Matale City
Matale, Sri Lanka, is renowned for its lush vegetation and spice gardens. Located in the central province, it offers a rich cultural experience with cooking classes and demonstrations. Visitors can learn traditional recipes and techniques, such as clay pot cooking, and enjoy dishes like chicken curry and dhal curry, making Matale a culinary and cultural treasure.
Spice Garden, Matale
A visit to the Matale Spice and Herbal Garden provides an educational and sensory journey where tourists can learn about the cultivation, processing, and uses of various spices and herbs that are integral to Sri Lankan cuisine and traditional medicine. The garden is home to a wide variety of plants, including cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, pepper, vanilla, nutmeg, and ginger, among others. Knowledgeable guides often lead tours, offering detailed explanations about the growth cycles, harvesting methods, and medicinal properties of these plants.
One of the highlights of the visit is the opportunity to witness the traditional methods of spice preparation, such as the grinding of cinnamon bark or the extraction of essential oils. Visitors can also sample herbal teas and remedies made from the garden's produce, providing a taste of the island’s natural wellness practices.
In addition to its educational value, the garden is a visual and aromatic delight. The vibrant colors of the plants and the rich scents of spices create a captivating atmosphere, making it a perfect spot for photography and leisurely strolls. Many gardens also have small shops where visitors can purchase fresh spices, herbal products, and natural cosmetics as souvenirs.
For those interested in wellness, some gardens offer Ayurvedic treatments and massages, utilizing the herbs and oils produced on-site. This adds a relaxing and rejuvenating dimension to the visit, allowing tourists to experience the ancient healing traditions of Sri Lanka.
In summary, the Matale Spice and Herbal Garden is a unique attraction that offers a deep dive into Sri Lanka’s rich spice culture, blending education, wellness, and sensory pleasures, making it an essential stop for travelers exploring the cultural triangle of Sri Lanka.
About Central Province
The Central Province of Sri Lanka consists primarily of mountainous terrain. The province has an area of 5,674 km², and a population of 2,421,148. Some major towns include Kandy, Gampola (24,730), Nuwara Eliya and Bandarawela. The population is a mixture of Sinhalese, Tamil and the Moors.
Both the hill capital Kandy and the city of Nuwara Eliya are located within the Central Province as well as Sri Pada. The province produces much of the famous Ceylon tea, planted by the British in the 1860s after a devastating disease killed all the coffee plantations in the province. Central Province attracts many tourists, with hill station towns such as Kandy, Gampola, Hatton and Nuwara Eliya. Temple tooth or Dalada maligawa is the main sacred place in Centrel province.
The climate is cool, and many areas about 1500 meters often have chilly nights. The western slopes are very wet, some places having almost 7000 mm of rain per year. The eastern slopes are parts of the mid-dry zone as it is receiving rain only from North-Eastern monsoon. The Temperatures range from 24°C at Kandy to just 16°C in Nuwara Eliya, which is located 1,889 m above sea level. The highest mountains in Sri Lanka are located in the Central Province. The terrain is mostly mountainous, with deep valleys cutting into it. The two main mountain regions are the central massif and the Knuckles range to the east of Kandy.