Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya

The gardens at Peradeniya cover about sixty hectares inside a loop of the Mahaweli and were formally established in 1821 on ground that had been a royal garden long before. They hold an orchid house, an avenue of royal palms planted in the 1900s, a Javan fig whose crown spreads over sixteen hundred square metres, a cannonball tree planted by a visiting king, and a spice garden. A giant fruit bat colony roosts in the trees along the river, thousands of them hanging in the branches and audible from a long way off.

What you actually see

• The Javan fig - a single tree whose crown covers over 1,600 square metres.
• The orchid house - a large collection under glass.
• The royal palm avenue - planted in the early 1900s and now full grown.
• The bat colony - flying foxes roosting in the riverside trees.

When to go

January to April is the driest and most comfortable. Weekends and school holidays are crowded. Mornings are coolest.

Honest expectations

The gardens are large and covering them means several hours of walking. Weekend crowds are heavy. Labelling is inconsistent in places.

Nearby

Kandy is northeast, and Lankatilaka is southwest.