Sri Lanka boasts 5 botanical gardens consisting of native and endemic plants, as well as plants from all around the world. These botanical gardens are administered by the Sri Lankan government and keep as vital national assets of the island. Surrounded by lush greenery everywhere, they are the perfect places to enjoy the beauty of Sri Lankan flora. Definitely, you should include one or a few of the botanical gardens into your bucket list and enjoy these nature’s delights of Sri Lanka.
There are two types of botanical gardens on the island; wet zone and dry zone botanical gardens. Among five botanical gardens in the country, 4 are located in the wet zone and only 1 is located in the dry zone. Each garden has its unique features and famous for different kinds of plants and flowers. In this post, we are going to describe the major highlights and things you shouldn’t miss in each botanical garden in Sri Lanka.
1. Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens
Opened in 1821, Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens is the oldest garden in Sri Lanka. There are 4,000 different species of plants spread over spacious 147 acres. Most importantly, it considers the best elegantly landscaped garden in Asia. It locates about 5 km from Kandy in Peradeniya town. This lovely garden is one of the must-visit destinations in Kandy city.
The Mahaweli River borders the garden from 3 sides and Colombo – Kandy main road by the other side. There are more than 10,000 individual trees, and some of them are more than hundreds of years old. Moreover, it is home to some of the rarest plant species in the world. One such tree is Coco de Mer, the world’s largest seed-producing tree.
Above all, the major highlight of the garden is 3 spectacular palm avenues of Royal Palm, Cabbage Palm, and Palmyra Palm. These majestic palm avenues are one of the most prominent features of the garden. These very elegant, tall trees are neatly arranged along the pathways, making an epic photogenic scenery.
One of the major highlights of the garden is the century-old giant Java fig tree. This tree includes into the most ancient trees in Sri Lanka. It stands at the centre of the great lawn, looking like a giant umbrella from the distance. This giant tree has widely spread branches and a large canopy.
Especially, Peradeniya Garden is famous for its wonderful collection of Orchids. The Orchid House offers the visitor a captivating display of exotic blooms of Cattleya, Dendrobium, Arachnis, Oncidium, Phalaenopsis, Vanda, and their hybrids. You can see some of the rarest orchid species including the largest orchid in the world, the Tiger Orchid, and the Green Orchid.
2.Hakgala Botanical Garden
Opened in 1861, Hakgala Botanic Gardens is the highest-altitude garden in Sri Lanka. It locates around 2000 m above sea level. This garden spreads out 28 ha in extent and home to over 10,000 different species of flora. It locates on the Nuwara Eliya- Badulla main road, 7 km from Nuwara Eliya city.
Particularly, the well-maintained mixed flower borders are one of the unique features of the Hakgala Botanical Garden. These fine hedges have different kinds of Azalea, Camellia, and several other flowering shrubs. The flower gardens display varieties of blooming flowers adding beauty to the gardens. You’ll see gorgeous blooms of Agapanthus in the bulb garden. It contains a collection of Lilium, Watsonia, Gladiolus, Zephyranthes, and many more.
Above all, Hakgala Garden is famous for its beautiful Dahlias. There are varieties of colorful dahlias with several exciting hues. You’ll find red, white, purple, yellow, and orange dahlias. Each plant has bunches of dahlias, creating wonderful scenery. Remember that the best time to see Hakgala Botanical Garden is from April to May, during the flowering season.
3. Henarathgoda Botanical Garden
Opened in 1876, this garden is located about 500 m from the Gampaha railway station on the Gampaha-Minuwangoda main road. This garden covers a total area of 17.4 ha and it has a tropical lowland climate. It is home to an important plant collection of about 2000 species.
This garden was established for the introduction of rubber to Sri Lanka. The British colonials planted rubber seedlings in this garden in 1876. The rubber plants sprouted by 1881, and later its seeds were taken across the island for planting.
The first rubber plant planted in Gampaha gardens was destroyed in 1988 due to a Hurricane. Although the first rubber is no longer there, you can see the remains of this plant. On the other hand, the largest living rubber plant in Sri Lanka still thrives in the Henarathgoda Botanic Gardens. Its height is 40 m and its circumference is 5.7 m.
Certainly, this is a well-maintained botanic garden displaying a beautiful landscape bordered by the Attanagalle stream. Additionally, it offers recreational facilities for visitors including a wonderful day out in the tropical atmosphere, pedal boat rides in a lake and a canopy view from the tree house.
4. Mirijjawila Dry Zone Botanical Garden
Opened in 2013, Mirijjawila Dry Zone Botanical Gardens is the first-ever dry zone botanical garden in Sri Lanka. It is located on the Colombo-Kataragama main road, 10 km from Hambantota town. Since the Mattala International Airport locates just closer to the garden, it is a convenient destination for tourists. It is one of the major attractions and must-visit destinations in Hambantota city.
It has a vast area of 300 acres and there is a big collection of wet and dry zone plants including some rare medicinal plants endemic to Sri Lanka. Since it covers a huge area, it is better to use an electric buggy to explore the garden. Then you can enjoy the beauty of the garden easily and the guides will explain the details about every nook and corner of the garden.
Especially, this garden boasts the longest green road in the whole of Asia. The Willow Tree Road in the garden is the longest straight road built within a botanical garden in South Asia that spans over 1.6 km.
This elegantly landscaped garden has large ornamental flower cultivation. There are big lawns and well-paved pathways to walk inside the park. The appearance of the lawns in the wet season and the dry season is quite different. They are brown in the dry period but turn to lush green in the rainy season.
5. Seethawaka Botanical Garden
Opened in 2016, Seethawaka Wet Zone Botanical Garden is the latest addition to Sri Lankan Botanical Gardens. It locates in Avissawella, just a 90-minute drive from Colombo. If you like to spend a day out near Colombo, this is an awesome place filled with all nature’s beautiful delights. It is a well-landscaped garden with minimum modifications to the natural setup of the land.
It surrounds by the lush green Sabaragamuwa mountain range and the sceneries in the garden are simply stunning. The vast lake at the entrance, the beautifully arranged flower beds, and the perfectly cut grasses along the lake are the unique features of the Seethawaka Botanical Garden. Moreover, a crystal-clear stream flows through the garden sustaining the life of various wet zone plants.
The garden spreads over a total land area of 106 acres. The entrance of the garden is beautifully decorated with flower beds and manicured grass lawns. There is a 3.5 km long hiking trail along the forested hills to reach the summit of the garden. The viewing deck is located at the summit of the garden and it is visible as a small triangle even from the entrance.
Above all, the Japanese Garden is a lovely place landscaped according to the Japanese style. It has a central lawn with neatly cut grass, trimmed bushes, a sand garden, and plots of miniature flower patches with a picturesque small bridge.
One of the most prominent features of the garden is the forest of tall Terminalia arjuna or Kumbuk trees. There is a vast area of Kumbuk trees rising high above the sky. This Kumbuk grove spreads as far as your eyes could see. Since this place creates an epic photogenic scenery, it is famous among Sri Lankans as a photo shooting location.
Final Thoughts
To sum up, here we have shown you the details of 5 botanical gardens in Sri Lanka. Hope this guide will help you to arrange a nice itinerary to include them in your journey. Certainly, these botanic gardens are unique gifts of Mother Nature with their elegant landscape. Without a doubt, you’ll enjoy your trip to each of these botanical gardens. Welcome everybody, Enjoy the beautiful flower paradises in Sri Lanka.
Text by Magnificent Sri Lanka. Images from Wikimedia Commons, Dreamstime, Facebook, and Twitter. All copyrights are reserved by the original authors.
