Royal Botanical Gardens Peradeniya

Lanka. Originally established as a royal pleasure garden by King Wickramabahu III in the 14th

century, the site was later formalised and expanded by the British in 1821 into a world-class

botanical research facility. Today, it spans over 147 acres and showcases more than 4,000

distinct species of tropical flora, including rare medicinal herbs, spices, and towering trees.

The gardens are internationally renowned for their spectacular Orchid House, a climate-

controlled greenhouse displaying an extraordinary collection of delicate, vibrant orchids,

including rare endemic varieties. Another iconic highlight is the magnificent Avenue of Royal

Palms, where uniform, sky-high palm trees create a grand walkway reminiscent of classic

European estate designs.

Visitors can explore vast, open lawns to find the massive Javan Giant Fig Tree (Ficus

benghalensis). This extraordinary plant features a central trunk with a network of roots that

spreads out like a massive green umbrella, covering over 2,500 square meters of the lawn.

The gardens also feature a fragrant spice garden filled with cinnamon, nutmeg, and

cardamom bushes, an avenue of weeping double-coconuts native to the Seychelles, and a

quiet suspension bridge stretching over the river. It serves as a peaceful escape for travelers,

who can walk along its shaded paths while watching colonies of flying fox fruit bats hang

quietly from the forest canopy.