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Things to do

Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya

Sri Lanka’s finest botanic gardens, just outside Kandy, with an orchid house, giant Java fig and avenues of royal palms.

  • Experience
  • Peradeniya, Kandy
  • Mid-range

Why we marked it

  • Sri Lanka’s largest botanic gardens
  • Orchid house and spice garden
  • Giant Java fig and palm avenues
  • About 6 km from Kandy

The Royal Botanic Gardens at Peradeniya, about six kilometres from central Kandy, are the largest and most famous gardens in Sri Lanka, set in a loop of the Mahaweli River.

What to expect

Wander avenues of royal palms, the orchid house and spice garden, and the huge Java fig tree whose branches spread across the lawn. Fruit bats roost in the tall trees.

Good to know

  • Allow two to three hours and bring water.
  • Go in the morning before the heat.
  • Sri Lankan citizens pay a much lower local rate; bring your NIC.
  • Popular with families and couples at weekends.

Where it is

Peradeniya, Kandy, Sri Lanka

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