Botanical Gardens of Sri Lanka

The Gardens date back to the Kandyan kingdom, when they were used as royal pleasure grounds. However, it was soon after the British seized the Kandyan Kingdom that they were established in 1821. Within this large loop of the meandering Mahaweli Ganga is a spectacular display of more than 400 species of indigenous tropical flora and exotic plants.

After the Royal Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya, Hakgala, 10km (6 miles) south of Nuwara Eliya, is the second most important garden in Sri Lanka.Though on a smaller scale than those at Peradeniya, Hakgala’s plantations of roses, shrubs, ferns and montage woodland are delightfully located, with scenic views. garden open to visitors daily from 07:30 to 17:00.

Henarathgoda Botanical garden is situated in close proximity to Gampaha Municipality opened in 1876. It is surrounded by beautiful paddy fields, a man-made green environment, secondary forest & a beautiful water streams. This garden carries historically link to the evolution of Sri Lankan Economy. The garden is famous destination for youngsters.

Being located in the intermediate zone, the Medicinal Plant Garden at Ganewatte offers an ideal site for cultivating a large number of medicinal plants. The garden is 52 acres in extent. About half of the land is occupied by coconut cultivation and 22 acres are occupied by a collection of tropical plants that are used for medicinal purposes. It is situated about 15 miles away from Kurunegala.

A botanical garden is being established in Mirijjawila in the Hambantota district. This is the first botanical garden to be established in the dry zone in Sri Lanka. It has an extent of 300 acres. The objective of establishing this botanical garden is for the conservation of dwindling trees and shrubs in the dry zone, onservation of medicinal herbs and promotion of tourism.

The latest addition to the 5 botanical gardens in Sri Lanka, the Seethawaka Wet Zone Botanical Garden in Avissawella was opened to the public towards the latter part of the year 2014. You can access the botanical gardens if you travel along the Puwakpitiya – Thummodara main road while the gardens will be adjacent to the Indikada Mukalana Forest Reserve in Avissawella.