Peradeniya Botanical Garden

 

  • Location: Peradeniya Road, Kandy, 20400, Central Province
  • Reason to visit: one of the largest botanical garden in Asia, it's used to be king Kandy's botanical garden
  • Our ratings: ★★★★★
  • Entrance fee: 2000Rs
  • Opening hours: 08:00am-17:00pm (Jan 01-Dec 31, from Monday-Sunday)
  • Recommended tour for you9 Days Amazing Sri Lanka Budget Tour

 

Peradeniya Botanic Gardens, located 5 kilometers southwest of Kandy City, is Sri Lanka's largest botanical garden and Asia's second largest botanical garden (rank only second to Indonesia's Bogor Botanical Garden). The earliest history of the Peradeniya Botanic Gardens can be traced back to the feudal dynasty of Sri Lanka in 1371. It was once the royal garden of King Kandy. The foundation of the Peradeniya Garden was laid in 1821 and was officially completed in 1843, covering an area of ​​60 hectares. The east, west and north sides of the Peradeniya Botanic Gardens are surrounded by the Mahaweli River, with gorgeous scenery. It is one of the best tropical botanical gardens in the world. Today, more than 4,000 kinds of native Sri Lankan plants are planted and collected in the park, as well as plants imported from overseas, some of which are very rare and precious tropical plants. The seasons are like spring, the plants are lush, and the flowers are blooming everywhere.


The terrain in the Peradeniya Botanic Gardens is undulating, with an average elevation of more than 460 meters. The annual rainfall supply of more than 200 days makes various tropical exotic grasses in the Peradeniya Botanic Gardens grow vigorously all year round. Thousands of tropical and subtropical plants from all over the world are cultivated here. There is a tree named upas tree, which is strictly protected, it is said to emit poisonous gas and can cause death. In ancient times, people often used their juices to make poison arrows, etc. The Peradeniya Botanic Gardens has a number of plant varieties, which can provide scientific and technological information for biological engineering, ecology, etc.
 

Peradeniya Botanical Garden

 

What to see in the Peradeniya Botanical Garden:

The Peradeniya Botanical Garden is divided into more than twenty different small gardens, each with its theme.


Artificial Lake

There is a beautiful artificial lake in the Peradeniya Botanical Garden, which was excavated by King Kandy in 1798, many vast bamboo forests and green lawns along the lake. Here is a huge fig tree with its trunk extending close to the ground. Due to the humid climate, aerial roots became trunks, and the trunks produced aerial roots. Over time, the tree covered an area of ​​more than 250 square meters. From a distance, it looks like a grove. Children like to play under the tree. Many tourists sit on these trunks and take a rest.


Orchid Gardens

In the bright glass room orchid pavilion, there are many varieties of orchids with colorful colors and fragrance. It is said that more than 500 kinds of orchids with various characteristics are cultivated in the museum. The orchid named after the Kandy dance that Sri Lankans are proud of is the largest orchid in the world, with flowers dancing gracefully and charmingly. There is also a peculiar orchid "Glama" outside the museum, with flower spikes up to 2.5 meters long. The fragrant garden is on the right of the entrance of the main entrance, and the floral fragrance is pungent. In the unique fern garden, all kinds of ferns and vines are verdant, and the various climbing plants and tall trees are carefully designed by the gardener.


Aromatic Gardens

Walking out of the Orchid Pavilion, the visitors could see the aromatic garden, which exudes the characteristic aroma of plants. Cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, pepper and other spice crops come into view. Cinnamon is Sri Lanka's main export commodity. There is a nutmeg planted in 1840, which is still alive.


Other Special Exhibition

The Peradeniya Botanical Garden has special banana tree from South America, tall kauri trees from Queensland, Australia, many trees are nearly 150 years old, a giant willow trees that is over 100 years old and spread over 2500 square meters. According to the characteristics of different plants, the Peradeniya Botanical Garden has set up more than 20 themed plant display areas and attractions, including Double Coconut Avenue, Spice Garden, Orchid Hall, Bamboo Forest Area, Fig, Medicinal Plant Area, etc. Due to the tropical climate and the Mediterranean climate in Kandy region, the botanical garden is full of flowers in spring, and the flowers are blooming everywhere. There is also a beautiful greenhouse dedicated to the cultivation of orchids, which is one of the must-visit spots.


The Peradeniya Botanical Garden is also a paradise for wildlife. There are amazing types of trees, plants and flowers in the garden. There is a unique landscape in the Peradeniya Botanical Garden, where the visitor can see many bats hanging upside down on the tops of a forest during the day. These are the largest bats in the world-the tree fox bat. Try not to go to the forest without roads and because wild animals such as wild monkeys and snakes may be scared and hurt people by mistake.
 

The Peradeniya Botanical Garden is full of exotic flowers and fruits, including the palm trees of Panama, the thin-necked bottle tree with white pyramid-shaped flowers; the wood pineapple with thick trunk and fruit-like Chinese watermelon. The visitor could also see the long willow tree, which is moved from Australia, what's more, here has Mexican pine with magenta flowers; "beer tree" that can be brewed with juice and tastes like beer. And there is a palm tree, and once the monkey reaches into the shell to feed, it can't get in, and so it is called "catch the monkey tree".
 

There is a place in the Peradeniya Botanical Garden where the trees planted by the heads of state and celebrities are concentrated. Most of the leaders of the Commonwealth countries remember the trees planted by celebrities such as Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles, some of which have grown into a towering tree. It makes people full of reverie and brings a sense of long history.
 

The Peradeniya Botanical Garden is open to visitors every day, and flowers bloom all year round. Peradeniya University, the largest comprehensive university in Sri Lanka, is located next to the Botanic Gardens, the building is magnificent and also worth visiting.

 

How to get to the Peradeniya Botanical Garden

The Peradeniya Botanical Garden is about half an hour's drive from Kandy. Visitors could take the bus from Kandy bus station to the Perania bus station, then get off at Botanical Garden station, and the round trip is about Rs 25/person.

 

Tips

When taking a walk in the garden, especially when taking a cool under the trees, visitors should take precautions against mosquitoes. Anti-mosquito creams and sprays can be applied to the body in advance, which can provide protection from half a day to a day. Visitors can buy these in large local supermarkets or pharmacies.

 

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