Located on the outskirts of Kandy city, the Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens is Sri Lanka’s largest collection of botanical gardenscapes. Stretching across 60 hectares of central highland, the gardens comprise 4,000 species of plants, ranging from spices to floral varieties.
Officially established in the 1840s as an ambitious botanical project, the gardens sourced endemic flora from all over the island. Today, its most notable collections feature a comprehensive orchid house, manicured hedges, and a boulevard of palm trees, towering at impressive heights.
Beyond the landscaping, the gardens played a significant role throughout Sri Lanka’s ancient and colonial past. Bound by a bend along the Mahaweli River, Peradeniya’s iconic gardens have been the site of WW2 headquarters, a Hollywood classic, and even trees planted by royal figures.
