The towns just north of Colombo include Negombo, Marawila, Chilaw, Kalpitiya, and Puttalam, famous for cinnamon, spices, fishing, and pearls, have attracted traders from Arabia, Asia and the West from the 5th century.  Many of those traders, including the Dutch and the Portuguese in the 17th century, settled in the area and their cultural, religious and architectural influences still remain.

In more recent times, the long sandy beaches of the Negombo coast have become one of the most popular beach resorts in the island. While the small towns just to the north remain untouched by mass tourism, Negombo offers a wide range of accommodation from simple two-star hotels to the five star luxuries of The Beach Hotel, one of the best hotels in the island and an excellent place to refresh after a long flight.

This strip of coastline is varied with tranquil blue lagoons meeting the Indian Ocean, scattered little islands, inland wetlands, paddy fields and large spice and coconut plantations.  The lagoons are famous for their lobsters, crabs and prawns, as well as a variety of fish that are auctioned daily on the beach.  There are some good coral reefs to the north of Negombo and the deep seas of the Gulf of Mannar in Kalpitiya are home to sharks, Dugongs, stingrays and several species of giant turtles.    

Many fishing communities from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds lead peaceful lives along the coast.  The influences of the Dutch and Portuguese periods are notable right along from Negombo to Puttalam.  Several 17th century Catholic churches are found in this area and are popular pilgrimage sites, especially St. Anne’s shrine in Talawilla where pilgrims flock during the months of March and July for the church festivals. 

An old network of canals developed by the Dutch, linking Colombo’s seaport to the North Western coastal towns for transporting cinnamon and spices, still function as active waterways full of life.  These canal paths winding through the villages can be explored by bicycle.  The sacred Hindu shrine of Munneswaram located in Chilaw is visited by thousands of pilgrims, especially in August where a colourful perehera (pageant) and fire walking takes place in devotion to God Shiva.   

The North West though is far more than just a beach destination and the region stretches inland up to Kurunegala, a 12th century capital of the Sinhala kings then known as Panduwasnuwara.  Today the capital of the North West Province, Kurunegala is a central point linking the coast, Cultural Triangle and hill country. Archeological ruins of a palace, monastic complex, stone inscriptions, Buddhist temples and a large reservoir make Kurunegala a convenient and interesting location the main tourist trail. 

The varying habitats of the North West are home to many species of birds and animals.  The Muthurajawella marshes located south of the Negombo lagoon, Sri Lanka’s largest salt-water wetlands, is home to purple herons, cormorants and kingfishers.   About 26km north of Puttalam is the Wilpattu National Park. Covering an area of 1,085 sq. kms, the park has several unusual features, including a small fishing village, coastal cliff-tops as well as a collection of ‘villus’ (freshwater lakes) providing natural habitats for a variety of ‘big game’ including leopards, elephants, water buffalo and many species of birds.