Royal Botanical Garden (Sri Lanka): description, how to get there, reviews

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

Royal Botanical Garden Peradeniya is located 5.5 km from the city of Kandy and is the most popular garden in the country. It covers 0.59 km2 and welcomes about two million visitors every year. It is a magnificent expanse of manicured trees, flowers and paths, some of which are centuries old. The garden was officially created under the British colonial government in 1843, but the history of the park dates back to the 14th century and is associated with the kingdom of Kandyan.

History of the garden

The history of the garden begins in 1371. At this time, King Wikramabahu III took the throne and established his court near the Mahaweli River in Peradeniya. After him, King Vimala Dhharma erected a temple on this site, which was subsequently destroyed by the British. In 1821, Alexander Moon founded a botanical garden and began to grow coffee andcinnamon. The date of the official foundation of the Royal Botanic Gardens is considered to be 1843. The plants were brought here from Kew Garden, Slave Island, Colombo and Kalutara Garden. It gained relative independence in 1844 and began its expansion under Superintendent George Gardner. In 1912, the garden came under the control of the Ministry of Agriculture. Located in the Royal Botanic Gardens of Sri Lanka, there is a tree with a significant history on the Avenue of Palms, the cannon tree, which was planted by King George V of the United Kingdom and Queen Mary in 1901. The fruits of the tree look like cannonballs.

During World War II, the garden was the seat of the Southeast Asian Army Command, led by Supreme Commander Louis Mountbatten.

Description and location

Royal Botanic Gardens is located near the popular tourist destination of Kandy and can be reached by tuk-tuk from any nearby hotel. This is a well organized and well thought out place. Upon entering, visitors receive a map to help navigate the area.

In the Royal Botanical Gardens in Sri Lanka, according to tourists, the most popular place is the house with orchids. But there are also many trees growing here. A cozy garden with intersecting paths is shaded by these majestic trees. Fern lovers will appreciate the collection, which includes about a hundred native and exotic species.

In the description of the RoyalSri Lanka Botanical Gardens include a lake with marsh plants, a spice garden with cinnamon, pepper, cardamom and nutmeg.

The flower garden features a curved path of colorful annual coleus. Nearby are all kinds of trees that bloom at different times of the year. Most impressive is their greenery - lush and reaching such amazing heights.

There are three palm avenues and they are great. Palm trees on Cabbage Alley are over 21 meters high and lined up in a row. Some of the two hundred species presented in the garden are decorative. The double coconut palm originates from the Seychelles (Seychelles fan palm) and has the largest seed in the plant kingdom - it weighs 18 kg.

While moving along the road to the Great Circle, young couples can be seen standing or sitting behind the trees on both sides of the road along the palm avenues. This is the place where young Sri Lankans hang out, representatives of this relatively conservative society. The park has a large lawn with a huge willow tree in the center that looks like a big umbrella. Families with children rest and play here.

The Gardener's Memorial is in a protected area and you have to walk along the main road to get to it. In this place you can feel like a part of the global community.

Part of Sri Lankan life

Sri Lankans are very proud of their history and know it well. It includes the colonial period, and a visit to the Royal Botanic GardensPeradeniya is a great way to learn how a quintessentially British creation has become a part of Sri Lankan life. The garden welcomes two million visitors every year and about 5% of all Sri Lankan schoolchildren come here every year. Sri Lankans are friendly and easy to talk to, and the gardens are full of families and couples enjoying the beauty of the place.

Vegetation of the botanical garden

Sri Lanka is an incredibly green island. And the botanical garden of Peradeniya reflects the richness and variety of flowers. Here the vegetation is mostly tropical, and there are a total of 4,000 plant species.

In this tropical climate, plants bloom well. In the bamboo collection, for example, there is a gigantic representative from Burma, and its new shoots grow about 30 cm per day.

Part of the vegetation seems quite wild and jungle-like, such as the giant bamboo by the Mahaweli River.

The Royal Botanic Gardens of Peradeniya is home to many of the flora native to Sri Lanka. Here, visitors have a great opportunity to learn the names of plants that they see everywhere in Sri Lanka. For example, the cannon tree is really quite common here, and it has a peculiar look.

Orchids and spices

Sri Lanka's Royal Botanic Garden Peradeniya, as a place of plant conservation and sustainable development, is a must-see. It will also be of interest to those tourists for whom orchids and spices are of interest. If visitors have a desire to discoverAs you can see many different types of orchids, you should visit the pavilion of these flowers. Their cultivation is a real art and a delicate process. This requires finding the perfect balance of temperature, humidity and shading.

The Royal Botanical Gardens of Sri Lanka has a spice garden, but it's worth visiting it separately. It is located to the right of the entrance and is replete with exotic spices.

Entrance fees to the Royal Botanic Gardens

The bus ride to the botanical garden from Kandy is very cheap, but the entrance fee makes you wonder if it's worth going in. The ticket price for the Royal Botanic Gardens of Sri Lanka for foreigners is 1500 Sri Lankan rupees. International students can enroll for 1000 Sri Lankan rupees. The exchange rate of Sri Lanka is quite stable: one Russian ruble is equal to 2.5 rupees, so you need to divide the value in rupees by 2.5 when you need to convert them to rubles, for example: 100 rupees / 2.5=40 rubles.

Although the entry fee to the garden is high, the visit is well worth it. It is also possible to hire a guide here, however, experienced tourists recommend agreeing on a price in advance.

The garden is open to visitors 365 days a year from 7:30 am to 5:00 pm.

How to get to the Royal Botanic Gardens

You can get to the botanical garden by bus from Kandy. It is also the cheapest way to get there. You need to take the bus at the bus station in Kandy, near the clock tower. This station is not to be missed. This is where all the buses stop. Kandy.

Need to find a bus to Pilimatalawa. If you can't find it, you should ask the bus driver how to get to the Royal Botanic Garden (botanic garden) in Peradeniya. Many tourists note that bus drivers are very kind to show the way and give information.

Download offline Google Maps to know when to get off the bus. If this has not been done in advance, you can always ask the bus driver to tell you when to get off. This is a fairly noticeable stop, and if you follow the road, it will be difficult to miss it. The bus ride takes about 20 minutes and costs a total of Rs 20.

Neighbourhood of the Botanical Garden

Another key attraction of this city is the University of Peradeniya, which is the second oldest university in Sri Lanka. Its buildings in mixed colonial and Indian styles are concentrated among the lush vegetation of the rolling hills of Sri Lanka. The Ministry of Agriculture is also located here.

There are many more things to see in the Kandy area, the most important being the Temple of the Tooth. Those tourists who are fond of needlework and handicrafts are recommended to visit a batik factory.

Visit the botanical garden

In the Royal Botanic Gardens of Sri Lanka, you can simply enjoy a moment of peace at the foot of a giant tree. If these plants give the visitor a sense of calm and purpose, he maysit in their shadow and dream.

This is the most suitable place for those who love nature, trees, plants and foliage. Here you can also see many monkeys moving around the park, many different types of birds and water monitors. The garden is quite large, and it will take at least two hours to explore it, walking slowly along the tree-lined paths, reading the nameplates of the various species, and simply enjoying being in the quiet garden.