of Colombo is located in Colombo City, about 11 kms from Kelaniya was built in 1877 and has great information about the history of Sri Lanka. The museum is open from morning 9 to evening 5.

Jami-Ul-Alfar Mosque:

Jami-Ul-Alfar Mosque is a holy place of Muslims and the famous tourist destination in Colombo located in second Cross Street in Pettah.

Other tourist attractions near Kelaniya include: