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Around Negombo

8 Getting There & Away

Central Transport Board (CTB), private and
intercity express buses run between Negombo
town and Saunders Pl, Colombo (regular/air-con
Rs 57/100, one to two hours, every 20 minutes).
A faster bus goes via the new highway (Rs 150).
Long queues form at the bus station on weekend
evenings, when daytrippers return to the capital.
There are also trains to Colombo (2nd/3rd class
Rs 70/40, two hours), but they’re slower and
rarer than the buses.
For Kandy, buses run between 4.30am and
5.15pm every hour (Rs 153); the journey takes
from three to four hours.

8 Getting Around

Bus 240 for the Bandaranaike International
Airport (Rs 24, 40 minutes) leaves from the bus
station in town every 15 minutes between about
6am and 7pm. A three-wheeler costs about Rs
500 from Negombo town or Rs 800 from Lewis
Pl. A taxi costs around double this. The journey
takes about 20 to 30 minutes and all hotels can
arrange transport. Three-wheelers may not pick
up passengers from the airport terminal, but you
can catch one on the road outside the airport.
To get from the bus station to Lewis Pl or
Porutota Rd, catch a Kochchikade-bound bus or
splash out Rs 300 on a three-wheeler.

Around Negombo

Waikkal & Marawila
% 031
The towns of Waikkal and Marawila lie
about 3km inland of the coast on the A3
north of Negombo. It’s a very different scene
here from the bars and tourist shops at
Negombo and while there are several self-
contained package tour hotels in the area, the
places we have listed here are generally more
suited to independent travellers and offer a
far more intimate, nature-based experience.
A huge plus for this area is that the nearby
beaches are long, golden and generally fairly
untarnished in comparison to Negombo.
Most people reach Waikkal and Marawila
by taxi or car and driver.

4 Sleeping

oGing Oya Lodge LoDgE $$
(%227 7822; http://www.gingoya.com; Kammala North,
Waikkal; s/d incl breakfast €45/52; aWs) The
Belgium artist-owners of this place were
inspired by the safari lodges of Africa, and
they’ve done a sterling job of replicating the
rustic-chic luxury. There are 10 spacious cot-

tages with antique doors, filigree window

carvings, beautiful four-posters and semi-

open plan bathrooms. There’s a wonderful

pool, birds and butterflies everywhere, and

total and utter peace.

Set three-course dinners (€10) are served

in an open-sided thatched dining room. The

beach is a shady 1km walk or cycle away

(bikes available) or you can paddle a kayak

down to the sea.

Ranweli Holiday Village RESoRT $$$

(%227 7359; http://www.ranweli.com; Waikkal; full-board

s/d from US$172/224; aiWs) On the coast

near Waikkal, the Ranweli Holiday Village,

with its beautifully appointed rooms and

unmistakable air of exclusivity, is a show-

piece ecofriendly hotel that has won dozens

of environmental awards. Away from recy-

cling, tree planting and community develop-

ment, you’ll find that the gentle punt over

the canal separating it from the mainland

sets a romantic mood.

Negombo to Kalpitiya

Although the A3 stays close to the coast, there

are few ocean views from the road. Rather,

you’ll pass through an endless series of coco-

nut plantations, which have their own rhyth-

mic beauty.

Roughly halfway between Negombo and

Kalpitiya, Chilaw has a strong Roman Catho-

lic flavour, with elaborate statues of religious

figures and local cardinals in the centre.

Munneswaram, 5km to the east of Chi-

law, has a rather interesting Hindu temple

that is an important centre of pilgrimage.

There are three shrines at this complex; the

central one is dedicated to Shiva. A major

festival, also featuring fire walking, occurs

here in August.

The tiny village of Udappuwa, 12 km

north of Chilaw, has a hectic morning fish

market and an important Hindu temple

with a large gorpum. A colourful festival is

held here in August, when devotees test their

strength by walking on red-hot coals.

Buses are frequent all along the A3.

Kalpitiya & Dutch Bay

Dolphins and kitesurfing are what bring

people to the Kalpitiya peninsula. Schools of

dolphins, hundreds strong, can often be seen

jostling and playing in the offshore waters,

and boat safaris offer close-up views of these

aquatic mammals. Meanwhile, for those who