In between my jungle hikes and wildlife encounters in Sri Lanka I took some time to slow down and enjoy some more civilized parts of the country.

One stop that I enjoyed was the Royal Botanical Gardens of Peradeniya, said to be one of the best Botanical Gardens in all of Asia and dating back more than 600 years. I’m always amazed when I visit these kind of places as I have no horticultural or arboreal type skills at all, well at least none that I know of.

At the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens there are immense fig trees, planted generations ago and collections of orchids and other rare trees around every corner. There are ponds, with ducks swimming and birds flying about, as well as plenty of benches to sit and watch people meandering along the accessible pathways.

A bamboo forest here, a historical building there. It’s a peaceful place that seems miles away from the hectic traffic not so far away in Kandy. Of course, it should have a sense of serenity to it, as it’s not free, you do have to pay for the privilege to visit these impressive gardens.

It’s worth it though. In total the gardens have more than 4000 different plants here – a staggering number! To me the most interesting part of the sprawling garden complex was Royal Palm Avenue, a line of towering palm trees that goes on almost as far as you can see. The thought and planning that has to go into visualising what those once tiny trees would look like after so much time is fascinating.

If you find yourself spending time in frenetic Kandy when you visit Sri Lanka, treat yourself to some quiet, re-energizing time and escape to Peradeniya and the Royal Botanical Gardens for a few hours.