The Royal Botanical Gardens are a beautiful place where people, both locals, and tourists, gather during the day. The garden is the oldest formal garden in Sri Lanka. The stunning gardens were originally reserved for the royalty of Kandy. Luckily, they have been opened for the population and it’s a stunning place to take some time to relax and escape from the city. The Royal Botanical Gardens of Kandy is a must-visit when in Kandy.
Good to know before visiting the Royal Botanical Gardens of Kandy
Like so many other attractions in Sri Lanka, there are some good things to know before visiting the Royal Botanical Gardens of Kandy.
Opening Hours
The opening hours of the Botanical Gardens of Kandy from 7:30 to 17:00 every day.
Entrance fee
The entrance fee for the Royal Gardens is a bit more pricey than other attractions in Sri Lanka. But if you spend a couple of hours inside the gardens it will be worth 1500 LKR per person for an adult. And it’s 750 LKR for a child under 12 years old.
Getting to the gardens
The Royal Botanical Gardens of Kandy is situated about 5 kilometers from the city of Kandy. It’s possible to walk but can be a long walk if you also want to walk around inside the garden. But the gardens are also reachable by bus from the clock tower in Kandy. Ask your hotel or other locals for the time tables for the buses as well as bus numbers. You can also go by tuk-tuk or by taxi.
What to do in the Royal Botanical Gardens
The Royal Botanical Gardens of Kandy includes more than 4000 different species of plants – including orchids, spices, medicinal plants, and a lot of palm trees. Therefore, there are a lot of smaller gardens to explore and long paths with palm trees to walk along.
The gardens are also filled with thousands of wing-flapping fruit bats. So, don’t forget to look up and spot the huge amounts of bats hanging from the trees. If you are lucky you may also spot some monkeys walking around and climbing trees.
When in the gardens, you should also use the time to relax. So, bring a good book, cards or some other things to have fun with inside the park.
Food and drinks in the gardens
Inside the gardens, there is a cafeteria that serves both Western and Sri Lankan food. But the food is very expensive. Therefore, we recommend you bring your own food and drinks. Then you can have a picnic inside the beautiful garden.