Henarathgoda Botanical Gardens, a Sri Lanka horticultural gem!

An hour’s drive south-east of Negombo brings you to the Henarathgoda Botanical Gardens, one of the five main botanical gardens under the auspices of Royal Botanical Gardens, Peradeniya.

A stroll down the main avenue of Cuban Royal Palms brings you to a rubber tree, the sole survivor of the first rubber plantation in Sri Lanka, which was planted in 1876 by Henry Wickham. A cyclone 1988 destroyed the rest of the trees.

Meandering through the 45 acres of cool leafy shade, you will come across gardens created for butterflies, a medicinal garden, and a Japanese garden with a tea house—although you must provide your own tea!

Plunge into the dark, mysterious fernery, see the miniature world of bonsai, then at the far end of the park is a lake with boat rides (unfortunately, on the day we visited, the pedalos were all locked up due to the Covid19 restrictions).

With plenty of places to sit and relax, a tree-house and two small playgrounds for children, a very pleasant two or three hours can be whiled away.

If you take a picnic, beware of a small colony of monkeys! Security guards chase them off, and also try and stop them eating the flowers in the formal gardens.

Rs2,000 for foreigners is now the standard botanical gardens charge throughout the island as from August 2019, locals Rs100. There is a car park with a small charge for parking.

There is no map or plant guide available, although there are some information boards as you walk round and good labelling on trees. Friendly gardeners and security staff are happy to talk and answer questions.