Royal Botanical Gardens

Attracting around 2 million visitors annually, Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya is famous for its collection of orchids. Including more than 4000 species of plants, including orchids, spices, medicinal plants and palm trees, the botanical garden is managed by the Division of National Botanic Gardens of the Department of Agriculture. These beautiful gardens were once reserved exclusively for Kandyan royalty.

Peradeniya Botanical Garden
Spread across an area of 147 acres, you need to devote plenty of time to stroll Peradeniya’s imposing Avenue of Royal Palms.

The major attraction of the garden is the century old giant Javan fig tree. Its tentacle like roots spread across the vast area a massive central trunk beneath the tree’s vast canopy ‘umbrella’. The Cannonball Tree is another major attraction of the garden, with its cannonball-like fruit hanging off the trunk and large open, waxy pink white flowers. The Double Coconut Palm is another intriguing tree. One of 200 types of palms is displayed at Peradeniya, which originated from the Seychelles. The tree produces the largest seed known, and its fruits take five years to mature.

The gardens display all of Sri Lanka’s flora and representative species from around the tropical world. Luminaries as varied as Queen Elizabeth II, Marshal Tito and Yuri Gugarin have planted trees to mark their visits to the garden.

Hakgala Botanical Garden
Spreading across 28 hectares, the Hakgala Botancic Gardens lie under the shadow of the Hakgala Rock. Reputed for their collection, the rose garden, huge trees, indoor plants, flowers etc, the climate of the gardens is subtropical, cool and fresh.

There are over 10,000 species of flora here and during the Spring season in Nuwara Eliya thousands of visitors come to see the blooms here. The garden is famous for number of species of Orchids and Roses are planted there.

Henarathgoda Botanical Garden
The first rubber tree planted in Sri Lanka was in Henarthgoda Botanical Gardens. Most notable is the Para rubber tree - Hevea brasiliensis. The garden is home to trees from various end of the tropical world - especially from Brazil.

Mirijjawila Botanical Garden
This was the first botanical garden to be established in the dry zone in Sri Lanka. With an extent of 300 acres, the objective of establishing the garden is for the conservation of diminishing trees and shrubs in the dry zone, conservation of medicinal herbs, promotion of tourism and offering botanical knowledge to the younger generation.