ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS

You enter one of Asia's most beautiful gardens, which shines brightest between January and April. It's a unique opportunity to stroll through 60 hectares of flowers, home to 4,000 tropical species of various origins brought back by the English. You'll see orchids, spices, medicinal plants and a wide variety of palms. Don't forget to visit the Orchid House, home to the most diverse and original species of the genus. The other highlight of the garden is the cannonball tree, planted in 1901 by King George V and Queen Mary. Its fruits are said to resemble cannonballs.

The site of the botanical garden, on the banks of the Mahaweli River, is rich in history. King Wickramabahu III occupied the throne at Peradeniya in 1371. His successors Kirti Sri and Rajadhi Rajasinghe kept the court in the same location. They built a temple which was destroyed by the British when they took over the Kingdom of Kandy. In 1821, Alexander Moon transformed the land into a coffee and cinnamon plantation. The botanical garden was developed from 1843 onwards, with plants brought from Colombo, Kew Gardens, Kalutara Garden and Slave Island. The garden grew over the years and was placed under the responsibility of the Ministry of Agriculture when it was created in 1912. The garden also served as headquarters for Lord Mountbatten, Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in South-East Asia during the Second World War.